Community Managers: The natural peacemakers and active motivators of online groups
The COVID-19 Pandemic brought a new way of forming connection virtually. We had to get creative with how we build and maintain community, and with that came the growth of online groups.
Where social media managers post as their brand on social media, speaking directly to people who are already familiar with the brand, community managers post under their own accounts and develop the community through participating in discussions and finding new customers.
As the virtual world of digital communication has grown, there is a real need for brands to have both a community manager and a social media manager to balance the B2C relationship online.
Here are the skills that set can set you and your brand apart as online community experts with community managers.
Be a positive group motivator.
Community managers have to juggle different personalities and opinions within their online group setting. To lead the group in positive, uplifting conversation, the community manager should be a natural peacemaker and active motivator to create a healthy online environment that makes new and old group members comfortable.
Have the social skills and creativity to spark conversation.
Think of social media community managers as group facilitators, or in terms of in-person groups, as the group leader who keeps everyone engaged and on topic. For a company to effectively listen in to conversations centered around their brand and their products through online groups, the community manager must be effective at generating the right kind of discussions.
Know the people, support the people.
Trust is critical for the success a brand on and off of social media. Part of the role of the community manager is to grow and nurture the community, rather than push for sales. They are the “middle man” between the consumer and the brand, the personable and reachable source to serve as a safe space for consumers to share their insights, thoughts, opinions, concerns, etc with regards to the brand.
Overall, the community manager should be the personable, social, positive, and trustworthy face of the brand in online communities. Not only should they be knowledgable on the brand to be able to answer questions and curate meaningful conversation, they should be actively supporting and empathetic to the consumer. They should promote the brand while representing the consumer. An active advocate on both ends.
References
Pundir, P. (February, 2020.) Skills every community manager should have | experts’ roudup. Medium. https://medium.com/community-folks/9-skills-every-community-manager-should-have-82c9d93e33e3.
Schaffer, N. (March, 2022.) What is a social media community manager? Neal Schaffer. https://nealschaffer.com/social-media-community-manager/.
Chen, J. (January, 2020.) Social media manager vs. community manager: What’s the difference? Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-vs-community-manager/.
