“I’m always working on a number of projects and most recently have been working on reinventing the way we do real estate,” he tells. He has spent the last three years consulting global brands and has most recently worked extensively in the Middle East where he has been hired to develop and oversee various strategic projects ranging from real estate to education, to healthcare, to tourism.

We had a little chat with Cameron about his career, what are the common mistakes that companies are doing in their marketing strategies and of course, Youtube.

How did it all start for you? What was your first business like?

The very first business that I can remember was a Lawncare business. This involved pulling weeds, trimming bushes, mowing lawns, etc. The problem: I was only 5 years old at the time and wasn’t tall enough to operate the lawn mower since the handle was still above my head. So I hired the next door neighbor boy who was twice my size since he could push the lawn mower. I used to make close to $100 some days just knocking doors.

Forbes 30 under 30, Winning an Oscar etc – what do you personally think has been your biggest achievements in your career?

Those are all external things that I’m definitely proud of. However, more than that, I have been proud of my ability to simply tackle problems and figure things out. I was told over and over that the way I was doing things was “Not the way things are done in the marketing and advertising world.” I chose to ignore those comments and pursue what I personally believed would work. And it worked beautifully.

Focus on sharing. You can buy likes, you can buy engagement and you can even buy subscribers. The only thing you can’t buy? Shares.

Let’s take a look at the bigger picture: what do you think what are the biggest mistakes that companies do in their marketing?

They play it too safe. Every business requires constant progression and adaptation. The same applies to marketing and advertising. If people have the chance to skip a commercial, they do. So we need to stop making commercials and start shifting the budget to understanding how to give back to the people we are trying to reach.

Most of the people seem to be a lot into getting “likes” on their content but what should they focus on instead of that?

Focus on sharing. You can buy likes, you can buy engagement and you can even buy subscribers. The only thing you can’t buy? Shares. Not focusing on sharing is the single biggest mistake I see when people are trying to market their business or themselves. Sharing is the only way to change a consumer’s nature.

Why Youtube?

We live in a very flooded world. With the invention of the internet, we now have more information that has ever existed. Most individuals become overwhelmed with the amount of content they perceive and it can take a lot to break through the noise. So I decided to take my talents and focus them on one specific niche; YouTube. In all honesty, I could have just as easily started a full-service Ad Agency. However, I am of the opinion that most people can only focus and truly know you for one reason. At the time, I strategically chose that one thing to be Youtube.

Understanding how to create something that is valuable enough for people to share via word of mouth.

How to make sure that Youtube is the right channel for your business?

This is difficult to answer through only text and I usually spend the better part of a day understanding the business in more detail before I can answer that question myself. Overall, I would caution that it is not right for every business and some should stick to more traditional ways of reaching their customer.

However, what will always be right for your business is understanding how to create something that is valuable enough for people to share via word of mouth. The only difference between something spreading via word of mouth 100 years ago and today, is that we have so many additional platforms that allow us to communicate with more people than ever before.

What’s really important in making videos?

The most important thing is to create value. Value comes in all shapes and sizes and learning how to identify and create value that drives people to organically share is what continues to drive me.

You have worked with Ronaldo – what was the project, what did you do?

We were approached by Ronaldo’s team to be co-owners and launch a line of headphones (Roc by Ronaldo) in partnership with Ronaldo and Monster. I personally was tasked to come up with the idea and direct the video. We traveled to Spain the day before, and the next morning we made magic happen.

Overall, that video was the fastest growing branded video that had ever been released on Facebook with over 40 million organic views in just 24 hours. It also led to the global distribution of the product in over 8,000 retail locations over the following year.

I know you love traveling. How does that reflect in your work and what else inspires you?

I do. So far, I’ve been to a little over 60 countries. I love understanding why people do what they do and studying the motivating factors behind someone’s day to day decisions. Traveling often allows me to gain unique perspectives that have forced me to question “The way things have always been done.”

The most important thing is to create value. Value comes in all shapes and sizes.

At sTARTUp Day you’re speaking on the topic “How to make things go viral?” Can you give a little sneak peek to this?

I teach people how to float in a flooded world. Starting anything today can be overwhelming because of the sheer number of people who are pursuing something similar. I’ll talk about what is most important when it comes to getting noticed and will teach principles that you can apply for the rest of your life. Platforms change. People don’t.

What have you heard about Estonia? Is there anything you are specifically looking forward to?

I’ve only heard good things. Just last year, I spent 2 weeks in Latvia studying traditional timber framing and log building by using only hand tools. I’ve also spent significant time in Finland, Sweeden, and Norway. So it’s about time I got my butt to Estonia!

Cameron Manwaring is the speaker of sTARTUp Day 2019. He talks about how to make things go viral.