What is a Community Manager?

In marketing there are always innovators and followers. The former face many risks but they can also take advantage of many opportunities that sometimes lead to gaining an unfair advantage in their industry. The second ones simply follow the leaders.

In this framework, many companies are already taking advantage of social networks to generate better relationships with their current and potential clients. And, at the same time, they develop loyalty and manage their corporate reputation in a far more efficient way by having a channel of authentic dialogue between their customers and their brand.

Despite the above, there are many companies that have not yet decided to take the step to blog, to set up a Facebook, or implement a social advertising strategy, to name just a few of the channels that could open a communication dialogue with customers. 

And the question is always the same: "Who will generate the content and/or respond to comments?". The answer is a Community Manager.

"I'm not going to pay a little boy to be tweeting all day", the companies usually say. But, in doing so, they demonstrate their complete misunderstanding of Community Managers and the power of social management.

The Community Manager has several tasks, here only some of them:

1) They are responsible for the generation of content within social channels (blogs, social networks, forums, etc). It is not about writing what comes to mind, nor about reproducing nonsensically the mission and vision phrases that companies usually have. Nor is it about repeating various claims and promises. The task is to provide a personality to the company so that potential customers know that behind the faceless brands there are people of flesh and blood willing to listen and respond.

2) They must monitor the network, listening to what is being said about the brand in every social community. It is a daily, detailed and very judicious exercise.

3) They must report to each area of the company to inform them what exactly is being said about them and ask on how best to proceed, what should be answered, and when and how this should be done. In this context, then, a dynamic and proactive person is required with the ability to find quick answers and react quickly to any criticism, doubt or comments on the internet. 

4) They must be a true bridge between the customers and the company. It's about being the opposite of the voice recorder that answers us when we call "Customer Service"; there is nothing more stupid than using a machine to care for a human who has doubts or comments that only another person can answer. Here, the Community Manager must know the company deeply and be versed in its corporate culture - only then can he or she respond to different concerns. The Community Manager is the true voice of the company.

5) They must manage statistics. It is not enough to monitor the internet and merely respond to concerns raised. They must report how many mentions of the brand are given in different social channels, what percentage of comments are good, how many are bad, how many are questions, and how many are other opinions. You must know where these people are coming from, not only in terms of geographical position but through which channels they are engaging with the company. All the information about your company on the internet is useless if it can not be packaged up neatly in quantitative data that will help you know what strategy to take.

In summary, the Community Manager is a moderator, a strategist, a creator, an operator of different applications and/or tools. In addition, he or she has to provide  customer service, market research, and statistical interpretations. As you can see, community management is not just a little tweeting.

If you are looking for an effective community manager for your brand, why not check out Osito Media's social and community management services....