The need for community managers has increased dramatically as the world has grown more interconnected. Effective community managers are in high demand, from big businesses connecting with their customers to nonprofits interacting with their supporters.
However, what exactly is the role of a community manager?
Community management is a branch of digital marketing that focuses on building user communities around specific brands, products, or services. Digital community managers oversee social media profiles, moderate online discussion boards, and operate via various digital platforms.
This article will discuss the duties of community managers, the fundamental abilities they must possess, and other subjects like how to work in this dynamic field of digital marketing.
Who is a community manager?
A community manager works in digital marketing and is in charge of creating, expanding, and overseeing user communities centered around a brand, service, or product. Managing social media, moderating online forums, producing interesting content, analyzing data and insights, and answering client inquiries are usually part of their responsibilities.
Community managers engage in a variety of tasks, but they all aim to achieve the same end: making users feel like they belong in a community and providing a safe space where they can exchange ideas, opinions, and experiences with one another as well as with brands.
However, precisely what constitutes a community? There are a variety of online communities that brands may be involved in running. Among them are:
Social media platforms: Managing a brand’s presence on well-known platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok is the most prevalent kind of online community management. whenever, for instance, you receive a customized reply to a Tweet or comment? A community manager can be heard on the other end!
Internet discussion boards: Community managers, who are also fairly well-known, start and lead discussions on websites like Stack Exchange, Quora, and Reddit. Giving users a safe space to engage in conversation and ask questions about subjects they are interested in is their goal here.
Customer feedback platforms: A sort of software known as a customer feedback platform is used by certain brands to administer online communities. Here are two instances: IdeaScale and UserVoice. Although the average internet user may not be familiar with these, platforms such as these provide a useful means for brands to directly gather ideas, feedback on their products, and suggestions for improvements from their community.
Fan groups and online communities with a brand: Brands that have a devoted following frequently establish fan clubs or online communities. This is where fans can share stories and get access to exclusive content, special discounts, and other benefits. It’s usually provided via an app or branded platform. The Nike Run Club, Lego Ideas, and Harley Owners Group are a few well-known fandoms.
Community management might not be the most noticeable or well-known digital marketing position to the average internet user. However, it’s among the most crucial. Both individuals and organizations can benefit from participation in online communities.
Online communities give businesses a unique opportunity to gain unprecedented insights into the thoughts and opinions of their customers while simultaneously increasing brand awareness. In the meantime, community management presents a stimulating professional path with a wide range of opportunities for individuals.
Key competencies for community managers
The following are some of the fundamental abilities a successful community manager must possess:
Interaction
Community managers must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills above all else. You will need to interact with clients, team members, and users of social media effectively. Regardless of their area of expertise, working with clients to understand their business drivers and expectations is another aspect of communication for those employed by community management agencies.
Resolving issues and handling confrontations
You’ll need strong problem-solving and conflict-resolution abilities because daily tasks will be influenced by outside factors, such as community members. Community managers frequently have to deal with tough circumstances and uncooperative clients. This calls for quick thinking and composure to avoid things getting out of hand.
Uniqueness
Creativity is another crucial trait for community managers. Community managers need to create interesting content and have a natural sense of what will appeal to various audiences. If intuition fails, you’ll need to rely on data-driven insights to understand the needs and preferences of your audience.
Interest in the subject
When community managers genuinely care about the topic of their community, it always helps. For example, you wouldn’t want to put a passionate gearhead in charge of a baking group—that’s not to say you can’t love cars and cakes! But the main idea is that a community manager who is passionate about their subject will be able to relate to their audience more genuinely and produce content that has a greater impact.
Technical proficiency
Lastly, community managers require strong technical abilities, such as knowledge of various social media networks, community management software, and analytics tools. Alright, so you don’t have to be an absolute tech whiz to succeed here, but it can help to have a solid working knowledge of things like HTML and graphic design software.
Techniques for community management
The methods used by community managers to expand their communities are known as community management strategies. These vary based on the goal of the community, but community managers typically take the following strategic actions:
Clearly define your goals: Before you begin, ascertain the goals of your community. Increasing engagement, boosting sales, or raising brand awareness could be your objectives. Or maybe it’s something more targeted, like a decrease in customer service inquiries.
Provide interesting content: Community managers need to plan and produce fresh content regularly. All content, whether it be in the form of blog posts, videos, or something else entirely, needs to be interesting, educational, or relevant.
Promote user-generated content because it is nearly impossible to run a community alone. Therefore, promoting user-generated content, such as images or videos, is a part of most strategies. Managers have less content to create as a result. Users usually view user-generated content as more authentic, which is a bonus.
Track and evaluate community activity: Community management, like any other digital marketing endeavor, necessitates measuring participation to determine what strategies are most effective.
Improve the community consistently: community managers need to be always looking for methods to make their community better. This may entail introducing new features, organizing gatherings, or collaborating with influencers and other companies.