The Thank You Economy

Talking to business people, a wine merchant and social media pioneer says that being all over Facebook and Twitter works only when you're consistently honest and use integrity and good manners in serving your customers. If you listen and communicate with them authentically and help them every chance you get, customers will thank you by buying your goods and services and spreading the word to others at warp speed. Vaynerchuk is a charming narrator whose chutzpah is in perpetual high gear: "Okay, I'm going off-script here--this is important! Don't edit this out!" This is the type of ad-lib that gives this audio so much immediacy and impact. His friendly urgency is an effective way to remind us that connecting with people is always more important than trying to sell them something. T.W. 2012 Audies Finalist (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2011

Wine Library TV host Vaynerchuk (Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion, 2009, etc.) is convinced that businesses must embrace social media to survive in an age when consumers increasingly expect more from their business interactions.

There is no doubting the author's genuine enthusiasm for Web 2.0's use in the corporate world. Vaynerchuk's third book is his attempt to impart the importance of the proper implementation of social-media strategies. Doing so, writes the author, will pull in consumers, engage them through emotionally charged interactions and inspire long-term loyalty. Vaynerchuk's message, however, is bogged down by his aggressive used-car-salesman tone, and the book often loses pace due to his tendency to veer off topic repeatedly. Businesses looking for a quick, clear idea of how to incorporate Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, etc., into their marketing will not easy-to-follow assistance here. Most beneficial is the book's third part, "The Thank You Economy in Action," which describes examples of real-life business successes with Web 2.0 strategies. For the remainder of the narrative, readers must sift through a litany of repetitive, jargon-laden, metaphor-saturated sections for nuggets of useful information. Fortunately, Vaynerchuk also includes a summary "quick version" of his advice at the end, which will save readers the time and effort.

Billy Mays would have been proud, but others will seek a clearer, more concise book.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)