A young single woman, I often ask my married friends and
family, “How do you know when you’ve
found The One?” Invariably, despite geographic, ethnic, age and gender
differences, they reply confidently, “You just know.”
This seemingly smug response always irked me, until
I felt it.
Call me a workaholic. Call me a geek. Call me pathetic. But
I felt it at work. I love my job. No, really… I do.
Let me count the reasons why:
1. Variety Is the Spice of Life.
As social media manager at Balcom, I’m
responsible for managing a wide variety of online communities for a wide
variety of clients. On a daily basis, I chat with customers about fajitas,
cowboy boots, diamond rings, country music, margaritas, payday loans, puppies and even
social media marketing.
I toggle between Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare, Gowalla and MySpace. I learn how to write great
status updates, squeeze messages into 140 characters, respond gracefully to
customer complaints, optimize web copy and create compelling online offers.
Most importantly, I learn how to engage consumers, which brings me to my next
point.
2. Social Media Sells.
But not because of slippery, slimy sales
offers. Social media sells because it engages consumers in a way that they want
to be engaged.
On the Justin Boots Facebook Page, for
instance, I collaborate with my clients to share meaningful and valuable
information with fans. This means that for every post reading “Boots are half
off today!" we post a fan photo, an update on local rodeo standings, a list of
country music tour dates, a question to fans about their weekend plans or a
simple thank you. We even ask our fans, "What do you want to hear from us?" and deliver.
Interacting with consumers each day in an
authentic way fulfills me, all while driving revenues.
3. We Learn – And Then We Learn From Our Mistakes.
Balcom Agency and good social media
marketers embrace continual learning. We also believe in taking risks and learning from our
mistakes. In my role as social media manager, I soak up breaking news
on the latest technologies, trends and techniques in marketing. Much akin to my
eating habits, I consume this information voraciously.
At Balcom Agency and in the world
of social media, mistakes are accepted. And transformed into opportunities to
learn and improve. When I err, I’m not harshly punished but encouraged to seek
the lesson in the error. Inevitably,
these faux pas lead to even better performance and client service.
4. We Are Family.
At Balcom, we truly love each
other.
Did you just roll your eyes? I understand. Perhaps my enthusiasm for my colleagues is akin
to those nagging Facebook status updates: “I have the best life ever!" or "My
boyfriend spoils me!" But really, we get along like peas
and carrots. We joke. We laugh. We brainstorm. We challenge. We achieve. And sometimes we even have a beer together. I never thought I could love my
coworkers like I do. It makes a big difference.
In closing, thank you for the opportunity to gush about my beloved
job. Beyond an awareness of my tendency toward self-indulgence, I
hope you’ll take just a few things away from this post. Social media works. Mistakes
are opportunities. And kindness, humor and honesty in the workplace pay off, not just in the form of happy employees, but also in happy clients.
