• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Photography Concentrate

Learn Photography Faster!

  • Blog
  • Learn
    • Camera Skills
    • Light Skills
    • Composition Skills
    • Photo Editing Skills – Lighroom
    • Creativity Field Guide
    • Shoot Awesome Video
    • Pro – Build Your Business
      • Photography Income Formula
      • Simple Wedding Photography
      • Awesome Album Design Skills
      • Really Easy Retouching
  • About
  • Free Resources
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Inspiration / Book Report: The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

Book Report: The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

Updated on January 29, 2021 by Lauren Lim

screen-capture.png

Business has changed.

It may just be at the beginning of that change, but it has happened. Have you noticed? If you have, hopefully you’re working hard to take advantage of it!

If you haven’t noticed, don’t fear. There is still time to take advantage of this change. And there’s more good news.

It’s going to really make your life as a business person way more fun.

So this change. Gary Vaynerchuk saw it coming years ago, and busted his butt to be at the front of it. He now has a thriving multi-million dollar business, a job that lets him drink wine every day, and over 870,000 followers on Twitter.

This guy knows what’s up, and in The Thank You Economy he spells it out, and shows you why you need to jump on board, and how to succeed in this new era.

The Book

First up, let’s talk about the author, because he’s a really fantastic guy.

I’m very proud to say that Gary Vaynerchuk single-handedly got me interested in wine. I never liked the taste, and visited both France and Italy without tasting a drop (to my great regret). But I stumbled across Wine Library TV many years ago, and saw Gary Vaynerchuk literally shouting with excitement about it. I said to myself “If this guy is this pumped about wine, there must be something to it” and I set out to discover it.

Well, I did, so I personally owe Gary a pretty big thank you. ;)

But I’m not sharing that story to tell you about wine, because there are better places you can go for that. I’m sharing it because I want to show you that this guy is remarkable. His passion for everything he does is inspiring. Literally. It gets you up out of your seat and makes you do something.

Helping people is another passion of his as well. You read this book, and you know he wrote it to help, not to simply profit. He cares, and that makes me want to listen.

He also cares enough to give tons of interviews. He gave a great one, with specific advice for photographers, over at the photography blog, Tiffinbox. Check it out!

These days he has a new wine show, The Daily Grape, and a consulting firm, VaynerMedia. He has written a previous book, Crush It, that we highly recommend checking out if you’re interesting in your passion becoming your job.

But today we’re talking about The Thank You Economy, so let’s get to it.

Gary is a big supporter of “social media”. And by that, he’s talking about Twitter, Facebook, and any other platform that lets you have a one-on-one conversation with your customers.

These sites have become major powerhouses of the internet, and yet many are still wary of their power for business success. They say that the numbers just aren’t there for the “return on investment”. So Gary wrote this book to prove just how short-sighted that idea is, and why you have to get in on social media if you want to get ahead.

The Message

The Thank You Economy is filled with solid business advice, shown through the lens of social media.

Because of Twitter and Facebook and all other forms of social media, the great big world has become something that resembles a small town. All of a sudden we are put face-to-face with our customers, technologically speaking.

You can now communicate and listen to your customers on a level that was never before possible. Even the smallest companies can have hundreds of thousands of loyal fans; numbers that were only possible for huge corporations in the past.

But with great power comes with great responsibility, and Gary’s commitment to that concept is why this book is so valuable.

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. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

It’s so simple. Care about your customers, take the time to truly help them, and you will succeed.

Such a simple idea, but it seemed like many just didn’t get it. So The Thank You Economy fills in the gaps, and shows you just why you need to have caring in your heart to make it work.

And you can make it work like magic. If you have great intent, and a great message, here’s what Gary thinks it can do for you:

It’s as though social media has given all its users an equal platform on which they can build not just their careers, but their dreams. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

Sound good? Great. Read on! Now it’s time to take a look at the lessons for photographers in The Thank You Economy

Lessons For Your Photography Business

Genuinely Care

I’m going to repeat this phrase forever. You’ll have heard us say it before, and here it is again.

If you want to succeed as a photographer, you have to genuinely care about your clients.

There’s no getting around this. If you don’t have a lot of caring in your heart for the people you work for, do yourself and everyone else a favour, and stop.

Start showing how much you care via your blog, your Facebook account, and your Twitter profile. Do that, and win.

Mind Your Manners

You gotta use your manners. Your mother taught them to you for a reason.

Manners—real manners—indicate that we care about other people’s feelings, and about their experience when they’re around us. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

Just because you’re online doesn’t mean the manners go out the window. In reality, you need to work doubly hard to be as polite as possible on the internet.

Considering the poor showing humanity is doing of this, being polite online will make you stand out an awful lot. Don’t know what I mean? Just check out the comments on a YouTube video. It breaks your heart.

Think Long Term

You can’t go into business thinking short term. You need to act with your legacy in mind, and that goes for every single thing you do.

About to tweet something? Think of how that will reflect on you long term.

About to deal with a client? Think of how that will affect your business long term.

Gary goes a lot more into detail about this stuff, but just that slight mental shift will make a big huge difference in your business.

Quality Over Quantity

Many photographers start Twitter or Facebook pages, only to be discouraged by small numbers, and they give up.

One of the best lessons of this book is that it is about the quality of your followers, not the quantity.

In this game, the one with the most real relationships wins. —Gary Vaynerchuk in&
nbsp;The Thank You Economy

Honestly, doesn’t that make you excited about business again?? You don’t need to be sleazy, you just need to develop great relationships! Fun!

Word Of Mouth Wins

We’ve talked about the importance of word of mouth, and how a Referral Program is a great way to take advantage of that.

Well, Gary agrees. So do the numbers.

When Nielsen conducted a study on what drives consumer trust, the results were clear: almost 70 percent of people turn to family and friends for advice when making purchasing decisions. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

Every single interaction you have online can affect your word of mouth power as a business person. Act accordingly. Treat your customers, and fans, like gold. Or even better. Like platinum. Or diamonds.

Treat your customers like platinum covered in diamonds.

Don’t Freak Out

When you go online, you might be afraid of making a misstep, and getting negative feedback. Don’t be.

Mistakes and snafus aren’t something to hide; they’re a great opportunity to get more information on how to do better next time, and to connect with people. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

If you have good intent, and you care, you can just use those as opportunities to show how wonderful you are.

Engagment Over Advertising

It’s been talked about in the photography industry for years, and now it’s time to put the nail in the coffin.

Print advertising just doesn’t return on the invesment.

You pay thousands for an ad in a bridal magazine, only to see yourself in a sea of ads. And you never get any bookings. You might never even get a single inquiry!

Stop throwing your money away. Take the cash, and put it towards thanking your customers, and putting effort into connecting and helping them online.

The difference between how people respond to search engine results or a banner ad versus how they respond to Twitter or Facebook feeds parallels the difference between how people respond to advertising and how they respond to word of mouth. One is a random, faceless encounter that is easily forgotten; the other is a meaningful exchange worth passing along and sharing with others.—Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

Engage, don’t advertise.

Patience, Grasshopper

Success doesn’t come in minutes, hours, days, months, or sometimes even years. It, like all good things, takes time.

You need to have patience to see your efforts in business, and in social media, pay off.

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. —Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy

So have patience, and keep at it. You’ll get there.

Summary

This book is absolutely chock full of value. It’s about new business, and great business. It will make you excited about getting out there, and sharing what you do with the world. It’s easy to read, and filled with Gary’s unique energy.

We highly highly recommend it for any business person, and photographers in particular.

Photographers care. We’ve seen it over and over again. You are the perfect kind of people to take the message in The Thank You Economy and run with it.

Win A Free Copy of The Thank You Economy!

Now, are you itching to get your hands on this book?

Good! We’re giving away a Kindle copy to one lucky commenter!

(Don’t worry, you don’t need a Kindle, just a computer. Check out this post to see why we think the Kindle App is a better way to read)

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! Congrats to our winner, Ken, who is now going to rock this new way of business!

If you didn’t win, you should go now and get The Thank You Economy. It’s worth every penny, and so much more.

Filed Under: Inspiration

About Lauren Lim

Hey friend, I’m Lauren! I’m a photography ninja here at Photography Concentrate. I’m downright obsessed with photography, and love sharing it with super cool folks like yourself. When I’m not shooting, or writing, you can find me cooking (and eating!), traveling, and hanging out with wonderful people.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Haley Shandro says

    April 20, 2011 at 7:38 am

    Me me! I want to win! I saw the interview on tiffinbox and it made so much sense. I'd love to read the book. Thanks guys!

    Reply
  2. Nikki says

    April 20, 2011 at 7:58 am

    I feel good about this one. I think it might be my turn for a win! ;)

    Reply
  3. Teddy Carroll says

    April 20, 2011 at 8:04 am

    As a former Internet design and marketing professional, the differences between so-called old and new economies almost always came down to finding a way to meet a customer's needs versus the stark desire to turn them into consumers. Consumers buy once and go away. Customers create relationships and buy repeatedly. Gary has found his successful formula by understanding that difference. No matter our business model or career goals, this book will be a good read for all of us.

    Reply
  4. Dennis Bullock says

    April 20, 2011 at 8:07 am

    great report guys! I would love to win a copy!

    Reply
  5. Corissa says

    April 20, 2011 at 8:49 am

    i've been dying to read this. i hope i win!

    Reply
  6. David Bier says

    April 20, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Getting that emotion across in a digital world where we're only virtually connected is a talent. Hopefully this book will help me develop mine.

    Reply
  7. Stefanie says

    April 20, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Sounds like a great read!

    Reply
  8. Irene says

    April 20, 2011 at 10:06 am

    Italy and France – and NO wine?? ;) *faint*

    I haven't read Vaynerchuk's book, but this is something I have come to realize in the last couple of years. Making people feel that they are a valued customer will keep them around and be sure to recommend you.

    It is hard not to like someone who wants to be your best friend.

    Reply
  9. Tami says

    April 20, 2011 at 11:27 am

    I'm allergic to wine. How craptacular is that? I love your book recommendations. My nightstand is going to topple soon. Thanks for the contest!

    Reply
  10. tamsen says

    April 20, 2011 at 11:45 am

    wow- sounds like a life-changing book! i'd love to win it!

    Reply
  11. jamespaulcorreia says

    April 20, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    This sounds like a must have! Luckily I have a kindle :)

    Reply
  12. Lindsay says

    April 20, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Always love your "reports"! Great as always, would love to read this one!

    Reply
  13. Ken says

    April 20, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    I'll wait to buy, just in case I win! Checking out Crush It right now!

    Reply
  14. Evan says

    April 20, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    oh oh me me! this would be a great reason to justify a Kindle or iPad purchase to my wife.

    yes, i realize i can read it on a computer. but how relevant would a book about the new economy and web 2.0 be if i read it on a desktop?! pppffft! might as well use altavista or webcrawler as my search engine.

    Reply
  15. Allison says

    April 20, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Ooh, pick me! I'd love to win a copy – it sounds super! And I'll read it on my kindle. I'm going to go tell you why you need a kindle over on your other post, right now!

    Reply
  16. Tracy says

    April 20, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    I would so love to win a copy of this book. please let me be lucky :)

    Reply
  17. Sheri says

    April 20, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Thank you!
    The two of you have helped me when I was just starting out and you are still helping, inspiring and pushing me to be better than ever!
    You two are the real deal!

    Thanks for this post… pick me, please?

    Reply
  18. BrianSimmonsPhotography says

    April 20, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    Looks like a great book. I definitely see the correlation to what we are trying to do with a typical photography business.

    Reply
  19. Rachel Allison says

    April 20, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    Thanks for the great reminder and a little bit of encouragement! I'll have to add this book to my list of business books to get…unless I win of course :)

    Reply
  20. Sarah Tunstall says

    April 21, 2011 at 1:19 am

    I love it! It's so nice to think that being genuine helps your business out as well! Awesome article as usual. :)

    Reply
  21. Brian Crofts says

    April 24, 2011 at 8:29 pm

    good read.

    Reply
  22. Jessica says

    November 6, 2012 at 11:40 am

    I realize my comment here is a bit delayed, but I wanted to let you guys know that I picked up the Thank You Economy (as well as many other books) based on your recommendation.

    Reading through the book I couldn’t help but think of you guys. You’ve both really grasped Gary’s concepts and are running with them – this is a great thing! I’d say that each and every suggestion Gary makes has been absorbed by the both of you and your business shows it. You two really care about your clients. And we as clients couldn’t be happier. Thanks!

    Reply
  23. justin says

    March 23, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    I’m in the process of reading Crush It! but this one is next in line!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi there!


We're The Photography Concentrate Team: Daniel, Kaitlyn and Kristal. Think of us as your photo friends – we’re here to help you take great photos, and have a ton of fun together while we’re at it!

Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Browse the Archives

Footer

Navigation

  • Blog
  • Learn
  • About

Connect

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Newsletter

Important Stuff

  • Comment Policy
  • Material Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Earnings Disclaimer

Disclaimer

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Additionally, we participate in other affiliate programs and sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2020 Photography Concentrate

newsletterpopupheader

Get FREE photography training today!

Subscribe to our newsletter and learn how to take awesome photos, and get tons of free stuff to make it faster, and easier!
Join today and get instant access!

Join our +48,000 photographer pals, and get our very best content and freebies delivered straight to your inbox!
Register To This Secret Photography Training (FREE but seats are limited!)
How To Start & Grow
A Professional Photography Business
And Get Paid For Your Photos In The Next 30 Days
This method works even if you don’t have expensive gear and don’t want to chase clients!

We like to keep it a small group so we can engage together.
Our webinars are always filled to the last seat.
ONLY reserved seats will gain access to the room!