- Author: [[Gary Vaynerchuk]] - Full Title: The Thank You Economy - Tags:: books [[inbox]] -  - ### Highlights first synced by [[Readwise]] [[2020-09-03]] - But what we call social media is not media, nor is it even a platform. It is a massive cultural shift that has profoundly affected the way society uses the greatest platform ever invented, the Internet. ([Location 124](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=124)) - If your organization’s intentions transcend the mere act of selling a product or service, and it is brave enough to expose its heart and soul, people will respond. They will connect. They will like you. They will talk. They will buy. ([Location 163](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=163)) - That’s what caring first, not selling first, looks like, and that’s how I built my brand. That’s what I mean about revealing your company’s heart and soul. There’s only so low you can go on price. There’s only so excellent you can make your product or service. There’s only so far you can stretch your marketing budget. Your heart, though—that’s boundless. ([Location 178](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=178)) - It’s not the number of followers you have or “likes” you get, it’s the strength of your bond with your followers that indicates how much anyone cares about what you have to say. In this game, the one with the most real relationships wins. ([Location 477](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=477)) - same. Competitors are bigger? Outcare them. They’re cheaper? Outcare them. They’ve got celebrity status and you don’t? Outcare them. Social media gives you the tools to touch your consumer and create an emotion where before there might not have been one. It doesn’t matter if you’re not small or cool or sexy—people can get pumped up about the craziest stuff. ([Location 1040](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1040)) - Success in the Thank You Economy hinges on obsessively caring about the customer, yes, but a great caring culture stems from the top of a company and cascades through it like a waterfall. ([Location 1072](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1072)) - Therefore, the dominant obsession for any leader running a company in the Thank You Economy shouldn’t be the competition, nor should it be customer service. It should be your employees. ([Location 1074](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1074)) - It’s got to be awfully hard for employees to give phenomenal customer service when they’re not phenomenally satisfied with their jobs. ([Location 1078](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1078)) - what if each employee were given his or her own marketing budget, say $200, which could be spent however the employee wished on providing fabulous moments of customer service? ([Location 1314](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1314)) - Three years ago, all of those NHL fans would have seen the ad, and their date with Reebok would have ended in sixty seconds. In 2011, however, Reebok can keep that date going for as long as they can keep the engagement interesting and worthwhile to their fan base. Now that is marketing money well spent. ([Location 1401](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1401)) - Social media works best when you evoke an emotion in the people to whom you’re reaching out. It pulls. ([Location 1541](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=1541)) - They’d never heard of work-life balance, and they knew better than to expect instant gratification. We crave both, but I think these will be luxuries in the Thank You Economy. The stars in this business era will be those who are consumed with their work (and happy about it) and have the patience to pursue one small victory at a time. ([Location 2148](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=2148)) - When businesses realize that they need to focus on investing in customers, not platforms, they will see amazing returns on that investment. ([Location 2167](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=2167)) - Empowering your people to be forthright, creative, and generous ([Location 2563](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=2563)) - Build a sense of community around your brand. ([Location 2565](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0042FZVQ2&location=2565))