Community manager is an expression of the English language that is used to refer to someone who is in charge of managing virtual communities . The concept refers to the individual who manages the profiles of a person or an entity on social networks , writing content and assuming the interactions that are generated in these digital spaces.
In a broad sense, the community manager (or CM ) can manage their client's identity on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , YouTube , Pinterest , Snapchat , TikTok and other platforms. It is also possible to carry out other tasks linked to communication over the Internet, such as the development of blogs, podcasts, newsletters or email marketing actions.
Role of a community manager
The role of a community manager is to build, strengthen and disseminate the image of their client on the Web . Profile management is usually its main activity although, as we already indicated, it also takes on other roles.
The community manager must have training in communication skills and be prepared to design a digital strategy . Community administration, for example, requires the application of different types of technical knowledge.
One of the central missions of the community manager is to achieve growth in followers so that the audience to which the message reaches is expanded. In this way, a company has more chances to increase its sales on social networks and even in physical stores, to mention one case.
Content creation
Content creation is part of the community manager's tasks. These contents can combine texts, photos, videos and sounds in different ways.
Due to this breadth, the CM can work together with other professionals, such as journalists who dedicate themselves to writing the texts and photographers who record the images. If a live broadcast is carried out, other specialists may intervene, depending on the characteristics of the event.
It is important to point out that, in these communication channels, it is not enough to write correctly or take good photographs. The community manager must have knowledge of each social media algorithm in order to, knowing how the information is organized, try to achieve the greatest possible visibility of the content.
A social media analysis , in this context, is key to content planning . It is necessary to discover the most convenient times for scheduling publications or the ideal days to organize promotions and contests.
Studying social media trends to develop the online community and performing audience segmentation to exert social influence in the targeted niche are other actions related to the creation and dissemination of content.
The community manager and interactions
Moderation of interaction and comments on social networks is the responsibility of the community manager. When a company hires a professional to manage its networks, it generally allows them to act on its behalf on the virtual level.
Responding to comments is a daily job for the CM. Sometimes, chatbots are programmed so that a system, simulating human communication, is dedicated to answering questions via instant messaging .
Customer service on social networks requires knowing the community norms so as not to violate rules or policies. Beyond the formal, there is also a code of conduct on social networks that establishes the guidelines for interacting (everything should not be written in capital letters as it is equivalent to shouting, to point out a detail).
Another important issue that a community manager must address is crisis management on social networks . When an incident occurs involving your client, mentions and comments multiply, often negative, forcing you to act quickly and with the necessary skill to safeguard the image . This online reputation management is vital since possible damage has implications in multiple facets.
The CM, on the other hand, must be prepared to deal with internet trolls . These users are dedicated to attacking and harassing and can even go as far as cyberbullying; That is why the community manager must react quickly to request the closure of accounts of this type that affect his client.
Service offer
The community manager service is offered under different modalities. A CM can be a permanent or stable employee who assumes these tasks in a company, complying with a fixed schedule.
A freelance community manager , on the other hand, manages the profiles of different clients, using social media management tools such as Hootsuite or Buffer to facilitate their task.
Another possibility is for the interested party to hire a social media management agency . These firms usually specialize in digital branding , carrying out actions that are aimed at positioning a brand.
It should be noted that there are currently numerous training options in social networks for those who wish to work in this field. There are universities and other institutions that teach community manager courses and workshops, where they are taught about content marketing , social media monitoring, personal branding, SEO and other topics.