Tell Your Own Story

Gary Vaynerchuk calls 'em like he sees 'em. And the irrepressible advocate for social media took to his website to ask why so many companies prepare for anticipated criticism with filtered, canned responses.

"I keep getting involved in these consulting pow-wows," he says, "where people are like, 'We're going to launch this, we know what's going to happen. A couple people aren't going to like this, some aren't going to like that, but it's 95 percent better.'" That is, the launch will bother five percent of original users.

According to Vaynerchuk, the last thing you should do is wait for the pushback and then try to manage it. If you're passionate about your product or service, but also understand why changes might disappoint certain customers, address their concerns preemptively. He argues it might be as simple as making a quick video for your website that explains your decisions in an authentic and empathetic way.

Vaynerchuk's Marketing Inspiration is this: "Be the first to communicate if you're a business or a brand and you'll always win," he says. "Wait[ing] for somebody else to tell your story [and then trying to mold it] is a losing proposition."

More Inspiration:
Michael E. Rubin: Is the Social Media Expert Going the Way of the Dodo?
Paul Williams: Hang In There! Keep On Truckin'... Yes We Can!
Ted Mininni: Coca-Cola's New PlantBottle™

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