Hiring a Community Manager : Part 2

In the previous part of this series we considered social media staffing. For many large corporations staffing tends to be a problem because of the tendency to “test” social media. What many don’t realize is that for an effective social media campaign, you need a community manager.

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Why You Need a Community Manager?

Pretty bold statement, but it’s true. The community manager can make or break a social media campaign. He or she is the identity behind the brand.

Consider Scott Monty for Ford. His personal reputation and his ability to give a face to the brand helps build a relationship with bloggers and consumers alike.

The community manager title, offers an air of authority. Correspondence from the “community manager” will be received more positively, thinking that maybe there is some interesting information to be shared.

When something goes wrong, Internet users want a single person to go to. They want someone to complain to, get updates from, and be able to talk to an actual person with the ability to do something.

Community managers:

• act as a singular point of contact for bloggers and consumers
• use their title to convey a sense of authority
• give a face to the brand, facilitating connections
• offer real-time access to a brand

What Are There Responsibilities?

Community managers have a host of responsibilities, ranging from writing a blog to maintain a Twitter account. The responsibilities differ dependent on the social strategy in place.

For many, the basic responsibilities will include:

• writing blog posts
• posting on forums
• maintain social media platforms
• outreaching to bloggers and influencers
• building relationships with consumers
• offer real-time customer service to consumers that reach out to the brand
• monitor buzz around the brand and their products

What to Look For in a Community Manager

Finding someone to be a community manager can be a daunting task, figuring out who can do the job well can be even harder.

The first, and most important quality (in my mind) is that they must be personable. Someone that is able to converse with a total stranger, and befriend them over email.

A community manager, should be able to write emails with personal flare, and understand the basics of social media. Finding someone that’s addicted to blogging and Twitter is a positive.

Finally, they must be able to deal with bad news. The Internet offers a sense of anonymity which means extremely nasty and negative emails and comments. Find a community manager that’s able to take that kind of negativity without losing faith in the brand and their positive outlook, is extremely important.

Where Can You Find a Good One?

There are a few places you can look when trying to find a community manager. Some specific job boards are extremely useful.

• Mashable Jobs
• Jobs for Bloggers
• Internet Marketing Jobs

Have a job board you like to use? Looking for a community manager? Leave a comment, and I’ll update this post as I find new places to find community managers.

Part 1: Social Media Staffing
Part 2: Hiring a Community Manager
Part 3: Building Employee Brand Passion
Part 4: Hiring a Corporate Blogger

Tagged as: social media staffing

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