What is a Community Manager?
A community manager is an expert in web communities who works mainly for a digital agency or a communications agency. However, they may also work on behalf of a company or advertiser. The role of this digital expert is to create, unite, lead and structure a community of Internet users around a common theme or interest. They work on social networks, professional networks, forums, wikis and/or blogs as ambassadors for a brand and as those responsible for the brand’s e-reputation.
What are the tasks of a Community Manager?
Community managers have a wide range of tasks, all contributing to the development of a brand’s relationships with its various audiences (customers, users and employees). They are responsible for developing a strategy for the company’s presence on the various existing social media. This will enable them to meet the objectives determined in consultation with the departments concerned. These may include the communications, marketing or innovation departments.
The Community Manager is responsible for developing brand awareness on the Internet by :
- keeping a constant watch on communities that may have a link with it, in order to identify those that are likely to influence its positioning;
- helping to highlight the values of the community (language codes, social codes and culture in particular);
- highlighting the community’s objectives with the agreement of a validation committee (brand promotion, customer information or product testing, for example);
- defining indicators for monitoring the life of the community (quality of responses and number of posts, among others);
- planning and monitoring online membership recruitment actions in connection with marketing via e-mail campaigns, sponsorships and partnerships.
Once a brand community has been created, the Community Manager is responsible for running it by :
- turning existing members into information relays;
- launching a range of topics designed to encourage consumers and Internet users to share their experiences and practices, or to engage in debate;
- Ensuring that the various ethical rules of the community are respected by moderating the content generated by Internet users;
- managing the history and archiving of data on the platform;
- seeking out new and useful social media to increase the community’s influence;
- carrying out various event-based operations.
Depending on their role within the organisation, Community Managers may also be required to contribute to the functional and technical development of a specific exchange platform. In this case, they will have to report bugs, ensure that the platform is available and optimise the coordination of improvement actions with the technical teams.
The CM will also have to monitor the audience for the various media in their community, competitors and changes in the brand’s image, as well as reporting on the communication operations undertaken.
Why become a Community manager?
With the development of the digital world, the recruitment of a Community Manager is of particular importance for companies wishing to raise their profile, acquire new customers and retain prospects who have already been converted. By becoming a CM, you can interact with a vast community of people around the world. These exchanges contribute to your personal development, and the job can lead to new career opportunities. In particular, you could become a project manager, web editorial manager, web communications manager or social media manager.
How much does a Community Manager earn?
The salary of a community manager variesbetween 30,000 and 40,000 euros gross per year for a recent graduate. An experienced manager can expect to earn between 40,000 and 50,000 euros gross per year, depending on their years of experience.
What studies do I need to do to become a Community Manager?
To become a community manager, you need at least 3 years’ higher education. You can turn to courses focusing on the communications sector, such as those offered by the Sup de Pub advertising school. Sup de Pub awards state-recognised level 7 (Bac+5) diplomas in Brand Advertising Communications, Social Media Strategy and Media Marketing, Management and Production.