Community Managers are the voice of the brand, but their role varies across companies. There are no set list of rules or guidelines which can a make a successful community, but all successful communities have a common ingredient – a good Community Manager. Not only should these people shape the discussions, moderate and respond on behalf of the brand, but also adapt to the personality of the brand.
With a boom in social media presence of brands, the role of a Community Manager is growing. Therefore, a lot of people aspire towards this role. If you want to be a Community Manager or if you are already in this role, here are some tips that might come in handy.
Personally, I think community management is like a perfect harmony of your conversation skills, understanding of your target market and last but not the least your brand. It tests your ability to stay cool in crisis and some times you need to take things with just a pinch of salt (as they say it!). Does this confuse you? If yes, then I hope that my tips will provide a clearer idea of a Community Manager’s role.
- Be present in the right places
When it comes to social media, it is important to be present where your audience are. It is always advisable to establish and monitor your presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube, and prioritize based on what drives the most ROI. It is just like fishing; if you fish in right waters, there are higher chances that you will have a catch.
- Engage your community
Every member in your community adds flavour to it with their comments and responses. Therefore, it is great to challenge the community and keep them engaged at the same time as encouraging them to provide their own unique perspective.
- Say “I’m sorry”
Community Managers are typically the ones running Twitter and Facebook accounts and will also be the ones responding to complaints. That means there would be occasions where your product or service may have caused some inconvenience. Therefore, it is good to learn to accept your fault and try to resolve the complain and do RESPOND! Otherwise, a complain may possibly turn into a full blown crisis.
- Stay calm and maintain perspective
It’s natural to get frustrated or stressed out on busy days when
responding to complaints online or answering a lot of
questions. Breathe!
Plus, your biggest critics can turn into your biggest fans if you successfully and swiftly resolve their problems. The mantra is that those that take their time to offer negative feedback will also often take the time to be your advocates.
- But remember the 2% rule
The 2% rule states, ever so scientifically, that there’s always going to be a chunk of naysayers in any group. There are always a handful of people that are irrational and not really looking to contribute to productive discussion. You can do your best to turn these negative people, but don’t beat yourself up over it.
- Anticipate common questions and know your product inside and out
A Community Manager’s job is to talk and respond about the product and service inquiries. It is best to list the expected questions and work with the related department to be ready with FAQs. This would not only help you know the product in depth, but also reduce the run around time while responding. And last but not the least it makes you more confident!
- Don’t forget about e-mail
E-mail may seem old-school compared to contemporary solutions like social media, but remember that every single social media user has an e-mail address! E-mail is the glue that makes social media stick and if you offer helpful content with an e-mail newsletter or product digest, it can be a great way to keep community members engaged.
- Identify and delegate to your power users
Another way of keeping your community interested is to identify your most engaged community members and top influencers and leverage their voice by offering them guest blog spots, curating their own content in a news round-up or re-sharing it in some other capacity. This will also make them feel even more powerful and like a part of your brand, which they would like to be identified with.
These were some tips which were on the top of my mind. What do you think? Is there anything that I’ve missed or that you think is especially important? Please let me know 🙂
