Community Manager vs. Goodwill Ambassador

For all of us experienced in social media with the concepts of sharing and open dialog deeply rooted in our ethos, this comparison probably doesn’t mean as much as it could for folks who don’t engage in social computing.  I’m simply looking for ways we can all help explain some of these concepts to our overworked managers and VPs.

(Heh, ‘social computing’.  That’s a nod to the corporate interpretation of social media – or it is in some ways.  Mostly they like to say “collaboration” because its more professional sounding.  I find it interesting that the moment the word ‘social’ is dropped, the reaction tends to be “we don’t pay people to socialize!”.  Never mind that work itself is an accepted social construct designed to make labor for wage a palatable and productive arrangement. But I digress.)

Anyway, sometimes the easiest way to help people understand a concept is to compare it to something they already know or can intuitively envision.  That’s where the Goodwill Ambassador comes in.  In the social media sphere, we’ve developed the Community Manager (a role which perversely doesn’t “manage” anything) who is tasked with engaging customers.  Nither the community or the conversations within require management of any sort.  Rather they require participation.  That participation has several aspects, ones that are quite familiar to people from any generation.

A goodwill ambassador brings a smile and cheer, they answer questions and facilitate getting answers.  They often bring a sense of calm and reason, that you’ll be heard and understood.  The concept of a goodwill ambassador is easy to digest and brings folks initially apposed to funding such a role as Community Manager around to a realistic perspective and frame of reference.  For today, we have a need of these people who bridge the gaps between marketing and customer service, bringing personality and a voice to the organizations they represent.

Are you ready to share some goodwill with your customers?

The ‘Un’ Sell

'Life is Tremendous' by Stewf There’s a perspective that we take in social media that has many qualities and discussions around it and I’ve been starting to use a name or label for it: the unsell.

The idea behind the unsell is that you really aren’t selling at all, but rather letting the product or service speak for itself.  Past the initial “hey, I’ve got this product/service, what do you think of it” pitch, the idea that quality sells itself is key.

Through organic word of mouth, the quality or potential of what you have is what sells it.  This is the classic unsell.

What we need to strive for today and in the future is that whatever we’re doing for our customers or employers speaks for itself.  If it needs a bunch of fancy charts and graphs to describe why it’ll save money, trim expenses or save the planet, then it really doesn’t cut it.

So I’d like to learn from you, because you’re the smartest folks I know, what are you ‘unselling’?  How have you applied ‘the unsell’ in your work?  What kinds of things are companies doing right in social media that they aren’t talking about?

Photo credit: Stewf

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