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What is a Community Manager supposed to do? (Tips and Best practices)

Aug 25, 2022

Discover what community managers do, including core roles as well as how they connect to other roles in the community and the characteristics of a great community manager

Do you remember your most loved brand?

Perhaps you are a fan due to its excellent customer service, excellent quality merchandise, clever ads or perhaps because your buddies like them. Whatever it is, there's a whole community of fans of that brand too.

Community may be the latest buzzword, but they're also a game changer as they boost brand recognition and increase customer satisfaction.

79% of companies believe that investing in communities can have a positive effect on their objectives.

Think of brands like Apple, Lego, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Sephora, Red Bull, PlayStation, and even Rod Stryker. Red Bull, for example is a favorite among people who are athletes, adrenaline addicts and sports enthusiasts.

If it wasn't for the strong community without strong communities, these brands would not be as popular like they are.

These days, communities aid in the creation of genuine relationships, understand the needs and desires of customers as well as pain points more effectively, help them educate on their needs, and obviously, listen for their requirements to deliver better products or services.

There are communities that are simply created to connect an assortment of individuals who are passionate about similar ideas--like the NFT communities.

If you're an entrepreneur, online tutor, or a niche specialist, investing in community building initiatives will provide you with an added advantage in a hyper-competitive ecosystem.

Let's take another example of Harley Davidson. The year 1983 was when Harley Davidson went bankrupt. In the following 25 years the company was listed as one of the top 50 global brands and had a whopping valuation in the range of $7.8 billion. When asked, it explained its growth to having the community of "a collection of passionate people who share the same lifestyle, activities, and ethos associated with the name" as HBR.org says.

Today and it's been found that 76% of Internet users join an online social network.

The data can't be trusted. People love being part of a larger community in which everybody shares the same interests. (And that community could be yours too!) Management of communities isn't child's play. This is where a community manager comes in.

In the ever-evolving digital space it is becoming increasingly important to be the community manager is changing as well.

This article explains what the job of a community manager is and lists the qualities that define a "good' community manager.

Who is a Community Manager?

Roles and Responsibilities of the Community Manager

Although there may be some variations regarding the responsibilities and roles of a community administrator based on the specific industry, here's the most common requirements for a community manager;

  • Create, then implement community-focused campaigns and strategies
  • respond to the needs of customers and show appreciation with a smile and in a a timely manner
  • Monitor and track indicators and report on feedback and online reviews
  • Boost brand awareness by planning and managing events as well as webinars
  • Link up and coordinate with other departments such as teams for marketing, communications team for customer service, sales teams, teams for development, and content teams
  • Build relations with industry experts and invite them to join forces
  • Keep up-to-date on technological developments in the digital age and discover innovative ways to engage the community
  • Plans and executes community-engaging like giveaways or contests

Difference Between an Social Media Manager as well as the role of a Community Manager

Sure, there may be many responsibilities that overlap between a "social media coordinator" and the "community manager". But the role of a community manager does not involve establishing the brand and promoting its offerings or services via social media. The responsibilities of a community manager are much more broad. Because their specialty lies in understanding the community as a whole.

Community managers need to track down the ideal customer persona know how they talk about themselves, what they like to read, what interests them and what their biggest issues are and then find ways to integrate the brand in that equation. Community managers need to be active on the platform that hosts the community such as Facebook or Slack groups. Additionally, a community manager always manages the community through their own account that is not affiliated with the company's.

What Does a Community Engagement Manager do?

Community Engagement Managers tend to be recruited by larger companies, and report directly on behalf of the executive director. Unlike a community manager, the role of a community engagement coordinator is more public, for example, supervising fundraising and brand engagement initiatives for local or regional communities. It is essential that they be well-versed with public policy.

Community Management Best Practices

  • Create an ICP (ideal persona of the customer). Work with marketing departments to understand the audience thoroughly. In this case, they'll know their favorite things, dislikes, pain points and podcasts they enjoy- basically, everything there is to know that can help build a community that's focused on them, and not so much about the brand.
  • Choose the location you want to host your community. There are a variety of platforms to choose from. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Slack, Discord, or even Reddit. Identify where your target users hang out most (or an app they like the most) then create a presence on these platforms. If you want it to be an invite-only exclusive community then Slack groups are an excellent alternative. Or if you are looking for a site where anybody is welcome to join Open Facebook groups are an excellent alternative. Online educators are a good example. create a community for their students on .
  • Set posting schedules. Create and organize scheduling schedules for posting to ensure that your target audience know when your next update is due to go live. Create specific dates for certain types of announcements. For example, AMAs on Wednesdays featuring industry experts, and announcements on product releases on Thursdays.

A community manager should always keep a consistent brand voice in order to ensure that the core of the brand's message is not forgotten.

Qualities of a Successful Community Manager

Building long-lasting relationships lies at the core of community building. But efforts need to be put in from day one. Below is a list of the essential capabilities that help a community manager build successful communities;

  • Passionate about communities. Community managers need to have an inherent passion for communities. They are responsible for creating a safe space where the people can build genuine connections and communicate with ease. The need for passion and enthusiasm for others is necessary since it is the only way to ensure that every person who is involved enjoys a pleasant experience in your business.
  • Make yourself the primary contact point for community members. There is no longer a time when 1:1 communication between brands and their customers was a rarity. It's now almost instantaneous. A community manager needs to create a relationship of being the go-to person with any questions or support all-around. That can be built by providing the value.

According to Cierra Loflin, the Content Marketer and Community Manager at Superpath puts it 'being an effective community manager goes beyond than just being a friendly person to meet. You need to dedicate a certain amount of time throughout the week (or even daily) to write thoughtful responses to topics you feel qualified to answer. Make sure to share useful articles or other tools whenever you come across these. "

  • Good communication skills. Community managers act as brands' ambassadors. What they speak about directly impacts how the brand's reputation is perceived. Therefore, strong communication skills are essential. More importantly, they need be able to empathizing with the viewers. They must be proficient in delivering information, creating appealing and crisp content, and be able to handle any crisis or conflict that may occur within their community.
  • Capability to make informed decisions. An organization that is centered around community has to earn money as well, so a community manager should be cautious about this.

Either on an annual or quarterly basis, it's important to set KPIs and organize activities according to. What's the eventual goal of the community?

Some things to think about are;

  • Do you want to increase your involvement?
  • Are you looking to be educated?
  • Do you want to upsell?
  • Do you wish to generate more sales?

A  good manager of the community is aware of the goals of the brand and uses the data gathered from the community to evaluate what's working and what's not working. Although a majority of daily decisions would require personal judgment or gut instinct but in the end the decisions made should be refined to help achieve business objectives.

  • Niche expertise. Community managers who know the details of your business all around can always beat a generalist community manager. You can safely claim that they're the eye and the ear of your company. Community-based online communities provide businesses with immediate insights about industry insights. In fact, communities prefer to work with a manager of the community with a thorough understanding of the brand's product or services, and--of coursethe business generally.
  • Valuable. A community manager should always be focused on offering value than anything else. Your goal is to assure the members of your community that you are there to support them. You don't have to have all the knowledge of the universe.

Share simple things that you believe will add importance to the people in your circle.

"Quite recently I shared a Text-to-Speech tool that I utilize to proofread my articles at the point of final editing, and the post got plenty of attention. I hope it was helpful for others as well.

Managing a community means participating in the community and sharing bits of wisdom regularly", says Cierra.

Do you want to establish a powerful community of your own to educate your audience or help people with their ongoing questions? Create your community using a couple of easy steps. Start right now!