A community manager needs to wear a few different hats. Some of these hats include writing posts, creating headlines, and being engaged with a community. There are some other traits that a good community manager might have as well, such as being super-duper friendly (depending on the brand, of course), and creating video or graphics.
Is a community manager a good job?
It depends. At least half of what makes it a good job is who you work for. The other half is the audience. Are the brand’s followers engaged and happy? Or are they mostly online to complain? If you’re mostly answering complaints, that’s a bit different, and not nearly as fun as being a brand ambassador. By the way, you might like this post: Made up Holidays Social Media Managers Will Absolutely Love.
What are the qualification of a community manager?
Although there are degrees in social media management and community management, to me the best thing is on-the-job-training. If you’re able to work either for yourself or as a volunteer or intern, then you can pick up a lot of ideas from others. I think a good idea is to get a little real-world experience first and pick up training along the way. That could be formal training, but not always. I’ve always preferred to get training in person, but that’s not always possible, especially in the age of Covid. Corinne McGill says in this Hubspot article Community Managers What They Do and How to Be a Great One writes “Beyond a working understanding of the business, managers need to build productive, professional relationships both internally and externally in order to be a more authentic and reliable brand ambassador.”
Why do you need a community manager?
You need someone to spread the word and help your business to get found online. Maybe you’re too busy with the day-to-day running of your business. Maybe you don’t want to learn another aspect of marketing. Or maybe marketing isn’t something that interests you. In that case, you could definitely use a little help. Even us social media types need help sometimes! And at those times, I call on friends with the same or similar skills to fill in. After all, we all need a little vacation from time to time. Also, if you’re working on your business, sometimes you can become too focused on the day to day issues and the little things.
What are some community management skills?
Reading, writing, and research are some great skills to have. You might not notice all the research happening behind the scenes, but that takes up a great deal of our time. You can’t just post something without at least scanning it. Also, of course, reaching out to followers and to other brands as well. Sometimes other accounts won’t engage with you, but it’s still a good idea to try. After awhile, you’ll see who is willing to engage and who isn’t. Some of the bigger accounts engage all the time, and people love it! For instance, Wendy’s is a great account to follow on Twitter. So fun! If you’re interesting in being more engaged online, you might like: You Don’t Need Fairy Dust to Improve Your Social Media Engagement.
Did I forget something?
What’s your impression of community managers? Let me know your thoughts!
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