Audible: Crush It, The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
I’ve been an Audible subscriber for many years, but it’s only been in recent times that I’m listening to audiobooks a lot more diligently (cutting out many podcasts in favour of this; good production quality and it’s not conversational, means you kind of win in terms of knowledge and time). Why not try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
Today I’ll talk about two Gary Vaynerchuk books: Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
As for the positives? Learn how to build your personal brand, why great content matters, the importance of authenticity in your messaging, and how to monetise your passion and create a new life for yourself. I know social media (or at least I think I do; I was an early adopter of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) so it may be useful for some but not necessarily all folk.
The Thank You Economy had a bit more for me:
- B2B buyers are really also individual customers – there is a human behind the purchasing decision. This is where social and a good relationship makes sense
- When you spend money, do you spend it back on your customers (i.e. Throw a party) versus spending it thru an intermediary (i.e. Run a billboard ad). This could be interesting from the standpoint of booth vs party
- Word of mouse (you click nowadays!)
- JDV Hotels took to social media very well and they have a program to wow guests (and they have empowered their employees). They comb your social media profiles and listen to you. Was very impressed by the authenticity.
- Handling a public customer complaint is better than praise. Handling criticism > praise. Social media is public. This is important.
- Business is personal. B2B too.
- Don’t be afraid to say what you think. But don’t forget to listen
- The humanisation of business is what social media is doing
There were a few other interesting case studies as well, so I can highly recommend listening or reading The Thank You Economy.
I also found the idea of having a Chief Culture Officer as an interesting idea. His bet on virtual goods, for me at least, wasn’t true (so I tweeted him) – the idea that we’ll all be buying lots of them pretty quickly.
Incidentally, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about him: An Entrepreneur’s Life Video had some notes too.
Many of these tips are timeless, and can be applied even if social media isn’t hot any longer. If you had to pick between the two, I’d go for the Thank You Economy. But why pick, when you can Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
