What does a community manager actually do?
Mumbrella is providing a look inside the working lives of people whose job titles often warrant the question: ‘but what do you actually do?’ This week, we speak to Lauren Piro, community manager at Quiip.
For many people, the title of community manager and social media manager are interchangeable. It’s true that a lot of my work involves social media, but not every social media page is a community and vice versa.
I do believe that if your brand is using social media as a broadcast rather than a conversation, you’re missing a huge opportunity, and it’s my mission to turn organisations on to that opportunity.
At the heart of my role is facilitating human connection, via the myriad digital platforms on which communities can be borne. I aspire to be a sort-of online Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. Actually, I aspire to be Leslie Knope in just about every area of my life, but it’s that enthusiasm and dedication to community that fuels me.
There’s a difference between ‘being useful’ (much of what you’ve described) and ‘building a community’. Is there any evidence to suggest having a conversation drives business growth?
Hi Zac – Conversation generated on Facebook helps with organic news feed reach. More importantly there is, indeed, a lot of evidence that building community achieves business objectives. Much more than can be shared via a comment thread. Happy to have a conversation about that any time.
So I still don’t know what a community manager actually DOES. This article tells me the why but not the how.
What does one study to acquire these skills? Marketing? Project management? Social media and technology?
Hi Rosie. Any of those fields would provide a strong foundation for Community Management. Curtin University offers both undergrad and postgrad courses in Internet Communications. There are also several online modules that speak specifically to the theory of online community building, including FeverBee’s Community Management Course. I personally have a BA majoring in Sociology, but am continually learning by experience and through online courses.
So it’s like a call center but using a computer not a phone?
Hi Ham. There are different types of online communities, and customer care is certainly one of them.
For all those people saying ‘conversation doesn’t impact sales’ I’m guessing you don’t believe in Net Promoter Scores, either.