Reporters and Customer Service Folks Excel in Social

Social marketing from reporters and customer service folks

What does it take to make your social networking succeed? As social networking grows with the addition of new sites and applications, we strive to keep up with them all and handle them effectively. To do this, we must master a certain skill-set that encourages more than calculations, it encourages communication.

There are several key elements to creating a successful social network, and there are some particular professions that already host such needed elements. Have you ever considered what a reporter does? They constantly interact with people and deliver the answers that people seek. Often, they are renowned for asking the right questions to encourage future interaction with their audience. 

Then there are those of the customer service profession. These people understand what it means to interact with an individual and their specific needs. Though they provide answers and facts, they do so in a manner that is specific to the person. The ability to be good with people plays an essential role in how your business appears to your audience. 

Basically, those with customer service or even a reporter’s background can influence your abilities as a good social media manager. While these professions may not have been specifically engaged in, these techniques and practices are essential to social networking success.

Serving your customers

Social sites have become one of the primary sources for customer service. Not only do they provide facts and information, they are a direct window to your audience. Here, you can discuss and communicate with an individual directly. This should be seen as your chance to befriend your audience in a social way. To do this, you must understand that social media isn’t just about speaking, it is about listening as well.

This is something that is often overlooked by social networkers because while you may be speaking to a wide audience, you must also be able to converse with an individual person. This means that you can’t limit yourself to disclosing just the facts, you have to understand how to handle an individual and address their specific needs. You must speak to them in the right language, so you don’t want to indulge in jargon or otherwise lose their attention. Above all, you never want to sound like a pre-recorded message.

This often leads to the simple question: Can you tell your story? It’s not just about disclosing your history; it’s about being able to communicate with someone else. Social networking is more than calculations, it’s about being able to engage the audience properly and respond to individuals and specific needs by relating to them on a personal level. It’s all about being able to listen AND respond effectively so that both you and your customer can develop your own story together. 

What does it take to stimulate conversation?

This brings us to the abilities of a reporter. This particular profession not only focuses on being able to find information, but present it in a manner that will appeal to their audience in more ways than one. Every business provides facts about themselves, but there are facts in general which are appealing. Reporters find the scoop, they find ways to relate “hot topics” with the message they want to deliver. 

So ask yourself if you can serve your social networking needs in an engaging style. Those in customer service can appeal to the needs of individuals, while the reporter can create conversation amongst individuals. A reporter is able to stimulate personal word of mouth marketing strategies through their methods because they create discussion. 

Then there is the fact that being a reporter can help understand what leads to pursue. Reporters target “hot” leads and evade cold trails. This is very effective when you must focus on what is truly important. Time is always precious, which means that readers and listeners will only give their attention to that which is important to them. A reporter understands what is important and presents it to their audience. 

For those within the social world, being able to write and create quality content that will appeal to your audience is crucial to success. A social networker should see themselves as a reporter whose job is to provide what the audience desires to create debate and conversation. 

The characteristics of these two professions are essential to a social marketing strategy. While not everyone has been a reporter or in charge of customer service, the elements of these professions are something that every social marketing manager must apply and practice to properly engage their audience and ensure their social networking succeeds.