Definition
The Community manager (animator of web communities) also called CM’s mission is first to bring together Internet users via Internet platforms around areas of common interest (brand, products, values, etc.), to animate and to enforce the ethical rules of the communities. It defines content for each target (images, videos, articles, contests, etc.). He then plans production, publishes and animates social networks and evaluates the effectiveness of actions. It thus contributes to developing the brand’s presence on the Internet.
It is found under other titles
- Internet community manager
- Social media host
- Host / manager of web communities
Main activities
Development of brand awareness within web communities
The activity of the Community manager is vast. That’s why he must be able to master multiple tools and have an ingenious mind.
One of the major roles of the CM is first to define the objectives of the community in agreement with the brand manager. That is, product testing, customer (or user) information, brand promotion. And then it identifies the communities on the Web that can influence the positioning of the brand (social networks, blog, discussion forums …). He still participates in the creation of the values of the community: culture, social and language codes.
It must also define the indicators making it possible to monitor the “life” of the community (number of “posts”, quality of responses, etc.). And finally plan and follow the recruitment actions of online members (partnerships, sponsorship …) in connection with marketing.
Strengthening community cohesion
Facilitating the various company accounts while respecting the specificity of each of them is essential to strengthen cohesion with the community.
He must be able to write or relay content allowing the development of brand visibility and sales. And make existing members a relay of information within the community (recruitment and retention of influencers).
It should be remembered that the CM is an ingenious person. It must therefore launch subjects allowing debate or sharing of experiences and practices between Internet users / consumers.
In this exchange environment, he plays the role of moderator. That is to say, he ensures the quality of the responses. In this case, he still takes into account the criticisms brought to the brand or to the product in order to be able to exploit them and restart the discussion. The CM must ensure that the ethical rules of the community are respected by moderating the content produced by the Internet user. In other words, must exclude comments, photos, videos of a racist and pornographic nature.
The Community manager also manages the history and archiving of the data contained on the site (topics covered, information and documents sent by the company or Internet users, etc.). It implements offline operations in order to physically bring together the community and its leaders (influential bloggers, « VIP » members, etc.)
Evaluation and monitoring of marketing actions
The CM must necessarily master certain concepts related to marketing. It is in this context that he will analyze the marketing buzz and monitor the image of the brand on the various online media (image analysis, content analysis, etc.). And follow the audience of the various community media in connection with the traffic manager. Also report on communication actions undertaken in this way of relating to consumers.
Technical and functional development of the platform
Remember that the Community manager is not a technician. But he must report bugs in the functionality of the site and ensure the availability of the platform. And above all, coordinate with the technical teams and make improvements to the website platform.
Possible activities
Eventually, he drives digital developments, analyzes data and traffic with web analytics tools in order to optimize SEO and carry out paid SEO campaigns.
Required Skills
Technical skills
The Community manager must have some technical skills:
– Mastery of new communication media: community media (Dailymotion, Youtube …), professional or non-professional social networks (Viadeo, Facebook, Twitter …), blogs, forums … as well as social network management tools ( Hootsuite, CoTweet, TweetDeck, Seesmic, etc.)
– Mastery of e-reputation monitoring and measurement tools. Among these tools are first metasearch engines, blogging engines and news engines. But also tools for tracking and researching comments, forum engines, microblogging engines, and aggregators.
– Mastery of monitoring and research techniques to provide information, generate debate and analyze feedback and associated tools such as Google Alerts
– Knowledge of web content production software: photo editing and graphics software (Photoshop …), CMS.
Skills
Curiosity and a taste for investigation, because the community manager has a dual role. First, he finds innovative subjects to energize the community and involve members. And he must have a diplomatic aptitude and a remarkable sense of listening. We must insist that listening is privileged in the profession of community manager. Because he plays a role of both facilitator and moderator within the community. Second, he must have a good writing skills and a good sense of communication. The editorial part occupies an important place in his daily activity
The profile
Required diplomas
Several profiles allow to exercise the profession of community manager. For example a university degree at Bac +3 to Bac +5 level in human sciences (letters, arts, history, sociology, etc.). These can be supplemented by a specialization in on-line communication or by a Masters specializing in community management.
Higher education in general business schools can meet the CM profile. But it is preferable that it is supplemented by other specialization. That is to say in marketing, specialization in communication, public relations or journalism.