Communities vary from brand to brand. Some live strictly on social while others, like support-focused communities, commonly live on forums or private access sites. Whether or not the communities you manage live on social, it’s important to understand what tools and resources you’ll need to make your job a breeze.
In this week’s #SproutChat, we discussed the differences between a social media manager and community manager, tracking community metrics and significant differences in the types of communities amongst brands.
Similar, yet Different
While there may appear to be a ton of crossover between social media managers and community managers, there are key differences between the two roles. Social media managers are responsible for being the brand and brand voice on social, while community managers represent themselves on behalf of the brand.
A1 A Social Media Marketer will work with multiple platform, a Community Manager focuses on the community #sproutchat
— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) November 29, 2017
A1. A community manager brings an audience together around a topic supported by a brand and listens. A social media marketer mostly put out content according to the audience needs #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) November 29, 2017
A1 #SproutChat: in my opinion, a marketer is more concerned with promoting themselves/products and a community manager is a mix of self-promotion, customer service and active listening pic.twitter.com/TarAErlgyt
— Natasha Kristina (@hitheresunshine) November 29, 2017
A1 depends on the company but for the most part a
CM- focuses on engaging with the community on all social platforms
SMM- focuses on social media strategy, content creation etc #SproutChat pic.twitter.com/NYeCe1nrJO— Tony wants Pumpkin 3.141592653589793238 (@SirKingofGifs) November 29, 2017
A1: I feel like a community manager is more hands on with the people that use the service/product. A marketer has more of a overall POV (the customer, industry trends, etc) in mind…#SproutChat
— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) November 29, 2017
A1: I think social media marketers tend to be more concerned with the publishing and promotion of content, whereas community managers are “in the field” engaging with and responding to the needs of their online communities. #SproutChat
— Olive & Company (@oliveandco) November 29, 2017
Not All Communities Are the Same
Communities can range from advocacy to awareness to support. While they all have different objectives, it’s important to note that they all require consistent engagement from the start. Your communities may not be self sufficient from the get-go and can require a little TLC.
A2: Brands rely on different platforms to build their communities. While some start Twitter chats, others may choose a Facebook group. #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) November 29, 2017
A2: I’m currently working in higher ed. We have private communities for accepted students and then other open communities like current students and alumni. Both must be engaged with differently, but often! #SproutChat
— Elise Miklich (@EliseMiklich) November 29, 2017
A2 – I think you can create (like a tweet chat community) but also just support existing ones. For instance we have “elevator fans” mostly kids that are on the autism spectrum who love them some elevators. They already had their community we just offer support #sproutchat
— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) November 29, 2017
A2 A Community around product development and ideas – focus groups to test and improve products #sproutchat
— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) November 29, 2017
A2: Can be anything related to the business: customers, employees, a particular industry, tweet chat around a topic/passion/current events of the day. #sproutchat
— constancegail (@constancegail) November 29, 2017
A2: closed/open FB groups, branded social profiles, online forums, review sites, video channels, twitter chats, AMAs, live video…so many places online to form a community! #sproutchat
— Kristin Van Ram (@kristinvanram) November 29, 2017
A2: Some are platform-specific (maybe congregating on Twitter or in a Facebook Group), while others are spread out. Video game communities, for instance, often exist on social, Reddit, forums, and (of course) in game. #SproutChat [TK]
— ModSquad (@modsquad) November 29, 2017
A2 – I think you can create (like a tweet chat community) but also just support existing ones. For instance we have “elevator fans” mostly kids that are on the autism spectrum who love them some elevators. They already had their community we just offer support #sproutchat
— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) November 29, 2017
Track Metrics for Your Goals
As with anything in marketing, you’ll want to track key metrics in the community you manage. Define objectives that align with your organization’s overall goals. Work with teams or departments that overlap with your community and see if you can help them achieve any of their goals, as well.
A4: It depends on our clients, but we find putting together weekly reports using third-party or native Facebook and Twitter analytics is a great way to track success and opportunity. (Hopefully one day native Instagram will catch up.) #SproutChat [TK] pic.twitter.com/ZhlGDoIYXZ
— ModSquad (@modsquad) November 29, 2017
A4: We use @Pardot to create customized tracking URL’s to see where we’re getting the most traction on social. It helps us get a better understanding of what our audience and community is looking for. #SproutChat
— Sway Group (@SwayGroup) November 29, 2017
A4: If you’re building a community to increase sales, make sure you have the correct parameters to track where purchases/leads are coming from! More data=more power! #SproutChat pic.twitter.com/bQMvYq3mPy
— Lendio (@Lendio) November 29, 2017
A4: Link clicks (when applicable) and of course looking at engagement (likes, shares, comments) using the tools provided by @SproutSocial #SproutChat. pic.twitter.com/PCeAbfERPI
— Elise Miklich (@EliseMiklich) November 29, 2017
A4: The metrics you pay attention to depend on your goals. What do you want to achieve? More engagement, conversions, etc.? #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) November 29, 2017
These Skills Are a Must-Have
Every individual works differently, but there are some skills that every Community Manager will need to utilize at some point in their career. From excellent communication skills to empathy, you will be working with people on the daily so possessing certain skill sets can only help you along the way.
A6: Social skills is a must, listening to understand people’s problems and problem solving. #SproutChat You have also have to know what you are talking about to be able to help the community
— Thomas Martin Colville (@socialthomasmc) November 29, 2017
1) Adaptability
2) Customer Service
3) Attention to DetailUgh … can we only pick 3? #SproutChat https://t.co/MqeQ5SxVTs
— Olive & Company (@oliveandco) November 29, 2017
A6: Empathy, strong customer service skills and stellar communication skills. #sproutchat
— Jessie (@JessieAtAC) November 29, 2017
Passion for connecting with brand fans, desire to help and creativity in your communications #SproutChat
— Stephanie Crededio⚡️ (@sociallysteph) November 29, 2017
A6. They should have empathy. Be a very great listener and also be consistent #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) November 29, 2017
Be sure to join #SproutChat next Wednesday, December 3 at 2 p.m. CT, to chat about best practices for reaching inbox zero. Until then, join our Facebook group to connect with other folks in the industry.