Earlier last month I [Rod Santomassimo] invested in an exclusive, small group event, 4Ds with Gary Vaynerchuck and Vayner Media. Gary Vee, as he is known, has created a lot of buzz in the marketing industry.

My objective in this investment of time and money was simple: I am 55 years old, I have a team of “kids” surrounding me who transform my vlogs and blogs into Tweets, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn posts. The technology and application are beyond my comprehension, but requires my (and I would declare, your) complete appreciation. The measured return to me was based on one thing only— clarity. Confirming what we are doing as a company, in regard to marketing (more specifically, digital marketing) was correct. My ROI, both Return on Investment and Return on Involvement, were met.

I thought I would share some key insights from my time with Gary and his team, in hopes of helping you determine if/how you wish to build a stronger brand in your market.

1. Brand is Everything: Yes, SIOR has a very strong brand, and you must leverage it—but how about your brand? According to Gary Vee, this is the great differentiator. Without it, we are all simply commodities. Here is a quick test—what separates you from your competition? Now, are you sure your audience knows this?
2. Know Where Your Audience Is: Are they on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or somewhere else? First, don’t assume they are not on these platforms—they absolutely are. Males 25-55 are the fastest growing audiences on Instagram, and LinkedIn continues to be the #1 business channel.
3. Different Messages for Different Channels: As noted above, some channels are for more personal approaches, while others are more business oriented. Don’t put the same message out on all channels.
4. Be Authentic: This is a hard lesson to learn. Admittedly, most of my original content was so tailored to ultimate professionalism, that it was boring. I have realized the more I am myself, the stronger my ties with my audience.
5. Get a Team. As I noted above, I have a team of “kids” as I refer to them, all in their 20’s or 30’s, who know the social media game much better than I ever want—or need to. Like you, my time is best spent focusing on other elements of my business. However, creating a digital presence is no longer an option. See point #1. Either you create a personal brand or you get lost in the shuffle.
6. Give Your Advice Away – What?! This can’t be correct. But it is. In fact, Gary Vaynerchuk gives away his entire playbook to social media – an 86 slide deck. We also give away much of our coaching content. For example – want a sure-fire way to increase your commissions? Why? Because Knowing Isn’t Doing (Don’t K.I.D. yourself). The more you give away, the more value you will create for your audience, and the more they will recognize they need your services.