Community manager: the strongest link

Marta Peral Ribeiro – Communications Consultant – Why community management matters on a brand's social media The relationship between companies and their customers – or potential customers – is changing. And the meeting point is digital: social media. Today's consumers do their research, are quick to share an opinion and influence other consumers, building genuine online communities. Companies, in turn, need someone to represent them and bring their audience together at this virtual round table. The community manager profile Ideally, a community manager has these qualities: Active listening, Empathy and Creativity

To bring relevant content to its members, the community manager needs to understand what they need. That means listening to them properly, so that every post answers their questions and even exceeds expectations.

Sensitivity and common sense

You have to be very careful about what you publish, because, as we all know, information travels at the speed of light. The more you breathe the brand's values, the easier it is to spot what not to post.

Sector knowledge and vision

You need a firm grasp of the sector the brand operates in, the competition and the references worth following. And spotting opportunities for the brand also takes vision.

General knowledge

As someone who takes an active part in the conversation between members, it's important to keep up with current affairs and to have some grounding in marketing, communications, sociology, psychology, journalism and public relations.

Analytical skills

To understand how posts are performing and the quality of interaction with community members, you need to understand the data and join the dots. That's the only way to improve performance. The platforms themselves have built-in tools for analysing metrics.

Adaptability

Social media is constantly changing and adding new features. You need to spot these changes and adapt quickly to new digital trends and new tools.

Communication skills

It goes without saying that, to be responsible for the digital communication of a brand's community, excellent writing skills are essential — with no spelling or grammar mistakes. The early days of community management

Years ago, forums and communities appeared on the internet, where members shared ideas around a common interest (music, video games, film, and so on) and someone had the job of moderating that space: the community manager.

Forums still exist today, but the conversation now spans far more platforms – social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, blogs and others. And brands are on these platforms too, along with their representatives, namely social media managers and community managers.

Aware of the impact that brand reputation and customer satisfaction have on business growth, many companies are specialising in interacting with consumers through social media. These channels can even double up as customer support. What is a community manager?

Source: @takeshi2, Unsplash

As consumers, when we interact with a company on social media, we expect a reply – especially when we comment on or ask about something.

It falls to the community manager to reply and take part in that dialogue. They are the brand's voice in the digital sphere, responsible for building interaction between the members who engage with it.

Through them, the brand can work on its reputation and also influence, directly or indirectly, the consumer's decision to buy. Is a community manager the same as a social media manager?

No. But they work in synergy and, depending on the company's structure, one person may take on both roles – which is very common in Portugal.

While social media focuses more on the brand and its products, the community manager focuses on people.

The social media manager is responsible for the brand's digital presence (which includes strategy, content production, campaign development and performance analysis).

The community manager, on the other hand, is an active participant in the conversation between a brand's users on its social platforms. They encourage debate on social networks or forums and work to involve and support members. The community manager's responsibilities Here are the main tasks of a community manager:

• Reading every comment and answering users' questions;
• Passing on complaints (when they fall to another department);
• Gathering data and sources for upcoming articles or posts;
• Analysing trends and competitors' pages;
• Proposing and running activities and campaigns;
• Producing metrics reports;
• Planning content for posts, the blog and the newsletter.

The benefits of having a community manager in the company

1. Brand reputation

When consumers feel heard and valued, they form a positive perception of that brand. And that strengthens the connection.

2. Customer loyalty

A satisfied customer tends to stay loyal to the brand. Better still, they'll recommend it to other consumers, which is always effective marketing.

3. Understanding the audience

Through its relationship with followers and members, the brand has the chance to see how the public perceives it, how it can improve its products or services, or even launch a new product based on the community's input.

4. More sales

A brand with a good reputation, and satisfied, loyal customers who spread the word, has all the ingredients for higher sales.

In short, the main benefits of having this professional in the company come down to customer satisfaction, which translates into financial gains.

Resources for community managers

Think With Google

This Google page presents Google's latest data and insights and is a source of information for marketers in general. It doesn't yet offer resources for Portugal, though.

Facebook Ad Library

This Facebook tool lets you see the ads other brands are running on social media, organised by country and category.

The Community Round Table

Created in community and for the community (of community managers), this site offers case studies, podcast conversations and other resources that help fellow professionals in the field. The Webby Awards

This is the website that rewards the best work on the web, showcasing winners across a wide range of categories – websites, video, advertising, apps, gaming, podcasts and more. Shorty Awards

On this site, which recognises best practice on social platforms, you can discover the best social media managers. Social Bakers

Social Bakers is a platform focused on social media data analysis. It offers a range of statistics, articles, benchmarks and other free resources that are a real asset for community managers and social media managers alike.