How to Choose the Right Platforms for Your Brand

How to Choose the Right Platforms for Your Brand | GaryVaynerchuk.com

As I’ve been building my personal brand, my answer for why a particular platform is the right one for you has changed. I used to be a content guy. I used to be writing blog posts and doing voice over for clients. Now, I’m really into social media and mobile video. I’m trying to figure out which one is right for you. So how do you pick which platform to work on? Do you take the platforms that are already interesting to you? Or do you pick the platforms that seem most ripe for disruption? It might seem like a no-brainer. You might be thinking that social media is the place to start, but there are so many other opportunities out there. Maybe you should focus on video for your brand’s YouTube page. Or maybe social should be your right hook for your next big talk. But that’s just not what I’ve been able to do. I’ve always thought that you should focus on the platforms that bring you the most value, not the platforms that have the most reach or potential to build a huge audience. If you want to build a big audience on video, you need to make sure you’re putting value into the platform that you’re most passionate about. For me, that’s social. For others, it might be branding or influencer marketing. For exampe, it might be content creation and distribution. Whatever it is, make sure you’re investing the most value into it. Now, let’s get into the actual hustle. HUSTLE 7: STARTING A SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY Before I start any social media campaign, I’m thinking about the businesses that are going to get hurt. I’m thinking about how I can help them get back on their feet. You shouldn’t be surprised if you get into a couple of hundred conversations a day with people who tell you they’re going to be the next big company to lose because they haven’t adapted to the current landscape. A business that’s been operating for 200 years doesn’t have the depth to adapt to the current landscape. So I’m trying to figure out what platforms are ripe for disruption and what strengths are those platforms using to drive their growth. You should be using Twitter for your content. You should be using YouTube for your vlog. You should be using Instagram for your personal brand. When you’re trying to grow your personal brand, you want to be sure that your marketing is as tactical as possible. You want to know as much about the platforms that are most valuable to your audience as possible. I’ve been saying it for a long time: be as tactical as you can. I have my team follow a strategy that allows me to hit the platforms that I need to hit. For example, if I have the audio and the video skills to make a splash on audio, I can use those to create content on top of YouTube. I also have people coming to me now and saying, “Steve, you’re doing a really nice job, but I can’t find the audio or the video for this talk.” I said, “I’m going to have to figure it out.” It’s like I got a really cool idea for a cool product but I can’t find the vendor. Or, I had the brilliant idea for a cool new service but I can’t hire the people to use it. Social Media is a massive opportunity that’s waiting to happen for you. I promise you, once you get your foot in the door and start to find the platforms that are right for you, you will grow. I promise you, starting a blog on vlog or Medium or YouTube and growing your YouTube audience is going to be way easier than ever before. Imagine the level of creativity you’ll be able to unleash on YouTube. There’s a lot of value in this talk. If you got value from reading this article, I would love it if you could share it on Twitter!