CREATIVE OPTIONS MEDIA

Community management is slowly gaining recognition and acceptance, however, understanding the skill remains vague for many, and it continues to be a topic of discussion and debate. Some companies and individuals tout it as a critical component of business development, while others feel it sounds too structured or manipulative. First of all, your active and prospective customer base is already online participating in various forums – and you need to have representation there. Community management is a way to ensure they receive the information and guidance they are asking for from the right source.

There are many ways you can make participation in an online community an enriching experience for its members, and listening should be at the top of the list. Giving the people a voice, validating their feelings, and being receptive and responsive to their needs are very important aspects. That said, your participation must address a broader spectrum of interests than just your company, your product, or your service. Creating and contributing various types of content in the form of blog posts, tweets and videos, as well as engaging people via new discussion topics and providing links to other posts, shows you care about bringing value to the community.

The position of a “Community Manager” is one that encompasses many roles. Your number one role is that of a salesperson. Bottom line, your efforts must drive business to the company you represent. You are also a business developer, a customer service person, a marketer, and a spokesperson. You should be approachable, possess a constructive and supportive attitude, strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, creativity and curiosity. You are the voice for the company to the community and for the community to the company. Therefore, you should possess intimate knowledge of the business you are representing, and know who internally will be the best resource to answer questions.

In a recent article published by Mashable’s Associate Editor, Jennifer Van Grove, she asked three very successful and well-known social media specialists what they thought was the one quality you can’t live without in a good community manager. Brad Nelson (@Starbucks) had this to say, “The most important aspect of any community or social media manager is passion for the company, the product and the people.”

Social media and technical skills can be learned – we all took the plunge into the virtual waters at one time or another and waded our way through – but you must have sincere passion for connecting the people of the community to the company while meeting short and long range goals.

This initial post is intended to be a general summary of a subject that generates many inquiries. I have approached it from a small business standpoint, however, my research indicates that a large corporation may have the need for more than one community manager. In either case, there is still much clarity needed and many questions to be answered.

In subsequent posts, I would like to delve into more specific areas such as the best management practices, managing offline communities, and ways you can measure the impact and value of a community role.

If you have any specific questions about the skill of community management or the role of a community manager, I would love to hear from you. Chances are you are not the only one with this question, and I would like to provide you with the best possible answer or solution available.

Conversely, if you are or have been a community manager, I would greatly appreciate your feedback and participation. The ultimate goal here is to provide clear and useful information, and I am always pleased to gain new insight and techniques.