When it comes to digital marketing, one of the jobs that almost everyone knows about is that of community manager. This is because, with the rise of social media, it was one of the first professions within online marketing to gain popularity.

Nowadays, any business with a digital presence needs the services of a community manager. For this reason, it is essential to know in depth what their responsibilities are and what is involved in the community management of a brand. Read on, because we are going to tell you everything you need to know about this topic.

What is a community manager?

As its name suggests, it is responsible for managing interactions that a brand has with its online community. The objective is, of course, to ensure that this interaction is positive and endures over time, building loyalty among the members of that community.

Today, any company with a social media presence has a community manager, whether it's a formal position or someone who does the job without the official title.

In the early days of this position - even before it was given the name we know it by today - its responsibilities were not so well defined and it generally handled most of the tasks related to social media management. Today, along with the growth of the digital marketingThe number of positions required to carry out the online strategy of a business is growing.

As a result, the division of labour within a marketing team is increasingly complex and the responsibilities associated with a community manager position are more precise. But, at the same time, they are more interrelated with those of many other areas of a company, and that is why they are one of the main reasons why they are a key player within an organisation.

What are the qualities of a good community manager?

1. Communicative: You must not only receive the information but also relay it in the right way. Many of the situations that become important issues in social media are born from one moment to the next and the person in charge of monitoring social media must be aware of these situations in real time in order to be able to react.

2. Passionate: It is important that the person you choose has a lot of enthusiasm for what he or she does. A person who is passionate about their work will meet targets and will always be accountable.

3. Curious: Certifications, studies and preparation are very important, but they must be accompanied by curiosity and the desire to learn. Curiosity and the desire to investigate will always get you further.

4. Researcher: It is important that all information used in social media is previously reviewed, analysed and verified for authenticity and to avoid errors.

5. Creative: A true community manager has an enviable imagination, and must have the potential to exploit his or her ideas and communicate them correctly to the public.

6. Analytical: Creativity and fluency is important for social media but must be accompanied by clear analysis to avoid future problems.

7. Proactive: A community manager is one who does not wait for orders, knows his job and always has alternatives and options so as not to fall into monotony.

8. Flexible: Finally, it is important that there is flexibility and trust between both parties, both the company and the community manager must have the empathy to be able to solve problems and accept changes.

 I hope I have been able to give you a better understanding of what a community manager is, as well as their skills and capabilities. 

What are the tasks of a community manager?

The basic mission of a community manager is to managing social networks branding, be it for a large company, a small start-up or even a personal brand. But that job encompasses a wide range of tasks, the final number of which will depend on the job description developed by each company for that role.

In general, the functions of a community manager include the following:

• Plan a content calendar. To do so, he or she should be aware of all important dates for the community he or she is addressing and, in particular, those that are directly related to the brand he or she is in charge of managing.
• Publish quality content. In some cases, this material will be self-authored and - in others - selected from a content curation process that is aligned with the brand's communication objectives.
• Promote conversations around the brand. This is, perhaps, the core of the work of this post, as the scope and impact of the engagement to be obtained.
• Giving an answer to those messages that require it.
• Conduct continuous monitoring and social listening (also known as social listening). Both tasks are interrelated and involve being aware of the mentions that the brand has, the state of its digital reputation, and the opinions expressed by consumers about the products or services offered by the company. It also requires being aware of the actions developed by the competition.
• Produce performance reports. It is essential that these reports include all the metrics foreseen in the social media strategy and that they are comprehensive and clear.

What benefits does community management bring to a brand?

Firstly, we can affirm that it is not only that having a community manager represents a differential advantage. It is that -in a highly competitive digital environment- it is increasingly necessary have one.

A good community manager can contribute (and contribute a lot) to achieving the goals set out in the marketing plan, to building the brand image and to spread the word. By using your creativity, you can get your posts shared by many people and reach new potential customers. In this way, you can advertise your brand in an original and organic way.

Moreover, as the person who has direct and permanent contact with the community, she has first-hand information that is very valuable for absolutely all sectors of the company. She is the one who can propose, for example, new ways to conquer the buyer persona, and detect unmet needs of the target audience. It can also identify patterns of audience behaviour that indicate the need for change in some area of the business.

And, in short, the main advantage of community management is that, when it is carried out with passion and commitment, humanises the brand and brings it closer to its community, strengthening the link with it.

Tips for being a good community manager

Above all, a community manager is a curious, open-minded person who is always interested in learning and adding knowledge to grow in their profession. Let's remember that creativity is nourished by many sources, including the activities we do outside our main occupation.

In relation to the above, a virtual community manager is not only a person with certain attributes but, above all, a person whose job is to relate to others. This, which seems very obvious, is sometimes not so obvious and we can find community managers who are more like robots than flesh and blood beings. It is essential to be friendly and empatheticbecause it is perceived and valued by the community.

On the other hand, although a community manager is not in charge of selling, but of presenting content of value for the community he manages, through his work he creates the right environment for the sale -or any other conversion action- to occur. To do this, they must not only know in detail the products and services of the company where they work, but also have the ability to detect how they can help the audience to solving a problem.

It is also very important for the community manager to be continuously updated about the tools that allow him/her to optimise your work. For example, those related to the scheduling of publications and management of social networks, or those oriented to monitoring and data analysis.

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