Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk, a review -

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk, a review - Ive heard a lot about Gary Vaynerchuk. He is well known and widely lauded for his approach to personal branding for business owners. He leveraged social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to promote Wine Library TV, a video blog about wine. Hes hob nobbed with Meredith and Ann on the Today Show, shared wine with Ellen and Conan and been featured on Nightline, among other appearances. So, when I was invited to participate in launching his book, I was happy to join in. (I love reading advance copies to share with my readers!) Garys book is a high-energy guide for business owners and would-be business owners to harnessing the power of social media to fuel not only your bottom line, but also your personal brand. (And, if you dont think you need a personal brand because you are happy with your day job, Garys response, What you think youre invincible? He notes, Developing your personal brand is the same thing as living and breathing your resume every second that youre working (p. 38). He reminds readers how important it is to create bonds with other professionals in your field and to share your ideas and expertise on the social networks. (I LOVE when other writers second what I tell my readers!) Gary thinks traditional resumes are going to be irrelevant. This is a common belief among the social media elite. I agree that your reputation (aka, personal brand) will be key, but having a great traditional resume is still important for most people! The good thing? Pursuing a new media strategy to support your professional reputation does not prevent you from having a terrific, traditional resume. The best approach? A multi-tiered plan that has potential to appeal to everyone in your target audience. Other terrific points relevant for job seekers from the book? Wait for itthis is key: If you are authentic, you will sometimes lose people along the way! Gary knows this he admits that his loud, in your face, brash style does not appeal to all wine lovers. He says, I lose about 12 percent of my viewers right off the bat because I yell and scream like a maniac (page 85). You cant be everything to all people, whether you are a job seeker or an entrepreneur. And, you really shouldnt try. When you differentiate, you will lose some people, but those probably are not your people. On the other hand, by strongly focusing on what you have to offer your best and authentic you you have a better chance to connect and appeal to a community of good matches. Crush It! is a terrific guide for anyone (entrepreneur or job seeker) who needs a nudge and a guide to begin to shift his or her mindset to move forward with todays tools. Stay tuned for more thoughts from his book tomorrow, the official launch date! If you need help using social networking tools for your business or job search and just need a helping hand, contact me to learn how I can help!