What it takes to be a Social Media Community Manager…
So, you want to be a social media community manager?
And for those of you who don’t or who may be asking, “what is a social media community manager?” Let’s define it:
I like Andrew Swinney from KASASA’s definition, “a social media community manager is responsible for the growth and maintenance of that community. Their purpose is to ensure that every member has a sense of belonging and ownership and that the community creates value for its members” (2019, para. 4).
Social media communities are continuously growing and the need for community managers is necessary. “A little over 70% of all organizations now use online communities to gain insights into their target business markets, including from existing as well as prospective customers” (Fleetwood, 2020, para. 1).
Great! So now that we know what they are, what attributes and skills are needed actually needed to be successful as a community manager?
- Communication
This is a much have.
Being able to communicate with the community helps to form relationships and trust with the members.
2. Organization and Project Management
“An online community consists of multiple moving parts” (Fleetwood, 2020, para. 6).
A great community manager will be able to stay organized and bring together all of the moving parts into a single goal.
3. Interpersonal
Community managers need to know how to talk to people. They need to take a walk in someone else’s shoes.
Having great interpersonal skills shows members that they are being heard and understood, even if the community manager has not personally gone through or felt what they are.
4. Analytical
They need to be able to understand the information that they are receiving from their community, whether qualitative or quantitative. A community manager needs to know how to understand the feedback, ideas, comments, thoughts, polls, and data and transfer it into the change needed to better the community.
5. Market Research
“Knowing what types of studies and questions elicit what kinds of responses are essential. In some studies, collecting text data along with rich media is critical to the brand, and a community manager must know which research method to deploy to get the most insights” (Fleetwood, 2020, para. 9).
A basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative research is necessary to know which method should be applied.
6. Adaptability
A community manager needs to know how to adapt to any situation that may arise. They need to know how to think on one’s feet.
7. Engagement
Without engagement there is no community. A great community manager will be able to encourage engagement and also keep the engagement going. They can use polls, surveys, questionnaires, etc.
8. Copywriting
Community managers need to be able to write copy and add value for their community members in the content that they share. Great copy will be respectful, engaging, and valuable.
9. Brand Knowledge
“When a community manager loves a brand, there is more of a zeal to collect valuable, actionable insights. But more importantly, this person acts as the face of the brand, and members love communicating with such a person” (Fleetwood, 2020, para. 13).
Without knowledge of the brand, the community manager may be using the wrong brand voice. Although community managers are speaking as themselves, what they post still represents the brand. Therefore, knowledge of the core values, mission, vision, etc. of the brand is necessary.
10. Sense of Humor
People like people who are funny. Look at Wendy’s people love their posts because they are funny and a little bit sassy. People want to follow brands that have a personality. So let yours show!
By combining all of these skills, a community manager will be on their way to managing a successful community with members that trusts the brand, engages with others, and has a sense of belonging. Community managers create a safe space so people and marketing skills are necessary. A great combination of the two equals a great community manager.
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