The Community Manager is the professional responsible for managing the presence of a company, institution, or organization on social media. This is a task that should not be entrusted to just anyone if you want to achieve results based on specific objectives. Only someone trained for this role will be able to carry out proper planning, develop a Social Media Plan, create an action calendar, and monitor them effectively to know if the defined goals are being met.
Let’s end the myth that anyone can manage a company’s social media.
It is still a relatively new profession that is reaching a certain level of maturity, and more and more companies consider the Community Manager—or Social Media department—crucial within their organizational charts to achieve their objectives. The role began to be discussed at the end of the last decade, when Facebook and other social networks launched business profiles. That’s when the need arose to name the professional who manages clients and potential clients of a company on different social platforms.
But even though it has more than a decade of evolution, many executives still wonder what qualities to look for when choosing the person who will manage their company’s social media. What qualities should a good Community Manager have?
The 10 Qualities of a Good Community Manager
1-They are a qualified professional. This is the fundamental quality. Every community manager must be specifically trained to manage any brand’s presence on social media and master the tools and the 2.0 environment perfectly. They must also be aware that they will need to constantly update their skills, as the profession is always evolving.
2-They have communication skills. They must generate conversation with social media users and be able to convey the company’s messages effectively and with added value. They will need to adapt content to the language of the internet, respecting the brand’s tone and editorial line, with special attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
3-They are able to listen. To interact and converse with community members, the community manager must always pay attention to their comments and value their suggestions.
4-They know when to remain silent. They should only send messages when they can add value to the community members. If there’s nothing interesting to communicate, it’s better to stay quiet and not post just for the sake of posting.
5-They are level-headed. They must be patient in the face of criticism and negative comments. They should adopt a conciliatory attitude and never lose their composure or be driven by visceral feelings when responding.
6-They know their brand perfectly. They must know everything about the company whose social media they manage: its history, current reality, product and service portfolio, future plans, and more.
7-They know the competition well. They know who their company’s direct competitors are and are aware of both their weaknesses and strengths. They must stay up to date with their launches and news, as well as how they use their social media.
8-They know their community. They must know who the brand’s target audience is, as well as the tastes and preferences of the users they will address. For example, which times of day or days of the week they are most receptive to receiving information from the company.
9-They are a planner. Their actions are previously thought out and correspond to a well-defined and matured strategy. They must even plan how to react to unforeseen situations.
10-They are analytical. They must keep thorough control and analyze, generating reports, each of their actions.
Finding a professional who brings together all these qualities is not easy, which is why choosing the right community manager for each company is essential.
