#AskGaryVee Episode 66: Top Line Revenue and Niche Advertising on Instagram!

where I need to hire an office assistant. Sales are great, but I don’t
necessarily have the capital to pull the trigger. Any creative ideas on how to achieve this?” – David, that is a great
question, and it’s really fun to be in the presence of DRock, one of the people who
I think payed forward and is going to feel the huge
dividend on the way back. Meaning, I know a lot of
real hard-core watchers and listeners. I know that you DRock first
at a video for me for free. Was that Clouds and Dirt? That’s epic, let’s link that up. And, you know, that led to a relationship which lead to a full time gig. And now, will be my heart and soul as long as he’ll have me in my video’s world, which, you know, Super Bowl videos of the Jets winning. Amazing, you never know DRock. So, I think one of the things you can do is use your social capital to put out there that
you’re looking for somebody and that this how you can compensate. Obviously, money is the accepted
compensation in our society but I gotta tell you, like
I think that there’s a day and age with the internet
being a middle platform where other things can be used. And so, I don’t know So, obviously you just felt an
edit because DRock screwed up kind of like Pete Carol
at the one yard line by not double checking the card. Because I’m not double checking the card, or the card went weird on you. Okay, well, you messed up.
– [DRock] (mumbling) – Yeah.
– Right, let’s get a DRock messed up alert. I wanna make sure, I
wanna double check this. Just so you know, I do double check so I want to see if it’s pretty, but it better really over the top to rock the DRock messed up alert it better be legit, ’cause it only happens once every 66 episodes. Does anybody think it’s
interesting that it’s episode 66 one more six, the devil, the
Patriots won, Belichick. And so, anyway, going back
not sure where it got cut off but just make sure you edit it weird DRock everybody knows that there was a mistake on your end. I think that there’s a lot of ways to be able to barter out that service. I would literally put on Craig’s list and on your social media, and e-mail blast and take your ten closest
friends and have them blast and say look, I’m looking for this, this is what I can offer. Maybe that’s minimum wage, plus I’ll give you all my
services free for a year or there’s a million ways to hack. I think that we in our modern
society across the globe outside a very rural part pockets in parts of the world that you know, I’m not educated enough to know this. We are really in a flat
out currency exchange game and I’m a big believer
that over the next 50 years because the internet shrinks the middle but there will be an
opportunity as a matter of fact I’m gonna make another
prediction, Staphon, that there will be a major
platform in the next 15 years that is a major top 50 start-up that is infrastructure for us to trade. Like, straight up like
Ebay, Craig’s list, mobile you know centric where it’s just like, you know I have this coat laying around and someone’s like, “Cool,
I’ll mow your lawn.” Like just, there is so
much inefficiency and stuff and services provided I think you should go that
route maybe make a video maybe take the momentum of this answer go really do something the other thing is to
really pound the streets meaning just like know,
no rock unturned right, just ask a lot of people there is a lot of people out there and I think in our
society not paying in cash feels taking advantage I think I’ve consistently
been on the offense in nuances of like border exchange I just think there’s a
lot that can be done maybe maybe you have a collection
of rare baseball cards that somebody wants. Or, you know you’ve 14
pairs of awesome Nikes maybe you could’ve six. You have assets around you,
your time, your services a crap load of stuff in your house trade that for what you need. Or go with do your when
good enough of a name to make a promise that hey I can pay this but I promise you as soon as we get going I’m gonna make you the full time person I think the one thing that I promise you that you need to make sure you do. is a lot of people
promise and don’t deliver and I highly recommend you
don’t make that promise unless you feel like you can deliver and the reason I make so many promises I always say to myself,
even if I fail business wise I’ll go to my own bank
account and close the gap. If you’re willing to go to that level and I don’t know your
personal finances, but anyway, barter, barter, barter. Hey Gary Vaynerchuk this is
Colin AKA Dj Veaux here

and I’ve got one question for you What is your advice for musicians looking to establish themselves on Instagram? I know you’ve talked
about it on Twitter before but I love hear your thoughts
on this specific platform Thanks, my man, keep up the great work. I like this young hustler,
there’s something about him. I’ve seen this video before
I’ve seen him interact a little bit there’s something about this kid. I’m just saying it now on the record so I can be writer with
another prediction, Staphon 17 years from today this kid is gonna have some juice. You know, I don’t know
up in the music world but like I just can feel it. Anyway take that and run with
it kid. It’s good momentum. You know, I think it’s
15 second videos, right? Like you just did, I’m
pumped that you made a video and the answer is predicated
on the communication format. I think for Musicians to
over index on Instagram it’s gonna have to be around the music I think the 15 second video format works I think using the right hash tags is the way to be discovered I think reaching out the other Instagram influences in the space matters. So, hitting people up finding, you know, a ton
of Instagram people are putting their e-mails in there. Now a lot of those people are getting compensated financially and, you know, I’ve no
idea of your finances, but I’m going to be prejudice or assume that on the younger
side it’s not unlimited. But again, back to like this maybe this is the theme of the show. There’s probably a ton
of Instagram hoochies a muscle dudes, who’ve
huge, huge followings. That you can hit up and say look, I’ll make you 15 second theme song or something for your world if you can give a little
love to me in return. If I were you and man, am I pissed that the internet wasn’t around when I was 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,19. I mean it was around but, normal people not straight up nerds The internet itself, is
basically 20-years-old. And I know there is some
nerd in the background like, “Oh, actually 1959.” I know (bleep) but I mean
when normal people went on. I really, really think that I think that I would spent
just 17, 18 hours a day hitting up people via
e-mail on Instagram accounts going to explore, finding some people that are popular hitting their accounts seeing that they have
over 100,000 followers and just pounding them
with e-mails saying hey I make music, I’ll make some music for you I’m looking for exposure,
but just we very up front don’t try to trick them
like if we’ll make a song and something interesting can happen. How many beverages does a man need? – You asked me to get coffee. – Oh okay, Mike got me coffee too. Double fisted, what? And so, you know that’s
the route I would go You need as much exposure as possible You’re in an Instagram community
get into the trenches. A lot of those people
who look for money they won’t say yes, but I’m telling you you’ll get four yes’s
for every 800 e-mails and for lot of people listening that’s a lot of time for four yes’s but, the truth is what’s
the alternative, losing? – [Voiceover] Jaime asks,
“I have an Instagram niche account

– [Voiceover] Jaime asks,
“I have an Instagram niche account is building followers pretty fast. What do you think about
selling advertisement like a 15 second commercial
to people wanting to reach my audience?” – Jaime, first of all I’m in love
with your Instagram account super pumped for it, you know super niche very Crush It! Like the
culmination of that for me so, feels cool another prediction global production that I drilled. And so, oh, I’m just getting, this is the worst day. First of all, you’ve 585 followers, so won’t gonna be able to get as much money as you
know a walk in the park so, first I would focus
on next six to 12 months. The answer’s yes I do think once every seven
jab, jab, jab, right hook! You know once every seven Instagram videos for you to make a commercial, is super appropriate will work and if you can make it more
of an entertainment commercial like you staring in it think
1950’s and ’60s television I know lot of you youngsters. But the original commercials
are very integrated even into the ’70s. Alpo I think it was,
you know, the dog food was getting dogs to come on the set of the The Today Show and eat the food. You know, and so, you know
that, that’s been around forever and that’s coming back, old is new like Missy Elliot you see
all the kids on social media being like, “Oh, Katy Perry
put this Missy Elliot on. It’s pretty intense to watch all this. Kids need to get educated,
these 13-year-olds I love though, I mean, I
believe it they’re winning they’re right. So, just wanted everybody to know that. Anyway, what’s really interesting to me is that. What I would do for you, I’m gonna, I’m gonna drop, down flip
it and reverse it on you and give you a different answer. You need to basically
google volleyball blogs, volleyball media, volleyball news And you need to e-mail every single person on the first 80 pages of results and tell them what you are doing and seeing if you can get
them to give you exposure. You should absolutely be pounding the volleyball community right now all 917 influencers that
matter in volleyball need to know who you are
and you need to be the one that e-mails then and
says, “Yo, what’s up?” Period. Email every
volleyball manufacturer and be like check out what I’m doing. Guys, most of you were not taking it. You have to understand what
I did with Wine Library TV I took it. I e-mailed everybody, everybody
that was wine blog in 2006 and said “Hey, I’m doing this.” And I get that not everybody is as comfortable self-promoting. And I love when my friends
from Europe are like, “Oh, it’s a very American thing.” And a lot of people who
watching are introverted or don’t have as much hustle. Look, I’m a funny guy,
I’m very competitive I was in super crazy networking events. This weekend and like the
commissioner is there. And Woody Johnson and you know all these actors and actress and VIP’s and hall of famers and
I’m not going up to them. Because I’m so competitive and ego like I’m gonna make them come to me. But there’s a part of
that that’s super wrong. There they are and then I took way that I took that a way
from myself little bit. And I went and did 5 or 6 some of them. Can’t do it completely. But like, you know,
taking those steps as well so like for all my
extrovert, salesman stuff I’ve my own spiel that like
prevents me from taking it. But I’m telling you, behind keyboard, e-mailing, volleyballdaily.com and being like “Hey, it’s me. I’m doing this thing, you should just check it out. I love to do something.” Be smart, position it properly not like, “Hey, look, I’m doing this
Instagram thing about volleyball. You should write about it.” No, that’s right hook. Jab! Like, “Hey, it’s me, I’m doing this thing I love our community. If there’s anything I can
ever do for you let me know.” Jab.

– [Voiceover] Austin
asks, “What do you mean when you focus on top line revenue? Is it because you care
more about staying relevant and having attention
because you can cash it on that for more sales?” – Austin, no I talk
about top line revenues, the answer is no. That’s not what I am looking to do. I’m looking to drive top line revenue. I’m doing it in VaynerMedia right now. I’m glad my financial people aren’t here. ‘Cause they’d be like, “I’m not
sure what you’re up to, Gary but it’s super interesting.” So, here’s what I am up to CFO’s. When you drive profit,
if you bring in expenses like I have, when you
have more and more people. You may not make as much money right away because if you are making $12 million, and it cost you $12 million to run your business,
you make zero dollars. And if the year before it cost you, you know, did in 8 million in revenue, but it only cost you $5.3 million in expenses to drive it,
you made $2.7 in profits. So, even though you are doing
a lot more business this year you are not making as much money. But that’s also human
infrastructure and the learnings and the people to be able to for you to do not 14, but 40 million next year, got it? Simple as that nothing else. You just gotta make sure your expenses don’t over go your sales because then you can’t make payroll and you go out of business or you have bumps in the
road and things of that nature. And I as an entrepreneur have had a substantially good career over 20 years of pushing the limit of how
much I can take expenses and cash to be able to grow my business and that is something that
I am always focused on. I think it’s super important,
I know how to do it and it’s the reason
that I know uniquely now have a second business under my belt where I have taken the business from three to over $50 million in revenue within a 5 year window. That is unusual, that is not the norm, and it talks to having a stomach that wants to drive top line. So, that’s not for everybody, and everybody has got to be
safe and wants to make payroll. But a lot of you are not
moving your business faster because of lack of
offense, lack of spending 18 hours a day e-mailing
800 people on Instagram to know about your music stuff. You are lacking offense on
e-mailing every single person talking about volleyball in
the world on the internet and saying “Hey here I am” and
you are lacking by not investing, maybe you have the finances
for that office secretary, who then will allow you
to be on the offense doing other things, instead of
doing some damn paper work.

– Hi Gary! It’s Alesya from Alesyabags, and I have one important question for you, this year I’ve got a great bag coming out, way higher quality than
anything that I’ve ever done, but, they’re more expensive too, how do I work at that
to my current audience? That’s a good question, you know the weird answer
is maybe you shouldn’t. If the price point of
your new bag is 300 bucks and you’ve been selling 25 dollar bags, you just might not want to
market to your current audiences, because they can’t maybe
afford to buy that bag. Now maybe they can, like you know, I buy 20 dollars or 500
dollars things in same category, so, you know that’s not whole
H&M like you know, like the way fashion got so
interesting to me by the way, little fun fact but any way, I think that it is very important for you to understand, much they give advise
the prior two questions, that you may have to go out,
and find a new audience, and that’s scary that
might not be the, look I’m thinking right know as your watching, I’m curious how you’re watching, leave in the comments, are
you watching like this? or on the laptop, or, really curious how you’re consuming this. Do it. But the truth is you may have to
go out and find a new audience and that’s by putting yourself out there, and engaging with others. I think influences on Instagram
are massively important, so I think you can get away with
giving away some of these bags, to some of those influencers, and getting them on the
cheap at my opinion. So I would definitely
go down the instagarm, influencer path. I think if you give away 5 to 10 bags, to the peole that have
let’s say $250,000 and more, who actually would take the
bag and give that love, I think you have a shot of
being stunned by the ROI, In todays world, so that’s
what I would go out and do, so the answer to your question is, how do you remarket them or
market to them to go up, you let them know about it and, you know five to 15% of
that audiences will grow up, with you financially or aspirationally, but I think you have
to go out and find out, and find and hunt the 85%
of the rest of the audience.