Talk to anyone in the marketing game and they’ll be the first to admit that Ad-land is awash with industry terminology that seems purpose-built to bamboozle the layman. There are more abbreviations, acronyms and insider language than a Gen Z text chain – ygm?
Much like the terminology of the youth, this marketing speak is easily understood once explained and used purely for convenience, not in a bid to keep the meaning of what’s being said hidden from those who don’t know the code.
At Brilliant, we’re anti-jargon. We don’t want our clients ever thinking we’re hiding behind words or putting communicative barriers up. We’re in the business of collaboration, so to speak in a language we don’t all clearly understand lowers the chances of success straight out of the gate.
In light of this, it’s always helpful to have someone take a few minutes to explain what a term means, particularly if it has an extremely important and beneficial function for you and your business. This year my Christmas marketing gift to you is in this vein. I’ll be giving you a run-down of what Community Management entails, why we treat it with such significance and, most importantly, why Community Management practitioners are amongst the most talented and underappreciated members of any organisation.
So, like a spaniel confronted by muddy swampland, let’s jump straight in …#SeasonalSimiles
What is Community Management?
Community management is the part of a social media or wider digital marketing strategy that where you interact directly with its customer base.
On social media this can be responding to comments on posts, replying to direct messages and interacting with other brands and customers posts.
Fundamentally, it’s about building relationships and seizing opportunities to communicate your brand’s personality, engage fans and inspire potential customers.
Done well you can not only raise brand awareness but win converts, turn fans into brand ambassadors and, ultimately directly drive sales.
What does a Community Manager do?
Great question, thank you for asking.
As Copywriter and Community Manager at Brilliant, much of my time is spent overseeing the community management across multiple brands. Policing the comments sections, responding in a timely manner to enquiries and coming up with reactive content that engages and interests each community.
To do this requires checking in regularly on all social media platforms for any engagement from the community. If someone has taken the time to strike up a conversation with our brand, they deserve a thoughtful and timely response.
Why is it so important?
As we’ve touched on already good community management can turn customers into loyal fans and loyal fans into brand ambassadors, who’ll be all too happy to recommend your products and services. The accessibility of social media, directly putting your business in contact with customers is an incredible tool for all parties involved.
The worst thing you can do is actively ignore people engaging with your brand. Social media is a direct line to your consumer and an incredibly important touchpoint to listen to, help out and educate customers first hand.
It’s also an incredibly effective landscape for understanding your audience. Keeping a close eye on content that goes down well, which key messages resonate with the community and what they like to talk about amongst themselves, is a bonus by-product of proper community management.
All of this is incredibly useful information which can be used to inform the content cycle, that without community management would be an arduous task in order to get to grips with.
What are the risks involved?
The main risks involved with community management are reputational. We’ve all seen brands who tweet inappropriately, make embarrassing spelling errors or who try to use the hashtag of a serious matter as a way to promote their products. Making these mistakes can be very costly for a brand so it’s crucial to have a crack squad of social media experts who are also adept at copywriting.
Other risks can be customer service based. Accidentally giving out the wrong allergen information or mishandling a complaint, for example, can obviously be massively detrimental to a business. Making sure your community management practitioners are tip-top, is crucial.
To get the best results from any social media marketing campaign a dedicated and skilled community manager is an invaluable weapon in the digital marketer’s arsenal. That is why we are revered in such high regard, treated as marketing celebrities wherever we go. Ask anyone…
If you’re looking to maximise the social media activity of your brand and would like to learn more, get in touch.