Sales Vs. Branding

This one is really interesting and I have been thinking a lot about going deeper into the details to differentiate the articles I am sharing. I want to give you a piece that is going to be all about strategy and reveal some of the most important insights that I have about the difference between Sales and Branding.

It’s really the key to my success.

The single biggest difference between me and most other people on the internet trying to give you advice is that all of my content is FREE. (even my Facebook videos don’t have ads unless the music I use forces one in.)

I don’t need to monetize you. I don’t need to sell you. I built a 150M dollar revenue business and I’m just getting started. Being Gary Vaynerchuk i.e. “GaryVee” is really a conversation about branding. To me, it’s my side hustle 😉

I’m building for the long term, because I think it’s about brand. So many of you are in it for the quick sale, and you are going to be forgotten. I build trust by giving away all of my content for free and then every three years or so, I write a book, and ask if your interested to buy it.

The difference between branding and sales is simple. Are you trying to convert or are you trying to create an experience? The latter always wins.

At the end of the day there is only one thing that constitutes “brand.” It’s how you feel in the moment you interact with the product, service or business. When I say “Pepsi” and “Coca-Cola” and “IBM” and “Sears” you have a very specific innate reaction to your feeling about that brand. It could be good or it good be bad or maybe it’s somewhere in between. The only thing I care about, and why I focus so much on legacy, is I want you to have a positive reaction when you hear my name. I want you to feel good when you think about what I’ve done. If you had to put it into words, I would hope you might say “Gary, the guy who gave more than he asked” or something along those lines. I want you to have a positive connotation. A good feeling when you think of me.

The reality is, the greatest companies in the world don’t sell. They brand. Think of Apple as a prime example… When, if ever, have you received an advertisement from Apple telling you to BUY their product? It never happens. Apple focuses on building a relationship that will last by deploying all of their energy into branding and showcasing how your life will change once you switch to iPhone. Their ads are about sharing an experience, about the simplicity and ease of use of their products. About how great it is to use the Mac. It’s all about branding.

The same goes for me. I’m not selling you my $2,000 e-book. I’m not trying to get you to go to my class, or come to my keynote. I’m building a relationship. I’m building brand. So the next time you think to yourself about throwing another right hook, ask if this is going to help you win in 25 years? Everyone can have their 15 minutes of fame, or better yet their 15K instagram followers and their one great sale. So few of you can build a brand and a relationship for years to come.

Whether you’re a small business or a massive corporation, you need to start thinking about business as a long term relationship, not a single transaction. Branding is the reason there are so many 22 and 29 year olds that want to do work with me. It’s because I care and I’ve built trust. Everything I do is about building a brand. It’s about sharing my narrative and documenting my success. I’ve built a real business. I have real clients. I don’t need to sell you!

At the end of the day what I’m trying to do is build legacy. I know that if I bring a ton of value to my audience and they get good at running their business, then when they are successful, their stories over dinner or at a conference, or to their grandchildren are going to paint a positive picture about me. That is far more impactful on my brand than getting one of them to buy one of my courses and then never reach success.

So the reason I’ll be relevant in 50 years is because I built a brand. If I continue to put out the best content on the internet, if I distribute it better than anybody, if I impact youth earlier than anybody, if I actually get you to buy into the tactics and the work ethic that it takes to be successful… Then you will also be successful. And then you will continue to share the stories of how I impacted your life and business and on and on and on.