Whether your business has a lot of assets or not, it is wise to consider adding a Community Manager. S/he would enable your community to thrive with the proper guidance.
So, what is a Community Manager?
They are responsible to managing any community management related tasks. Every business has a slightly different community setup. Some have one community, while others have several communities on different social media platforms.
Whether it is one community or several, they are all managed or maintained a comparable fashion. There are universal community management skills that any manager should poses. Here are a few:
- Detailed oriented and authentic
- Ability to show empathy
- Analytical ability
- Organizational and community management skills
- Ability to lead and grow community management efforts
- High attention to detail
- Ability to manage and measure community management efforts
- Love the brand
- Being the primary contact between the community and company
Community Managers- where do you find them?
There are several websites where you can find Community Managers. Freelance websites have specialists who are ready to take on challenges/tasks from any industry. Fiverr and Upwork are the most prominent freelance sites.
Freelancing Websites
However, there are disadvantages of the sites mentioned- simply the work is not always top-notch. It might take some time to find a Community Manager that is trustworthy and does great work. Consulting colleagues in the same business or industry another good practice.
Hire an agency
Community Management agencies have several associates who are experienced in this line of work. So, if your org has the monies and wants to partner with experienced workers, contact an agency. Speaking of agencies, Socially Powerful is perhaps the most prominent Community Management agency. Of course, there are several more, here is a comprehensive list.
Ask for referral
If your friend with Community Managers, they might be able to provide you referral.
Community Club
With 1000s of Community Managers, this site has aspiring, experienced, and passionate Community anagers who are innovative and forward thinking.
Facebook Groups
Facebook has several Community Management groups, each dedicated to community. Some groups are industry specific, while others are location based. Community Management groups spend time connecting business with managers in different cities, states or regions.
How much do Community Managers get paid?
Pay varies by experience, location, and body of work. That said, Community Managers who are starting out will get paid between $300-1500 per month. Meanwhile, experienced ones can expect to be paid $1500-4500 per month.
Deciding to hire a Community Manager
When team members start spending exorbitant amount time managing a community, that is time hire a Community Manager. Budget-wise, Community Managers are relatively expensive to hire. And associates can shift their attention back other important, valuable task/projects.
Summary
Responsible for managing communities, Community Managers are highly valuable associates, especially in this ever changing digital landscape. They are responsible for health, growth, and engagement online. Whether a business has one community or a multitude, they are all maintained in a similar fashion.
Managers have these universal skills like analytic abilities, high attention to detail, and last but not least being the primary contact between the company and customers. There are several websites you can find community managers, for example, freelancing websites. Agencies dedciated to community management are safe bet, and Community Club.
All in all, hiring a Community Manager is a not difficult choice to make in my opinion. It is not expensive considering the value it brings to the business.
References
The Ultimate Guide to Community Management.HubSpot.The Ultimate Guide to Community Management (hubspot.com)
10 Community Management Agencies To Fuel Growth.InfluenceMarketingHub.com.10 Community Management Agencies to Fuel Community Growth (influencermarketinghub.com)
The Ultimate Community Manager Guide.Coinbound. What is a Community Manager? Telegram & Discord Guide 2023 (coinbound.io)
As CEO of the community from which I retired, I created the position of community liaison because the services were offered were know by the community but misunderstood. This created expectations that our organization could not meet. The position I create was basically an outreach position offering education to individuals and institutions as requested. As well, this position also helped to resolve problems that arose between the company and community. I had not thought of this kind of position for a small home business. It might be possible to contract with a larger firm for services, but I am not completely sure what the benefit would be to a home business. Your article makes a great point in terms of larger companies maintaining good relationships with the communities in which they live and serve.
Hi Anastazja – The size of the business will dictate whether services get outsourced. Appreciate your feedback.
Very interesting article. I have not been exposed to the idea of community managers but I can definitely see their online benefits for business. I have used Fiverr for other tasks and will research options related to community management as you suggested. What is the best way to determine how many hours you should hire someone when you hire your first manager? Thanks. Brian
Hi Brian! Glad to hear you found the article interesting. How many hours you hire a community manager is dependent on size of your company. However, the average is 5 to 9 hours.
Hey, I like how you write your post and make the portrayal detailed, and straightforward. The overall website design and theme are very nice. One thing I would suggest is to create a menu bar so visitors can navigate posts and find out what they are looking for. Another thing I would suggest is creating video elements for your post that way it’s more interesting to look at.
Mustafa- I like the theme as well. Though, thanks for the constructive feedback regarding adding a menu bar and videos.