Book Review: The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

mom • reviews • lifestyle • hobbies-me time

by Melissa Dawn Lierman on May 7th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

There is a huge re-birth of "Word of Mouth" marketing. This re-birth has happened because of the internet and the evolution of social media. Social media has really flattened the world and allowed people to connect at any moment. Through these connections relationship building happens. I have friends from Twitter coast-to-coast and on multiple continents. I can hop onto Twitter at any moment day or night and connect with another mom.

This really is an amazing revolution. We talk, we share, we exchange ideas, we listen, we support each other. We are connecting and building relationships. The strength of relationships, the currency of caring, and the power of word of mouth are revolutionizing business today!

We talk passionately about things, products, brands, and causes we care about it. We tweet about it on Twitter. We post about it on FaceBook. If we really love something, we will even write a 1000 word blog post about it. Social media is all about sharing and a total stream of consciousness of what is happening in the world and our worlds.

There are some people, businesses, and brands standing on the sidelines very wary of this whole social media train. This train is moving down the tracks and they are standing on the sidelines watching it move by them, moving forward into the future.

If you know any person, brand, or business that needs convincing of the Power of Social Media and that it is here to stay (maybe not always the same platforms, they are bound to evolve, and new platforms are being created right now) and that they need to hop onto that train, give them Gary Vaynerchuk's book "The Thank You Economy".

His book does an amazing job convincing you that social media is not just a fad or somewhere that a bunch of teenagers are hanging out. Social media is not just about a specific platform, it's about the opportunity to listen and connect with people and customers. In the old days, you had to find and pay for an expensive focus group for a product launch or to get feedback. Now you have it all at your finger tips 24 hours a day for free. "Social Media gives you the opportunity to take your business to its fullest potential." ~@GaryVee

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 3: "Why Smart People Dismiss Social Media, and Why They Shouldn't". Gary has talked to countless businesses and brands over the past 6 years and he has compiled a Top 10 list of objections and excuses he has heard along the way. He takes each objection and provides fresh information, facts, and even case studies to obliterate those objections. Some of my favorites are: #1 There's no ROI, #4 Social media is just another trend that will pass, #5 We need to control our message, #7 We are doing fine without it, and the famous #8 We tried it and it doesn't work!

Gary Vaynerchuk's best-selling book Crush It used to be my go-to-book to give to new clients and to give as homework for anyone that wants to know WHY they need to hop in the train of social media. Gary's new book The Thank You Economy is now my new recommendation!

From Gary's website:

"Maybe I am underestimating the power of motivation, but I can tell you on the dawn of the release of my new book, The Thank You Economy, that the new book is much better than Crush It.

TYE is a much deeper look into the theory and execution on how I built Wine Library, my personal brand, VaynerMedia, and the companies I consult for into huge businesses that clearly demonstrate the ROI of social media.

I am excited because I know Crush It was a very solid book, but I feel as though I might have left something on the table in terms of details or, even more importantly, thinking. I think after people read TYE, some may look at me, and the space of Social Marketing, in a very different way."

I am an avid bookreader and love books! You know it's a great book in my world if I read it in one day and couldn't put it down, plus I was highlighting it and taking notes. This is a book that I will be reading again and again and is now an important part of my resource library.

What are some of your favorite go-to social media resources? How has social media changed the way you do business?

In the past 10 years, Melissa Lierman has spoken at more than 300 events to audiences on social media, marketing, website development, and SEO. She applies those skills in her day-to-day professional life as the director of social media and consulting for Mom It Forward, Inc. She also manages the social media for Premier Fitness Camp, ZarBee's, and The Madow Group. When she’s not speaking, she loves the one-on-one consultation she does with brands, PR agencies, small businesses, and bloggers. Melissa has three children, is a mom blogger at TimeOutMom.com, an avid tweeter @TimeOutMom, loves connecting with people all over the world!