Building Brand and Sales: Key Insights from GaryVee
In a recent video Gary Vaynerchuk(GaryVee) shared powerful insights on building brand, marketing, sales and on how to grow a small business.
The dialogue was packed with actionable strategies for any startup, small business owners, and marketers looking to improve their customer acquisition and branding efforts.
Below are some key takeaways and strategies from GaryVee’s talk about sales, branding, growing business for any niche not just roofing, Gary uses roofing as a personal example, the advice is applicable to any niche.
Two Key Ways to Get New Customers
GaryVee emphasized that businesses can gain new customers through two primary avenues:
- Sales: The traditional approach where you go out to customers.
- Marketing and Branding: Building a brand so that customers come to you.
He explained that most small businesses, particularly in industries like roofing, rely heavily on sales rather than brand-building. According to GaryVee, this reliance on sales is a limitation:
“Sales is what you do when you don’t know how to build a brand. Sales is what you do when you don’t do marketing right. When you build marketing, it comes to you versus sales where you go to them.”
Why Brand Building is Essential
GaryVee points out that the biggest companies in the world focus on building a brand. Iconic brands like Nike, for instance, don’t call you or cold email you; you reach out to them.
The ultimate goal for roofing companies, he suggests, is to become the default choice in your local area:
“You need to be the default roofing company that everyone thinks about at all times, always. Period. End of story.”
This kind of top-of-mind awareness can only be achieved through consistent branding and marketing efforts.
The Shift in Consumer Behavior: Adapt to Survive
GaryVee highlighted the changing landscape of consumer behavior. Roofing companies heavily reliant on platforms like Google Ads need to brace for a shift as AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity change how consumers seek information.
“If you get most of your leads from Google, you better wake the [ __ ] up because in the next five years all consumer behavior is going to start shifting to AI bots.”
Roofing businesses must adapt by focusing more on brand-building through social media platforms and less on traditional digital advertising.
The Importance of Social Media in Brand Building
GaryVee stressed that social media has become one of the most critical avenues for building a brand.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer free reach if you’re skilled in creating engaging content, making them a goldmine for brand growth.
- Content Creation: Become great at producing valuable and entertaining content.
- Consistency: Post regularly to stay top of mind.
- Engage Your Audience: Use social media not just to promote but to connect and build relationships.
Long Purchase Cycles Require Strategic Branding
Roofing isn’t a regular purchase for homeowners, which makes building a brand even more crucial.
A homeowner might buy a roof only once or twice in their lifetime. This creates a long lead time between when someone becomes a prospect and when they make a purchase.
GaryVee provided a brilliant strategy for nurturing these long-term leads: the gifting strategy.
The Gifting Strategy
After completing a job, send the customer a gift one year later to stay top of mind.
Tailor the gift to their preferences, based on what you know about them from your visit to their home.
“If you saw they had a bunch of Marvel memorabilia everywhere, send them a $300 comic book with a note, ‘How’s the roof treating you?'”
This surprise and delight tactic leads to word-of-mouth referrals, which are invaluable in an industry like roofing.
Word of Mouth and Overdelivering
Word of mouth is huge in the roofing industry, and one way to generate it is through overdelivering on service.
GaryVee explained that a simple but thoughtful follow-up gesture can have a massive impact.
“Overdelivering on experience is remarkably important. Word of mouth and recommendation are huge in this industry.”
Roofing contractors can make an impression by going above and beyond after the service is done.
This approach doesn’t only delight customers but also encourages them to share their positive experiences with others.
Quick Tip for Word-of-Mouth Marketing
- Send a small, thoughtful gift one year after the job is completed.
- Make the gift personal based on what you know about the customer’s interests.
- This small gesture can lead to significant word-of-mouth referrals.
Marketing Strategy: Focus on Social Media
When asked which platform is best for roofing companies, GaryVee was clear: Facebook. He praised Facebook for its targeting capabilities and customer reach, even in 2024.
“I’m obsessed with Facebook for this industry. The targeting is incredible.”
While he acknowledged that Instagram is also a valuable platform, Facebook remains the best for roofing companies due to its ability to connect with the right buyers.
Both paid and organic strategies should be employed on the platform to maximize reach. The key takeaway here is to utilize social media to market your business effectively, as it’s a powerful and free tool often capable of growing your business organically much faster than by using only standard methods.
Content Strategy for Businesses
GaryVee emphasized a content strategy that focuses on educating customers to build trust.
Rather than overtly selling your services, become a public service in your community by offering advice and solutions that help homeowners extend the life of their roofs.
“I’m the roofing guy that doesn’t want you to ever need me. I’m going to teach you things that you should be doing to protect your roof.”
Content Ideas:
- Educational Videos: Share tips on how to maintain a roof, detect issues early, and avoid getting ripped off.
- Before-and-After Footage: Show the transformation after completing a roofing job.
- DIY Tips: Offer advice on what homeowners can do between professional roof services to extend the life of their roof.
GaryVee advised thinking of yourself not just as a roofer, but as a public service provider who helps people protect their roofs.
“If you’re out here making unlimited videos of what people can be doing after rainstorms, what they could be coating their roofs with, how they can maintain it—that’s building value.”
Tactics for Creating Engaging Content
- Educational Content: Post videos on how homeowners can avoid scams and save money on their next roof.
- Public Service Announcements: Use local events or natural disasters as a context for creating relevant content.
- Entertaining and Informative: Combine helpful tips with engaging narratives that keep people interested.
How to Break Through a Plateau
One participant, Nate, expressed frustration over being stuck at a certain revenue level after 14 years in business.
GaryVee addressed this concern by explaining that businesses are either growing or declining—there’s no in-between.
Nate was advised to take action, whether by selling his business or bringing in new energy (such as a minority partner or executive).
“You’re currently declining. You may not see it, but based on your words, you’re currently declining.”
The PS Content Strategy
One of the most exciting strategies GaryVee shared was the concept of the “PS content strategy.”
This involves creating content on various topics (not necessarily roofing) and ending each piece with a subtle reminder that you’re in the business for your niche.
“Make it about cigars, golfing, whiskey, the new Mayoral race in town, and then literally make a piece of content that you use every time that at the end says, ‘PS, we sell roofs.'”
This approach allows roofers to engage a wider audience by producing content that isn’t just focused on roofs.
By adding a subtle “PS, we sell roofs” at the end of each video, viewers are reminded of your business without feeling like they’re being sold to.
Examples of PS Content:
- Community Events: Cover local happenings and end with, “PS, if you need a roof, we’re here.”
- Hobbies: Talk about your favorite cigars, whiskey, or sports team, and include a PS mentioning your roofing services.
Final Thoughts
GaryVee’s advice to anyone was clear: shift from a sales-centric approach to one that builds brand and nurtures long-term relationships with customers.
By focusing on content creation, surprise-and-delight strategies, and community engagement, roofing businesses can differentiate themselves, stay top-of-mind, and grow their customer base.
Key Insights on How to Grow a Small Business:
- Sales are essential, but branding is what brings customers to you.
- Build your brand on social media platforms like Facebook.
- Adapt to the changing landscape of digital marketing and AI.
- Leverage surprise-and-delight tactics to generate word-of-mouth referrals.
- Use educational content to provide value and build trust with potential customers.
- Employ the PS content strategy to subtly remind your audience of your services while engaging them with diverse content.
Following GaryVee’s advice, anyone can transform their businesses by putting their focus on long-term brand-building strategies and connecting with customers in authentic, helpful ways.
