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As marketers, we've been doing it all wrong. Here's how to get it right.

Most brands miss the mark. They chase tactics instead of understanding the customer. Don't be one of them. ‪Gary‬ reveals the ONE thing that will transform your marketing: empathy. It starts with asking, "Will the person on the other side actually like this?"

Most brands are struggling to reach customers today. They rely on outdated assumptions and yesterday's tactics instead of focusing on the consumer. This lack of empathy is why so many companies fail.

Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of ‪Vayner Media‬ believes there is not enough emphasis on the actual consumer in marketing. Brands need to start caring and respecting people's time. The question you should always ask is "Will the person on the other side actually like this?"

Gary shares strategies for connecting with your audience in an era of short attention spans and information overload. He explains why listening is the number one strategy before you start talking. Social media provides invaluable consumer insights - pay attention to what people are complaining about. Tell compelling stories that come from the heart.

Success requires patience and a long-term vision. Build trust and a reputation over years, not days. Ironically, focusing on leaving a legacy versus short-term results will lead to greater profits because you'll build a stronger foundation.

Stop chasing tactics. Start with empathy. Let us show you how to transform your marketing by truly caring about your customers.

Video is copied from VaynerMedia, a contemporary global creative and media agency.
Transcript
00:00There's a reason a lot of people go out of business,
00:02and it is almost always directly correlated
00:06to them missing the mark
00:07on the customers they're trying to reach.
00:11Most companies, big or small,
00:13are really struggling in assumptions
00:16or yesterday tactics to reach customers.
00:20I believe that there is not enough emphasis
00:24put on the actual consumer.
00:27Caring, when it comes to marketing,
00:30is respecting one's time.
00:32I think we don't respect consumers' time.
00:36And if we're gonna fill them with messages,
00:38wouldn't it be nice for them to enjoy it?
00:42When you come from a lens of caring and empathy,
00:44you just tend to make better advertising.
00:47You tend to make better advertising.
00:49I'm Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia,
00:53and my latest book is
01:04I view myself as an entrepreneur.
01:05I grew up in my dad's liquor store
01:07and innovated by having one of the first e-commerce websites.
01:10I was an early investor in Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr,
01:14and in more recent years have been an author and a speaker,
01:17but also running a 2,000-person-plus
01:19global advertising agency.
01:21And at the end of the day,
01:23I could not explain to all of you watching
01:25or listening more how many marketing ideas
01:29literally spend no time on,
01:31will the person on the other side like this?
01:35It's just, this is the way it's always been done,
01:37or how many do we have to sell?
01:39Sell, sell, sell.
01:41But I did not buy this sneaker
01:44because somebody knocked on my door and sold it to me,
01:47or I landed on a website that explained
01:49why I had to own this.
01:51The Super Bowl, I would say,
01:52is a place where we do a better job caring.
01:54We try to actually make that 30-second video entertaining.
01:58I think I see it every day in social media.
01:59I see young brands actually make content
02:02that people want to watch.
02:03When your lens is caring and empathy
02:06to connect with a consumer,
02:07you're actually thinking about them.
02:09Will the person on the other side like this?
02:12For me, that's the million-dollar question.
02:15So, do you have strategies
02:18for how to connect with your audience?
02:24I would say my number one strategy
02:26is something I've done my whole life,
02:27which is, before I start talking, I listen.
02:31Literally, your biggest advantage is time.
02:35Don't buy into an antiquated process.
02:37You're entering the greatest five-year window of your life.
02:41And, you know, obviously, it seems like I'm always talking,
02:43but almost everything that comes out of my mouth
02:45has been predicated on me doing a lot of hours of listening.
02:49Social media's greatest power
02:50is the ability to see what people are thinking.
02:52We're living in the golden era of consumer insights
02:56because of social media.
02:57And I think the best businesses in the world
02:59are fixing something that everyone's complaining about,
03:02but hasn't been fixed yet.
03:04Here's a good example.
03:05Drive-through fast food.
03:08People value time.
03:10And, obviously, someone eventually said,
03:13you know what?
03:14Instead of making them park and walk in
03:16and wait in line and get their burger and fries,
03:19why don't we just let them drive through?
03:22That was a very strong innovation, a good idea.
03:26This is one big game of listening.
03:28Historically, this is what you do through focus groups.
03:31This is what you now can do
03:32through social listening at scale.
03:34The question is, what do you then do about it?
03:37The last 10 years of storytelling
03:39has evolved tremendously.
03:40We are no longer in tribes,
03:42sitting around a fire, telling a story.
03:45News cycles are now 12 and 24 hours,
03:48not 12 and 24 days.
03:50So the speed of keeping attention
03:53has changed dramatically.
03:55Also, the ability to storytell has exploded.
03:59You don't need an editor-in-chief.
04:01You don't need the local newspaper.
04:03You don't need someone at the TV network
04:05saying that you're allowed to be on camera
04:07and talk to the world.
04:08That's gone.
04:09There's not a person watching this
04:10who doesn't have permission now
04:12to tell the world their story as a human
04:15or their story about the business or organization,
04:18nonprofit, or whatever other body they're working with
04:22to the world.
04:23On the flip side, it's never been harder.
04:25What pictures, what videos, what animated GIFs,
04:29what copy, what time do you post,
04:31how long is the video, audio, video,
04:34how long is the video, audio, lighting?
04:36I mean, this has become a profoundly complex game.
04:39Here's the good news for everyone who's scared
04:41by how hard and fast it is.
04:43A great story will still find its way.
04:46Even if you don't know the best practices
04:48of how to post on YouTube or Instagram or TikTok,
04:51you will be stunned how much a story can find its audience
04:55if it's just told from the heart in a pure form.
04:59When I talk about patience,
05:01it drives ambitious people crazy.
05:04I have a lot of high energy, in your face,
05:08loud, New Jersey style.
05:10And when I throw out patience, like, wait a minute,
05:13you're going off cue.
05:14Like, this doesn't sound like you, Gary.
05:15And I'm like, that's because you don't realize
05:18that patience is not complacency.
05:20Patience is probably one of the most important
05:23things in life.
05:24It's the most important thing.
05:26Patience is probably one of the most important ingredients
05:29in building something meaningful.
05:31One of the reasons most people don't have patience
05:34is because of fear.
05:36They fear failing, and so they try to go fast
05:39because if it's not going well,
05:41they can't deal with the music,
05:43AKA the judgment of the people around them.
05:46If patience is not one of your partners, you're dead.
05:49You're too short term,
05:50you're gonna deviate from the plan,
05:52and you're probably gonna make a misstep.
05:55I always hear people say,
05:56well, okay, Gary, I'm into patience,
05:57I'm building something meaningful and brand,
05:58like, how do I know it's working?
06:00And look, I think the answer is results.
06:03When I was building my father's wine business,
06:06the way I was noticing if we were building brand
06:09was based on the fact that I had to spend less money
06:12on advertising every year,
06:14but was achieving higher sales every year
06:16because after five or six years of good work,
06:19I could see that the word of mouth and the reputation,
06:21the brand, was carrying the business.
06:24And so, you know, I think at the end of the day,
06:26you have to measure brand based on business results,
06:28but you've gotta play that out for a long time
06:31because when you start thinking 100 year terms
06:33versus 100 day terms,
06:35you're playing a totally different game.
06:37When you think long,
06:39and when you think about leaving a legacy,
06:41you tend to ironically make more money
06:43because you're building a stronger foundation.
06:47I ask you to take this video, this energy,
06:50and deploy it to not just your content
06:52or your marketing strategies
06:54or even your business.
06:55Deploy it to your life.
06:57It will help you be a better father, mother,
06:59sister, brother, child, human,
07:02to make the future more joyous and impactful.
07:06To learn even more from the world's biggest thinkers,
07:09get Big Think Plus for your business.
07:11Get Big Think Plus for your business.

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