“The average, large company in the US has 178 corporate-owned social media accounts”, according to Marketing Pilgrim.
Contrary to popular opinion, social media isn’t free and it isn’t easy. It is not a job that any intern can assume. So exactly who in your organization is responsible for managing 178 different social media accounts? Who’s going to create new content for each, and respond to customers in a timely fashion?
What is a Community Manager
A Community Manager is the face of a company, managing communications in both directions. As a basis this person must be a digital-savvy employee responsible for collecting and disseminating all communications, PR, social media, events, and content creation.
It’s a new communications role, incorporating online tools and in-person networking to create relationships and build the company’s brand, both online and off. According to Jeremiah Owayang a community manager encompasses the following roles.
1) A Community Advocate
As a community advocate, the primary role is to represent the customer. This includes listening, monitoring, and being active in understanding what customers are saying online. Secondly, they engage customers by responding to their requests and needs or conversations.
2) Brand Evangelist
The community manager will promote events, products and upgrades to customers by using traditional marketing tactics and conversational discussions. As a trusted member of the community the individual has a higher degree of credibility.
3) Savvy Communication Skills, Shapes Editorial
This includes both editorial planning and mediation. The community manager should first be very familiar with the tools of communication, from forums, to blogs, to podcasts, to twitter, and then understand the language and jargon that is used in the community. This individual is also responsible for mediating disputes within the community up to and including banning abusers. The community manager is responsible for the editorial strategy and planning within the community, and works with many internal stakeholders to identify content, plan, publish, and follow up.
4) Gathers Community Input for Future Product and Services
Community managers are responsible for not only collecting the comments of the community in a responsible way but also presenting it to product teams for the development of future products and services. The opportunity to build better products and services through this real-time live focus group are awesome and have resulted in many company’s success.
Value of Community Management
Most companies know that the Community Management function has value – experience shows us that communities without community managers are much more likely to fail and therefore create a negative brand image. Who would expect their employees to stick cheese up their noses and post videos on YouTube? Who is watching while followers on Facebook post porno pics and links? Not having someone on top of that can lead to some unexpected surprises. So having a community manager is definitely worthwhile.
However, if you need to be certain of the financial benefit of community management you must only consider the success of the two Obama presidential campaigns. There have been many studies of the effects of his communities on the success of his campaigns. Communities are complex systems that defy easy analysis but are required for future success.
Big Data Technology Enables Your Team to Mobilize, Organize and Inspire! Discover how data sharing equips your team to better business opportunities.
A social community platform is powered by context aware computing and big data engine methodology. What this means is that you community’s users are able to bring new data into the platform all the while gaining scientific insights to an array of business intelligence! The community platform will open up new business opportunities:
- Big Data Engine: The more users you gain, the more data is shared – and ultimately – the greater business intelligence you store. Find greater value across your data by effectively collecting and utilizing detailed business metrics.
- Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Management: Collaboration among members is key! With the multivariate data members share, your educational curve is taken to a new heights and you can unearth new challenges and opportunities.
- Social Engagement: Create various types of communities with different frameworks. The platform offers the right content to the right community members while seamlessly connecting stakeholders.
- Turn Key Platform: Leverage hassle-free integration that can be deployed on new or existing infrastructure.
Set your business intelligence on the fast track to big data with Williams Strategic’s social community platform! For more information on how to leverage this service, contact our team at 888-871-4576 or email Maryn Williams at mwiliams@wsiwebsense.com.
