Multi-talented individuals who can successfully wear more than one professional hat, Community Managers use their expertise in marketing, storytelling, social media engineering, community building, blogging, problem-solving, and customer service to build brand presence, trust and credibility. Continue Reading
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What are the typical responsibilities of a Community Manager?
A Community Manager would typically need to:
Community Managers typically work in dynamic office environments involving significant computer time and regular collaboration with colleagues and customers. Remote work and flexible work conditions have become commonplace in recent years.
Depending on location and organisational set-up, one may report directly to a C-suite executive or work under the director/VP of marketing, PR, communications, or sales. You may travel to attend workshops, events, client meetings, and conferences.
Community Managers usually work 40-45 hours/week, depending on their location. One’s schedule may vary based on engagement with specific events, conferences, and fieldwork for networking and research.
Some may have to work evenings or weekends in response to customer requests and messages on various platforms to ensure the dialogue is never interrupted or broken - a time-consuming task which demands flexibility and dedication.
Research suggests that flexible hours and generous telework policies appeal more than salary to the younger generation. There has been an incremental increase in employers willing to give promising employees a chance to adjust their schedules per the job demands.
Finding a new job may be challenging. Community Managers can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.
Community Managers are generally employed by:
Professional associations and organisations, such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), are crucial for Community Managers interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation.
Professional associations provide members with continuing education, networking opportunities, and mentorship services. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.
Community Managers require a judicious combination of relevant academic qualifications, skills, and experience to help them produce targeted content for organisations and manage digital communities.
Look for internships, part-time jobs, and freelance projects related to communications, marketing, sales, or customer service to learn relevant strategies and industry standards.
Entry-level roles, such as associate community manager, marketing assistant, PR specialist, and social media specialist, serve as favoured springboards. Also advantageous is any marketing, publishing, and content marketing work done for digital media agencies.
The experience may acquaint you with social media management tools, including but not limited to Hootsuite, Sprout Social, SocialPilot, and Meet Edgar. You can network with industry professionals and prospective employers to improve your permanent job prospects.
Even while in high school, you can check with a teacher or counsellor about relevant work-based learning opportunities available in your school or community that can help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.
Volunteer to help local non-profit organisations and community groups manage their social media presence and engage with their online community. Your high school clubs may need assistance handling social media updates, responding to comments, and organising online discussions.
Learn how to use popular social media platforms to engage with communities, schedule posts, share content, analyse analytics, manage online discussions, and build relationships.
Follow blogs, podcasts, and industry influencers related to community management. Teach yourself to measure and analyse data to understand community engagement, content performance, and audience behaviour.
Stay in tune with the latest trends, best practices and tools. Attend industry events, conferences, and local meetings to network with professionals working in community management and gain valuable insights, mentorship, and promising internship or job opportunities.
Use the experience to create a blog, forum, or social media group based on an abiding interest where you can practice writing absorbing posts, responses to comments, newsletter and email updates to manage and moderate the community in a positive and inclusive manner.
Requisite academic qualifications can help Community Managers build on their innate abilities to communicate, write, and network for the successful execution of brand-building strategies.
Most aspirants hold an associate or bachelor’s degree in English, marketing, journalism, communications, public relations, or business. Supplementary IT, coding, and HTML courses will familiarise prospective Community Managers with the requisite skills and equipment.
Recommended college preparatory courses include journalism, media, graphic design, marketing, and business classes. English and speech classes will help you develop your research, writing, and oral communication skills.
Remember that completing a particular academic course does not guarantee entry into the profession. Be that as it may, professional qualifications and transferable skills may open up more than one door.
Do your homework and look into all available options for education and employment before enrolling in a specific programme. Reliable sources that help you make an educated decision include associations and employers in your field.
Although employers do not mandate industry-standard certifications, voluntary acquisition of relevant ones demonstrates a Community Manager’s competency in a skill set, typically through work experience, training and passing an examination. In addition, successful certification programmes protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics.
Accredited certifications in marketing, social media marketing (SMM), social media management, inbound sales, content marketing, digital marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation), data analytics, and customer service from an objective and reputed organisation can help you stand out in a competitive job market and carry a significant salary premium of up to 18 per cent.
Community Managers may also need to undergo an employment background check, including but not limited to a person’s work history, education, credit history, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), criminal record, medical history, use of social media and drug screening.
With the acquisition of vital professional qualifications, certifications, experience, and skills, Community Managers can take on roles with increasing responsibility, such as
Senior Community Manager before being progressively promoted as Director of Community, VP of Community/Marketing/Customer Experience, and Chief Community Officer.
The interdisciplinary nature of community management may help an interested Community Manager pursue occupational success through lateral movement to Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, Social Media Strategist, or PR Manager positions.
Alternate career paths include becoming an SEO Executive, Content Strategist, or Content Writing Manager.
The desire to accelerate career growth and personal development has an increasing number of millennials choosing to job hop and build a scattershot resume that showcases ambition, motivation, and the desire to learn a broad range of skills.
Studies prove that job hopping, earlier dismissed as “flaky” behaviour, can lead to greater job fulfilment. Employees searching for a positive culture and stimulating work are willing to try out various roles and workplaces and learn valuable, transferable skills along the way.
Community Managers with a strong work ethic, excellent communication and conflict-resolution skills, the ability to build and engage a community of consumers, knowledge of multiple social media platforms, and proven customer service or marketing experience have the best job prospects.
Continuing professional development (CPD) will help an active Community Manager build personal skills and proficiency through work-based learning, professional activity,
formal education, or self-directed learning.
New hires typically receive an orientation, including social media management and branding for their organisation. They also learn about its functioning, services and products, along with sales and marketing strategies, by shadowing more experienced colleagues.
Small organisations offer Community Managers the opportunity to do more than one professional hat and gain experience in inbound/affiliate/email marketing, SEO and SEM (search engine marketing) techniques, Google Adword/Analytics, SMM, and conversion rate optimisation, all of which offer excellent alternate career pathways.
The constantly evolving field of community management needs its practitioners to stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the social landscape. A master’s degree or certification in marketing or communications can help one stay ahead of the curve.
Read industry publications and participate in online forums and discussions to accurately anticipate industry-specific changes that will benefit your community, organisation, and ultimately you.
Regular in-person or online participation in social-media-related conferences, events, and seminars can help forward-looking Community Managers learn about sector-related best practices and make valuable professional connections that may lead to better job opportunities.
Be proactive in seeking feedback from your team and community members through surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one conversations and using it to improve the overall experience for your community members and demonstrate your leadership skills.
In addition to offering the opportunity to continually upskill, regardless of one’s age, job, or level of knowledge, CPD also enables the periodic renewal of desirable certifications, which increase your chances of advancement and becoming an independent consultant.
Community Management vs Social Media Management
Both are employed to cultivate a company or brand’s image on digital platforms. However, Community Managers act as brand ambassadors who strive to retain current community members through prompt and healthy long-term interaction.
By contrast, social media managers focus on producing and disseminating promotional content to reach, engage, and direct an infinite number of potential customers to a company or brand’s website for the express purpose of sales and conversion.
Depending on the organisational structure, a single individual/team may handle both jobs or work in tandem with another individual/team to achieve shared goals.
Social Media - Growing Opportunities
In recent times the social media industry has spawned a variety of jobs. A social media intern performs basic tasks, such as writing statuses, scheduling posts, and researching social media trends under the supervision of an experienced manager.
Bloggers brainstorm ideas, research, write and share compelling content on social media to attract followers and help brands get more social media engagement and improve sales.
Content curators use necessary tools and software to find and share pertinent and on-brand articles, images and videos on their company’s social media feed. Improving brand recognition and sales through an active social media presence is what a social media coordinator’s job entails.
Social media specialists write posts, produce content, analyse data, schedule posts, and run paid advertisements to improve a brand’s public appearance. To guarantee that a social media campaign aligns with the brand’s aesthetic and messaging, social media managers delegate and monitor the work of copywriters and graphic designers who produce content for the brand’s social media pages.
Tools of the Trade
Community Managers use NapoleonCat and Sprout Social, forum software such as Zendesk and WordPress, and social listening software such as HubSpot and BuzzSumo to perform their job efficiently. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit and survey tools such as SurveyMonkey and Google Forms help them achieve business goals.
Current Scenario
The employment outlook of a particular profession may be impacted by diverse factors, such as the time of year, location, employment turnover, occupational growth, size of the occupation, and industry-specific trends and events that affect overall employment.
Community Managers may witness steady job growth in years to come as the need for digitally fluent communicators who can work comfortably on social media platforms becomes more pronounced.
Potential Pros & Cons of Freelancing vs Full-Time Employment
Freelancing Community Managers have more flexible work schedules and locations. They fully own the business and can select their projects and clients. However, they experience inconsistent work and cash flow, which means more responsibility, effort and risk.
On the other hand, full-time Community Managers have company-sponsored health benefits, insurance, and retirement plans. They have job security with a fixed, reliable source of income and guidance from their bosses. Yet, they may experience boredom due to a lack of flexibility, ownership, and variety.
When deciding between freelancing or being a full-time employee, consider the pros and cons to see what works best for you.
In a world bombarded by promotional content, Community Managers help companies nurture healthy, long-lasting interactions with online audiences who can become word-of-mouth advocates for the brand and drive sales.
“You don't need to be hired as a community manager to get experience – your experience in communities you're already a part of counts! I got my first role in the community after building two communities of my own. Your degree doesn't influence your community management career – what you need is a true, genuine passion for community.”
- Vikki Tokarz, Head of Community at Scribe
AI algorithms foster safe and positive community environments through automated content moderation involving timely identification and filtration of spam as well as offensive and inappropriate content.
What do Community Managers do?
A Community Manager would typically need to:
Accredited
$184,570
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