COMMENTS
The basic essence of this is that the less actual social contact we have the more we crave it. We are a social animal that has put itself behind a plastic box to communicate with!
Thanks, Kipp and Gary V, for these insights. I think the so-called 'Thank You' Economy (TYE) presumes a relationship exists with a client. Researching someone's passions and thanking them in a specific (as opposed to generic) way is a great idea - but it could quickly become creepy if a relationship doesn't already exist.
The TYE is about relationships and approaching people, especially your customers, with a sense of gratitude.
It was a great speech, I truly believe Gary is on to something!
Sending that Bears jersey is a nice touch, though that kind of high touch & highly meaningful customer interaction isn't possible for all businesses. My favorite takeaways from this are that content is a commodity now and there's lots of it, so if you don't have a plan to do something different with your content at some stage, you're missing it. Also, from the Old Spice example, engagement - if you don't have a plan in place to follow up after a buzz generating event, save your time and dollars in generating said buzz because it'll attract attention but little meaningful interaction.
I am 100% behind this idea. We are a culture that in many ways has forgotten how to say Thank You. Which means that doing so not only remains the "right" and "kind" thing to do, but it also becomes a way to distinguish yourself. Finding new and personal ways to thank your customers, clients, friends, and family goes beyond (un)common courtesy. It's good business sense, but also a transformative act of gratitude.
Thanks, Gary V!
Allison
(PS: Gary, you've won over our household. My husband is also in the wine business, and I appreciate all the messages you deliver about how to make an impact, how to "crush it" in business and in life in general.)
It's amazing to me how many people miss this important message. Many of us are still thinking in terms of "eyeballs" If I can get eyeballs (visits etc) on my content, they (customers) will come. We have to start thinking about conversations instead of content, or at least follow up on content with conversation, or we have lost a critical opportunity to connect. Thanks for sharing this message Kipp. Must have been an outstanding presentation by @garyvee. Sorry I missed it.
Right on! Gary mentions a sales tactic used in the 50's, up until we had Social Media. I love his comment about context.
Personal interaction is becoming a lost art (and it should be natural, not even an art).
I also agree that we all struggle to generate contents, and content is becoming or already became commodity. So we have to go farther and the Thank You Economy is certainly a good way to go farther. It's relatively easy to see it, not so easy to execute.
Word-of-Mouth marketing and building brand advocates begins at the core. Fully informed and engaged employees will engage effectively with the community, and brand advocates will multiply exponentially. Creating a culture in which people are constantly looking at how to take it up a notch, whether for staff or customers, will best ensure that a company continues to find ways to delight current and new customers, and that the processes are in place to support all initiatives.
As much as I agree with Gary's analysis that authentic customer engagement is about contextual relevancy, I struggle to see how sending a t-shirt achieves this in the transaction that he describes.
@Tom The t-shirt was only a symbol of care. Gary happened to know that the jersey would have incredible sentimental value for the customer, and would foster an emotional connection. Its not about the t-shirt, its about the gesture...if that makes any sense?
Thank you Contessa. Perfect response. It clearly demonstrates how social media is anti-social, when people can't understand the emotional side of communication. Marketing/Advertising/Sales is about building relationships.
I'll take a shower with my body wash, but I'm not sure I want the relationship to go any further.
It's one thing for a business to engage on a deeper level with a single customer who spends $20,000 at a time. It's quite another to find deeper meaning with hundreds of thousands or millions of customers who spend $5 at Kroger once every 3 months.
I don't think Gary is saying that social media is a one-size-fits-all solution. At least I hope not.
You guys are all on the right track...we think the future of of social media is mobile media marketing- http://mcloughlin.ca/insights/the-thank-you-economy-is-mobile-media-marketing/
hah! that Chicago Bears jersey was a great idea. It is those little types of things that build million dollar empires.
awesome idea.
Brandon