Why Your Brand Needs a Community Manager

So, you might ask: what is a Community Manager? You might never have even heard of one, but after reading this, trust us, you’re going to realise that you’ve been missing a trick here.

What do they Do?A Community Manager is responsible for the retention of a brand's online community, be it followers, influencers or subscribers. The CM will play a role in building the community whilst also maintaining it. Isn’t That What A Social Media Manager Does?**If you don’t know what a Social Media Manager does, we suggest you head over to our blog on Social Media Dos and Don’ts which was written by our own in-house Social Managers to give yourself an idea.**The answer is no - that’s where you’re wrong! The CM will work closely with the Social Media Manager to build the community and to strategically plan how to grow this community. By building an organic strategy together, the two of you should be able to reach a wider audience, and therefore, bring in more followers. Where the Social Media Manager might only touch the Organic side of a brand, the CM will cover Organic and Paid Social, as well as activations of socials like emails, and get a grip of the brand and community as a whole. Okay, So Why Is It Important?Over the course of the last year, the online market has grown. Physically separated from friends and family, online communities have become more and more important. Look back 18 months - if someone had suggested a Zoom birthday party you’d have thought they were mad, but now, there are few people left in the country who have not experienced a lockdown birthday, so virtual parties have become the norm. The ability to walk into a shop and browse has been taken away, and therefore, our trust has been put in online review forums and blogs, be it Trustpilot or Facebook. Therefore, as we spend more time online, wouldn’t you think more of a company if they engaged with you on Social Media? We certainly would. Put a comment on Facebook and receive a reply in under 24 hours, we think that’s pretty impressive and shows a personalised approach from the company. This personalised approach is where the CM comes in. The CM deals, day-to-day with the public. The CM embodies the brand, takes it all in and becomes the voice, and the human element that faces consumers on a day-to-day basis. Where Account or Social Media Managers might have a great idea for a campaign, it's the CM who really knows the audience. A great CM will know how the following will react, and the sort of content that the particular demographic is looking to see on their feeds. At the moment, most of the country is not having that day-to-day human contact that we all desire, and the notion of a community, especially online, has become so important. Therefore, it is our job to make sure that comments are responded to, and to start a conversation with consumers, which is what they are craving! Yes, this is not entirely selfless, as this is also beneficial for the brand, but at the same time you might be the only human interaction that that person receives that day, so lets make it count.Is This New? No, it’s not necessarily new, but it’s a service line that is growing, and now being labelled. We all have brands that we love, and if you take a good look at their social profiles you’ll realise that something they all have in common is the way that they handle their community. Take Oatly for example, we all love their branding and their tone of voice. There’s a reason that we follow them on Instagram and Linkedin; they’re entertaining, and they get their tone spot on. They’re funny without being rude - yes, they can do this because they’re a big brand, and therefore, the customer doesn't always have to be right which makes their lives easier - but, their attitude to their community is something that can be implemented across all scales and genres of brands. It just takes time. A step to becoming more like Oatly would be engaging with all your comments - not just liking them, but replying, starting a conversation and making sure you go back to see if the original commenter has responded. Don’t leave them hanging… How Does It Sell Products?You might still be asking yourself, this all sounds great but how does it sell? Responding to the ‘community’, answering their questions, getting in touch with them if there is an issue, and dealing with that issue all helps to shape the consumer’s overall experience with the brand. And as the only actual human contact that consumers have with the brand, this could not be more important! Impressions a consumer has of a brand, along with a great product, are the reason someone will buy - if they have a negative experience, they will go elsewhere! You’re putting a lot of trust in your CM to portray the right tone for your brand and make sure the right message is getting across to your community. Okay, I’m Sold. What Next? Next, shaping the tone of your brand and the voice you want to put out there is a really important guide for anyone who will be the CM for your brand. They need guidelines to follow, for example, using ‘Hey’ instead of ‘Hi’, or always including the same emoji. These are brand anecdotes that will portray a sense of consistency across all your social channels so that they feel like one big family. For example, don’t be super serious on Linkedin and jokey on Instagram, it’s one brand and so the two should be consistent. **Also, why not work on improving your social media content - better content, leads to better engagement and more of a chance for you to build your community. Head over to our blog on how to create finger tapping content on Instagram. **Sold on the idea? Then get in touch, we’d love to help you shape your brand!