Stop Selling. Value-Based Marketing Will Win.

I saw a post about value-based marketing from Gary Vaynerchuk on LinkedIn and it's worth sharing.

"Whoever provides the most value always wins." -Gary V.

Even 15 years ago — at the very start of my marketing journey, long before "value-based content" became the cornerstone of search engine and social media algorithm performance — I believed this to be true.

Back in the early 2010s, I had a personal blog (just for fun) where I wrote about everything under the sun: unique Halloween costumes, travel packing tips, cooking hacks, budgeting strategies, devotionals — you name it. There was no SEO strategy, no optimization, no monetization, no social promotion. I simply wanted to help people by sharing things that had helped me. I wanted to make life easier, more joyful, or just a little brighter for someone else. That blog still reached hundreds of thousands of views back then—without a single marketing trick — because the content was created with one goal: to bring value.

That belief is still at the heart of what I do today.

Marketing, at its best, isn’t about selling — it’s about helping. Yes, it drives business growth and helps sell products/services. But it also introduces people to products, services, and ideas that genuinely improve their lives. Done right, marketing enriches both sides of the exchange.

I’ve always believed that when you lead with value, the results will follow. It’s why the most respected voices in any industry — especially marketing — are the ones giving away valuable advice, sometimes freely and generously.

Because when you consistently show up to serve, it often comes back full circle.

The truth is, most people could learn marketing on their own. The tools and information are out there. But running a business is demanding, and few owners have the time to wade through countless hours of tutorials, test strategies, and continually adapt to what works. That’s where marketing professionals come in — not to gatekeep knowledge, but to apply it efficiently and effectively so business owners can focus on what they do best.

At the end of the day, I believe marketing should always start with "How can we help?"

When that’s your foundation for your business, everything else builds itself.