What is the role of the commentator?

The best commentators make good sport great. They add colour, romance and depth to the action happening on the track, court or field. Murray for F1, Harry Carpenter for boxing, Ray French for Rugby League, Ted Lowe for snooker and of course Brendan Foster or Steve Cram for athletics.

What the best commentators do is ensure that the audience is enthralled by all the elements of a game. In athletics, those with the microphone ensure that every lap of the 10,000m is enthralling. The early rounds of the sprints are captivating. The first few kilometers of a cross-country meet or a big city marathon are as thrilling as the last.

What the best commentators know is that they need to tell stories. All the statistics in the world won’t keep an audience gripped. Using those statistics and the action in front of them to weave stories, is what fans tune in for.

Be your business’ commentator

Social media is your microphone. Your chance to add colour to your story. You can treat your audience to a narrative that enthralls and delights them. That is what will keep people coming back time and again.

The antithesis of this is using your social media outlets as a pinboard where you post dry updates. Your most committed fans might check back in for those sorts of updates, but people who are new to your brand or who are too attention deficient to want to make up their own stories, need more to keep them interested and engaged.

So how do you create those stories? Here are a few ideas:

• Give your social media a personality – make it about the people in your business and their stories
• Include your customers in what you post on your social media outlets and let them tell their stories
• Use different mediums to add colour: think about videos, pictures, competitions too keep your social media channels as interesting as possible
• Interact with the people who are on your social media outlets – taking the time to respond personally to what people are saying to and about your business will have the effect of encouraging more people to engage with you