Today, more than ever, the concept of online community should be seen as an integral part of any communication strategy. Brands seek to create and maintain a stable and lasting relationship with their customers, and, in a structured way, flesh out their own communication.
What is the role of the community manager?
The community manager is the most hidden ‘face’ of a company, responsible for maintaining a dialogue with the community. The main focus of this professional is to build and manage the sense of community around a brand, creating an interactive environment that engages both customers and potential consumers.
Fortunately, companies are more aware of the importance of having a strong and active community that can, by itself, manage the brand’s reputation. In this sense, the community manager must create relationships of trust that bring the customer closer to the services and philosophy of the brand. Their role is to manage opinions, complaints and compliments, transforming this feedback into a positive reputation for the brand.
What are its main functions?
1. Knowing the target audience: it is essential to understand who we are addressing so that we can intentionally define a strategy and determine the best way to communicate with our audience.
2. Online crisis management: this is probably one of the most challenging functions for this professional. It involves defending the brand in a situation that threatens its reputation, that is, solving the problem in an intelligent way and reinforcing the brand’s values, in a structured way and aligned with the company’s global communication strategy.
3. Keeping up to date with the market niche: the community manager must be the brand’s eyes on the Internet. This practice serves to identify opportunities and offer relevant and updated content. It is essential that the communication adds value to the client at that moment.
4. Follow up and monitor the publications: it is up to the community manager to analyse the public’s reaction, not only to the content shared, but also to the community management carried out after the launch of the publications.
Skills a community manager should have:
1. Good communication skills, as the main focus is managing an online community of people;
2. Communication must be complemented by strong empathy in order to best meet customer needs;
3. Moderation is key. Conflict should never be fuelled and, above all, this professional should be the solution to the client’s problems and not the other way around;
4. A complete vision of the market, because it is important to be informed and up to date with the news in the sector, in order to give reasoned answers to the customers’ problems.
Finally, I can only reinforce that the secret also lies in believing in the values of the brand we are communicating. A community manager who is aligned with the brand is closer to doing his job and building a cohesive and lasting online community.
Sources:
https://www.shopify.com/blog/community-management
https://www.communitymanager.pt/funcao-community-manager/
https://www.iebschool.com/pt-br/blog/social-media/redes-sociais/o-que-e-um-community-manager/