When a worldwide pandemic prevents you from doing what you’re best at, you swerve around the problem and discover an alternate route. This is what happened to Jay Jay, an Australian-born branding expert who also happens to be a YouTube and Instagram sensation.
At 32-years-old, Jay Jay has “made it,”—and his social media stats are his proof. In the past year, Jay Jay moved his Instagram following from 5,000 to 1M followers. But that’s not all. His YouTube channel has over 57M views.
With 15 years of public speaking experience and audiences in over 30 countries, Jay Jay was well on his way to the top in the branding expert arena. But his vast social media numbers came after the pandemic began when Jay Jay was forced to completely shift his mode of delivery from seminars on stage to social media platforms.
It’s safe to say, Jay Jay has harnessed some of the most powerful strategies for acquiring social proof by taking his expertise online and moving his audience from an auditorium to limitless exposure. So, what are some of Jay Jay’s expert practices? Let’s take a look.
Let’s talk about verification
It’s a fundamental truth—people want what other people want. It’s this societal norm that puts certain people, products, and services in demand. Verification on social media is visual proof of popularity and makes more people join your following.
Jay Jay says five years ago, no one cared as much about getting the blue tick. But in the past few years, with the emergence of more influencers, having that little blue checkmark has become vital for social proof. According to Jay Jay, that quick, visual confirmation is now essential because society has made it that way. “The thing about verification is that little blue tick now means that person is important and everything they say must be true,” says Jay Jay.
“Today, verification is everything,” adds Jay Jay. This statement might sound like an obvious fact; however, Jay Jay’s own situation confirms the immense power of the little blue checkmark.
In 2015, Jay Jay was chosen to be the frontline host in a huge kickoff promotion of Tesla’s Idra. As a branding expert, Jay Jay says he was thrilled and honored. But when he asked why they chose him, it wasn’t his knowledge they were seeking. The answer was simple; he had a lot of social media followers. Jay Jay had the blue checkmark—and that fact made all the difference.
You have to constantly self-promote and leverage
Even though Jay Jay’s current success seems to have blown up in a relatively short amount of time, getting to this place was certainly not easy. He’s spent half his life building his authority and reaching the space where he now resides. Jay Jay explains that his success is not by accident. His following is there because he’s always self-promoting.
When life gives you lemons—or a pandemic—you make lemonade. For Jay Jay, the pandemic conditions could have been the end. Yet, he took his limitations and leveraged his craft to a whole new existence. “In business, people are always trying to get to the next level. This space we are in right now, it’s changing. People should take advantage of it,” says Jay Jay.
At least in his case, a change of pace was advantageous and profitable. “From 5000 Instagram followers in March 2020 to 1M in April 2021— it’s a different conversation,” explains Jay Jay. By seeing the pandemic as an asset, Jay Jay could use it to leverage his exposure to whole new heights.
Locking in testimonials
According to Jay Jay, not all testimonials are created equal. He explains, “Video is the most powerful testimonial of how good you are.” And Jay Jay says your approach when trying to secure a testimonial is crucial. He recommends avoiding the “hey, would you mind” approach. First of all, this tactic leaves too much room for other things to get in the way. And because you don’t make the testimonial a priority, they won’t either.
Jay Jay suggests asking face to face. “Go see them and use your phone to record,” states Jay Jay. Showing up in person lets your advocate know their support is valued. Plus, it’s a lot harder to say no when the person is directly in front of you.
Wrapping it up
Determined people who have a vast amount of knowledge use that gift to become successful. In Jay Jay’s case, he’s a branding expert who teaches people how to build their brands into ultra-successful businesses. And now, with the added opportunity the pandemic created, he is also a social proof expert who works to teach others his trade secrets.