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In 2026, no one disputes that businesses need to be active on social media. But in 2011, when Gary Vaynerchuk released The Thank You Economy, he was a voice crying in the wilderness. Yet even now, there are many lessons in his book that went unheeded. You have to look no further than a McDonalds CEO being roasted for how he ate a burger to know that if you aren’t paying attention, you can crash a product right at launch.
What is the Thank You Economy?
Gary starts the book by talking about small-town America and how the business owners in those small towns took care of their customers and knew them by name, not just because that’s how it was always done, but because if you didn’t, people wouldn’t shop with you. Small-town grudges are some of the toughest on the planet.
Gary argues that the Thank You Economy is simply those small-town values online and at scale. It used to be that if you lived in a small town, word would get around about the new cafe opening up. Now, a traveler driving through needs only to flip open a Maps or Yelp app to find out that same information, with the ability to read reviews, look at a menu, and even place an order for pickup.
That means that business owners have to take that online presence very seriously. It’s not enough to simply be reactive (though thanking people for good reviews and diplomatically responding to the bad ones are table stakes for small businesses these days). Companies need to be out in the “town square” of given social media platforms, sharing and engaging. In this book, Gary uses the term “push and pull” marketing. He would later evolve this into “jab” and “right hook,” saying that a “jab” is where you add value, and a “right hook” is when you ask for an order or try to close a sale. His golden ratio? Three jabs for every one right hook.
How Can I Engage?
Gary is known for having strong opinions, and one of the ones he puts forward in the book is that social media cannot be outsourced because he believes all social media for businesses should come from a place of authenticity, personality, and direct engagement.
Authenticity
How is someone who is not living your company culture every day going to represent you? Can you imagine someone assigned to your account, who maybe works on 2-3 other accounts, just putting on your brand for a couple hours, then signing off to put on another brand’s hat? Imitation has never been more easily spotted in the era of AI and people want brands that act authentically. An example of a brand that does this exceptionally well? Wendy’s.
Personality
People like to know who they are talking to, even on social media. A personal touch makes people feel they are connecting to the brand. This is one more way to zag in an era of chatbots and AI receptionists. People who are in the trenches representing the brand every day will sound that way to anyone who interacts with them.
Direct Engagement
Keep in mind that part of what makes a brand believable on social media is the expertise shown in outbound communication. If someone has been a business advisor for many years, part of that interaction on social media will be commenting on posts, threads, and articles in the industry. You earn your expertise and opinions through years of being a practitioner. How is some outside agency going to mimic that?
What are some of the Rewards?
Sales and LeadGen
Gary provides an example of how Avaya closed a $250,000 deal because they were the first to respond when a potential customer pondered on (then) Twitter: “Shoretel or Avaya?” They reached out right away and 13 days later they had a new customer.
R&D
Being active on social media means having a sense of what the marketplace wants or is looking for. Feedback, customer suggestions, polls: everything is available for you to see and use.
Brand awareness
Creative content alone (not paid ads) can reach huge audiences. Whether by audio, video, article, white paper…the territory you can cover in your niche is vast, and there are people (and AI bots) looking for the information you offer.
Thought Leadership
Current and potential customers have a chance to see the way you see the marketplace and can follow where you lead.
Add value (jab), post content (jab), have some fun (jab), and occasionally let them know what you have on offer (right hook).
Even though Gary has his own media brand, he says the only thing he would recommend is for a company like his to train your team to do social media, but he 100% believes it cannot be outsourced. It has to flow from someone invested in and enthusiastic about the brand.
Do you think it’s time for you to up your company’s social media game? We know some people who can help. Reach out and we will connect you.