Role of a Community Manager

I often come across people who think the role of a community manager is to manage the social networks of a company/brand! Little do they realize that the role of a community manager goes way beyond managing social networks of a company/brand. 

Community manager is the "human" behind the brand who talks to its audience online.

That doesn't mean their role is restricted to posting updates & engaging with the audience on various social platforms. 

An informed community manager:

• Uses social listening & analytic tools to track conversations around the brand & industry
• The analysis of such conversations can help businesses take informed decisions for their content or marketing strategy
• Ensures that the community grows and stays vibrant; makes new members feel at home and enforces rules of engagement
• Creates a platform of conversation to help marketers engage with desired target audiences
• Helps build relationships within the community and between the company and community. Some community managers plan events, run forums and more

Strengthen relationship beyond a virtual handshake

A community manager strengthens relationship with it's audience/customers beyond a virtual handshake. Listening and responding genuinely plays a big part in strengthening relationships. We strive to deepen relationships one-on-one as we're so grateful for each customer and friend. It's important for a community manager to be personable and not just act like a machine responding to its customers/audience.

It's so great when a company can "come to the rescue" in times of frustration

Surprise & delight the community

It's imperative for a community manager to go beyond the screen! A simple 'Thank You' note is more powerful than just connecting virtually. Such initiatives cement a brand's place in people's mind and are shared & treasured by all! Surprise and delight is all about strengthening the one-on-one interactions with intangible ROI. 

While a community manager does all the above to manage and build a strong community, a company's values also contribute to the well-being of a community.  

If you have a culture of collaboration, your company will succeed for better. 

Managing a community, keeping them engaged, surprising & delighting them at all times isn't an easy task. Community managers face challenges in their roleto create a close knitted and strong community: 

• Time management - is the biggest problem for community managers. Not only do they manage the brand pages but also listen to what their fans and followers have to say about them. Solid listening tools can help ensure that the community manager is able to respond to all the great mentions. It can help to have different team members "own" different areas/platforms so they ensure all mentions are covered
• Content strategy - community managers have to prepare content that appeals to various segments of audiences, creating unmatched value proposition for all 

Trust your intuition and be yourself while building a community.  Take the time to invest in one-on-one relationships by listening, responding, sending gifts (of any kind!). Continue to care & share, tweet by tweet & post by post! 

Note: This topic was discussed during the #SocialPowWow Twitter chat and the full transcript can be read here: https://goo.gl/sEMwi0