Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion, is a great primer on why and how to use various social media applications – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc – to build your brand and get yourself known in your niche. The overriding message in the book is that there are no longer any barriers to entry to building your brand. Gatekeepers that used to stand in your way and deny you access to the tools you used to need to get your word out have been eliminated by the Internet.
Gary talks about the tools that he uses as well as the ones he does not use, explaining the whys and why nots along the way. If you like Web video, use YouTube, Viddler, or UStream. If you’re good with audio, do a podcast. If you prefer the written word, use one of the many blogging services. He repeatedly makes the very correct point that building your brand is hard work and requires a great deal of patience. There are no shortcuts. He offers many points of encouragement and gives several hypothetical examples of how people in various niches can outshine their competition.
The advice offered in the book is spot-on. I see a number of people online already following his advice, whether they’re aware of it or not. Leo Laporte, Chris Brogan, Pamela Slim, and others. All of these people are leaders in their respective niches. They’re very effectively using the tools they’re most comfortable with (if there’s a secret in the book, that’s it right there – don’t force yourself to use tools you’re not comfortable with) to get their word out, connect with people, and build their brand.
Towards the end of the book, Gary expands on what you can expect to see happen if you stick with your efforts. As I was reading I became gratified to realize that I’ve already started to experience some of the things Gary describes.
This book has earned a permanent spot on my personal reference shelf. If you’re looking to strike out on your own, build an online presence, and develop your brand, there’s no better place to start than with Crush It! You won’t be sorry.