The new 80/20 rule: 5 CEOs that are winning Big on social media with customer engagement.

It’s definitely no secret that if you are in business, marketing, and sales you have heard of the 80/20 rule. Many of the influencers in today’s market often refer to this concept. In a recent blog that I read by Yaro Storak, he quoted the 80/20 rule being where 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of your inputs. The Godfather of Sales himself, Grant Cardone says that 80% give and 20% sell. So as you can see the 80/20 rule means different things to different people. What isn’t different is that the true power players in life, business, and production live, work, and operate by a version of the 80/20 rule. They apply this rule with every situation and find that it’s use can produce maximum results with everything they do in life. It’s not a want to have to them, it’s a need to have. As my career in the corporate and public sector unfolded as well as my journey now down the entrepreneurial path takes shape, I have also incorporated the 80 /20 rule in my business and my life. What I am noticing in such a fast-paced and socially entrenched marketplace is that the majority of brands and businesses that are losing right now have lost touch with their customers and are not valuing the “building” stages of relationships anymore. Furthermore they are forgetting the relationships they forged in the marketplace with their colleagues as well. It’s this trend that his paving the way for new and emerging businesses to thrive, but those “gold standard” businesses that remain relevant are utilizing the 80/20 rule in a very unique way.

The real power players in the business world, influencers that are winning, and those elusive “verified” people are masters of a new definition of the 80/20 rule. They are no longer satisfied with offering customer services they want to offer impenetrable client engagement by showing that if the customer is willing to move towards them 20% they are willing to move the other 80% back towards the client, customer, or prospect. This is where the true winners and losers, in my opinion, are being separated in today’s market. Having a great product, offering a service of need, and creating products that solve problems will NEVER be taken from the top spot of relevance; however, what will keep them from jockeying for total supremacy in their respective marketplaces will be those that understand how to leverage the 80/20 Relationship Rule which calls for them to always be willing to move the 80% towards their audiences’ 20% effort. Social Media is making this concept easier and more efficient than ever. It is also allowing their brand to become a recognizable force that is driving revenue, increasing those craved analytics; and, in some cases, being seen as a pioneer in the ever-changing economy.

Today social media is the new way to connect, interact, and follow the trends that your customers, clients, and prospects are paying attention to, and while it is the new way people communicate, it’s still important to keep the traditional approaches in place as well. The face-to-face, the phone calls, the hand written notes, the text messages, and the unexpected gift baskets can be a game changer as well for you when communicating with your clients, your prospects, and customer base. I have studied 5 CEOs over the past 365 days that are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to leveraging the new school and old school engagement methods with the marketplace. Below are my takeaways from my year long study, interactions, and time spent with each CEO.

1. Gary Vaynerchuk: Well this should come as no surprise to anyone seeing that he is running a marketing juggernaut in the heart of New York City in Vaynermedia. What Gary does better than anyone in his space is the ability to anticipate the next move on the market and be 2–5 years in front of its momentum phase. But in the last 365 days what I’ve seen from Gary Vee is a relentless grind to be in front of each and everyone of his supporters, fans, customers, and clients. He is dominating Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and the undisputed champ of YouTube. Hell he has gotten so good at engaging his audience tangibly through these methods that his latest book release, #AskGaryVee, was written from his interactions with this audience and those questions that were asked to him. His ability to deliver content, hold his position with the audience, and yet still operate with a high level of intensity is impressive to say the least. The key takeaway from Gary is that he goes “ALL IN” on using, leveraging, studying, and improving the social mediums at his disposal and a prime example of this would be his “SUPER 8” book launch stream. He knows it’s the new way people communicate and study trends so Gary is not satisfied being average here, he’s driven to be the greatest. See for yourself by following him @garyvee on social media.
2. Grant Cardone: The “call-to-action” king on the internet and social media is the next CEO who is not just competing in engaging his audience and customers he’s dominating. I am a big time Cardone fan and will have to admit that he’s been the biggest study of mine for the last 365 days. The majority of the marketplace will know Grant from the bestseller 10X Rule book; however, it’s what he’s done over the past year that has catapulted him into another stratosphere; and, in my opinion, has shifted him from star status to true super stardom. Grant takes it to another level when it comes to customer engagement and goes beyond just giving the shout outs, re-tweets, and facebook likes or snapchat takeovers. What he does better than anyone in the game today is the delivery of his content, products, and training that he GIVES away followed up by the consistency in which he does it. He does not have a hidden agenda here and does a tremendous job of showing the marketplace how a simple investment could mean the difference in receiving vs. missing out on these FREE rewards. In today’s fast-paced and “A-D-D” economy Grant understands how to grab your attention but keep it better than anyone by giving his audience calls-to-action at a volume and pace that is unmatched in the industry. The key takeaway from Grant is that he does whatever it takes to stay at the top of your minds, facebook page streams, instagram accounts, and every other information platform you use. Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself and follow Grant on social media @grantcardone.
3. Tai Lopez: Tai busted on my scene just this last year, as I had never heard of him before seeing him on a Periscope that I was invited into by one of his followers. I was intrigued at his method of using the live stream platforms to do whiteboard style training and mastermind sessions. Truthfully speaking the fact that he looked like an average Joe is what appealed to me the most because unlike our previous two CEOs, Tai didn’t have the “star” tag on his brand just yet. Throughout the last year Tai has really taken a leap due to how he’s leveraged social media to fully engage his audience and drive traffic to his brand, social media platforms, and personal ventures. What Tai does better than anyone is show a depth to his human condition and how it appeals to the marketplace. He’s always branding, educating, and teaching to the audience and when he isn’t, he’s leveraging others to do training and collaborations through his platforms. also shows the down time, lifestyle and youthfulness that comes with achieving high levels of success. He is always asking for a comment, a review, and randomly selects those that do for a giveaway. Tai is someone that has achieved success but I feel is just scratching the surface and will be heard from in a major way moving forward. Check out Tai by following him on social media @tailopez.
4. Joel Comm: Joel is another CEO that jumped on my radar in 2015 through the power of social media. Joel is an accomplished author and keynote speaker and one of the smartest and most intuitive people I’ve met over the past year through social media. Joel’s sense of humor is infectious and for me, is a tool he uses to hold his audience in place. Joel is virtually everywhere online and has amassed a cult-like following on Twitter, Blab, and Snapchat. What is impressive about Joel and why he stood out to me and joined this group of five, is his extensive knowledge of how the marketplace changes, how the customer base evolves, and how to leverage social media to maximize his impact online. Joel takes every platform he uses and breaks down how it should be used, why it should be used, and what it should be used for. His practical advice is why he’s one of the most sought after keynote speakers and experts in the social media game today. What Joel does better than anyone on this list, in my opinion, is leverage social media to create an extensive network of people and build organic partnerships through his social media channels. His laid back and “common” approach appeals to all audiences whether you are a pro or newcomer to the social media sphere. Joel is a true teacher of how to use social media and a must follow online @joelcomm.
5. Chelsea Krost: Chelsea is another unknown to me coming into 2015. Chelsea is one of the most sought after experts on the millennial generation and has dedicated her career to this group. Chelsea and I first met through Twitter where I joined her as a co-host on her extremely popular “TwitterChat” in which she uses her twitter following to engage the audience with trending topics that gear towards the millennial generation. She fully engages the audience and does a phenomenal job of extracting data and great feedback through these platforms. She actively uses social media to research and engage her audience in order to better understand their needs, wants and concerns. She is a highly sought after keynote and public speaker on all things millennial and is an accomplished blogger as well. What Chelsea does better than anyone in the game today is her ability to engage the largest generation of people in the U.S economy and get them to engage her back. I am excited to see Chelsea continue to rise and expand her brand and proud to have her representing our generation. Follow Chelsea on social media @chelseakrost.

While your Top 5 might look different, these five have stood out to me because they all are dominating in different ways on the social media platform. What is key to there success and their top five status for me, is that they understand the necessity to engage their audience, build their audience, and how to leverage all social mediums to their advantage in order to maximize the audience experience. They operate on the 80/20 rule by showing us all how when your audience; who is your clients, prospects, and customer base, move the initial twenty percent through a share, like, or re-tweet they immediately move the remaining eighty percent to provide ultimate value but extract the most back from their audience because they engaged them on the their turf. Bottom line is that if the powers that be are in the field engaging their audience on these platforms and you are not, then you are not only playing from behind but could be in danger of getting swallowed up in the tsunami they are creating. You want to be a true power player and know how to engage the new age of customers flooding the market place? Then I suggest you follow these individuals and start right now conducting business through the new 80/20 rule that calls for your customer to move towards you twenty percent and for you to move towards them the remaining eighty. You do that and you might very well find yourself on someone’s Top Five sooner than later.

Matt is Sales and Business Development professional with over 12 years building businesses, marketplaces, and helping entrepreneurs and small business owners go from the idea stage to the brick and mortar stage. He is a social media and marketing enthusiast and is a highly respected millennial leader in the marketplace. He also travels the country training, and teaching business and marketing strategies as well being an established public speaker. For more information on Matt’s services and how to book him to speak email rmc@robertmatthewcrane. Matt currently resides in Tennessee with his wife Tammy and their two boys Dalton and Riley. Please make sure to follow Matt on ALL social media platforms @iammattcrane.

“I believe your personality will lead you to conversations that you want and your character will keep you in conversations that you need” Thank you for visiting my website and I look forward to our next interaction. None of this is possible without all of you and I thank each of you for your support and time reading this post. -Matt Crane-