Marketing Matrix: Gary Vaynerchuk on "Context Marketing"

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Gary Vaynerchuk on "Context Marketing"

This blog post is based off of David Garland's interview with Gary Vaynerchuk on his HubSpot sponsored web series "The Rise to the Top." You can watch the full interview below.

Gary Vaynerchuk is the definition of hustler. He is the founder of Wine Library TV, The Daily Grape, and author of Crush It and most recently The Thank You Economy. The interview was incredibly entertaining and as like most of David's interviews there are a number of great takeaways for internet marketers.

Create Content that Solves a Problem

At the start of his interview, he tells us that the majority of the complaints he got about his book was that they wish it was more of a "How To" book. Even though Gary has lead an extremely interesting life, his audience is still more interested in how he can help them than Gary's general opinions about how the business economy is evolving. These complainers seem to be saying, "okay we agree, but how can we benefit." Don't just state your opinion about a specific topic, but share how your audience can get value from your insights. They will thank you for it!

Build Relationships with Your Fans

One of the reasons that Gary waited so long to publish The Thank You Economy was because he didn't feel that the world's communication infrastructure ready. It wasn't until this year that he felt The Thank You Economy would have an incredible impact.

Now, we have reached a point with social media where every interaction you have with someone can have a huge impact on your business. People have become excellent at researching solutions to their problems, so it's no longer about the hard sell. Real engagement will lead to real relationships, which will eventually lead to real commerce.

Use Data to Back Up Your Claims

Gary tells us that one of the biggest differences between Crush It and The Thank You Economy is that The Thank You Economy backs up his statements with numbers, data and case studies, where as Crush It was more of just a "rant." Instead of just saying "Here's how it is. Take it or leave it." Gary backs up his theories with evidence and his readers are more easily convinced because of this.

Gary tells us that he had much less time to market The Thank You Economy than Crush It because his other venture, The Daily Grape, was taking up so much of his time. Regardless, The Thank You Economy saw just as much success as his first book. What do you think are some of the reasons The Thank You Economy was so successful?