AJ and Gary Vaynerchuk teamed up to start VaynerMedia, a branding agency focused on social media. AJ holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University in advertising with a concentration in computer science. He has worked with his brother, Gary, in social media for the last five years. At VaynerMedia, AJ is responsible for running day-to-day operations. AJ agreed to participate in a phone interview with me.

Tell everyone about VaynerMedia. Why did you and your brother create this venture?

VaynerMedia is a branding agency with a focus on social media. We work with both consumer and personal brands to help them identify what they are best at, what they can do, what they can’t do, and then how they should leverage social media to reach their fans and consumers. VaynerMedia is something Gary and I have spoken about for quite some time. We started VaynerMedia about seven or eight months ago, the day after I graduated college. We just knew that we had a lot of beliefs, ideas, and a firm grasp on this industry and where it is headed. We thought to ourselves, if we could do all of these wonderful things with our side projects and Gary’s personal brand, imagine what we could do with people that are much more out there in a traditional sense – bigger companies, bigger personal brands, etc.

What part of this entire deal has you the most excited?

The thing that makes this so exciting is the variation in our clients and the ability to work on such different projects. Also, I get to look at business and branding in so many different ways. Going from a former NBA player to a baby products retailer is such an amazing transition. I just love to see different sides of business and social media, and that’s what makes this so exciting.

What’s been most fun so far?

The most fun thing that I have done so far is work with the NY Jets. I am a HUGE Jets fan, so meeting the players, seeing their point of views, and getting the inside scoop has been the most fun!

Has there been one particular lesson early on that you have already learned??

I am in the process of writing a blog post about this question. When you are a consultant, you need to be much more proactive instead of reactive. You have full vested interest in what you’re doing, but when you’re working with a big company you have to be much more proactive. You really need to sit down and think of every single scenario possible. Working with big companies in comparison to a startup company is a whole different ball game. You just have to sit down and let your mind go wild. It’s all about taking yourself outside of your own brain and trying to understand how others would react. All in all, it’s an interesting challenge

What do you think of the standard process of applying for a job (i.e. submitting a resume, interview, etc.)? Is personal branding taking over? Do you think the resume is sitting on its deathbed?

Standard anything is always a bad thing. You always want to be outside the box and think creatively. Especially when you are applying for a job, you need to put your creative mind to work. Just putting in a resume and doing an interview is not going to get you anywhere. Personal branding, being proactive, and content creation is fantastic. For example, say you want to find a job as a web designer. A resume is not going to get you anywhere. A creative approach would be to take a different spin on the “About Us” page on XYZ Company’s website. Show the company that you embrace their brand and their company. Also, show them what they would be getting if they hired you. Show them what a new web page would look in your eyes. This is different. They’ll love the fact that you took the initiative. All in all, personal branding in general is huge! Be active on social networks, network in general, being proactive in content creating is huge. The resume will fade and fade.

How do my readers get started? What if a reader is 20 and another reader is 50?

To get started whether you’re twenty or fifty, you need to create a personal website. Get your name out on the web right away and start producing content. For someone who says “I don’t know how to build a website,” go find someone who does. If you can’t find time to create your own website, you do not deserve it. Nothing is easy; to be successful you must work hard. If you are not willing to speak your mind on your own website, then you do not deserve to get a real job. One thing about a bad economy is that it separates the weak from the deserving people. If you do not have the will or drive to write your thoughts on something that you are passionate about, reevaluate what you are doing.

People have said that I have a great personal brand, but that word seems so narcissistic to me. I say mine was built accidently. How do you modestly (for lack of a better word) build your brand?

Personal branding is never built accidentally. Someone who is young and does something great shows that he or she or her has great initiative, is proactive, and is hard working. Doors do not open up by chance; doors open up because you work hard. I sometimes feel that the phrase “personal branding” is narcissistic, but at the same time it doesn’t embarrass me. At the end of the day, people do things in the world (to an extent) for themselves in some way or another.

How do you measure success in social media?

Social media should not be measured from a numbers standpoint. Someone who has one million Twitter followers with zero engagement is not valuable. Someone who has a couple thousand Twitter followers with quality engagement is so much more valuable than the former. Success should be measured by how much impact is created. The numbers standpoint truly does not matter. Let me give you an example. Oprah has over two million followers, and Chad Ochocinco, the wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals has over six-hundred thousand followers. If I were participating in a social media campaign, I would much rather have Chad Ochocinco’s following and support. Why? Because Oprah doesn’t engage with her audience. Ochocinco replies to followers, messages followers, tweets periodically, and posts pictures and videos. Ochocinco has taken some of his Twitter followers to football games! He engages his quality followers.

What’s your advice for young entrepreneurs who are just getting started?

Be patient. Gary and I could have started VaynerMedia three years ago. Many people in the industry just read an article or two on TechCrunch or Mashable and think they understand it all. I would be patient. Read every single day, read every single blog you find relevant constantly until you truly have a grasp. Experiment on a low level. Read, react, learn, and then repeat. The things that Gary and I have learned by experimenting with social networks and Twitter has made us learn so much in terms of social media – this makes us SO much stronger. The value our clients see in Gary and I is not providing information on what we think works but rather learning from our personal experiences what didn’t work and what we learned was wrong.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Things change so quickly. If you told me five years ago that I would be working on VaynerMedia with my brother, I would say you were crazy. It’s hard to forecast the future but if I had to predict, I would still be running VaynerMedia and growing this business. Also, I can imagine Gary and I launching some sort of side project that we truly believe in.

Thanks AJ for letting me interview you!