As an entrepreneur or a business owner, you understand that building a strong and active community is crucial for your business’s success. A loyal community that is engaged enough can do wonders for your brand, from driving revenue growth to advocating for your brand to much more.
However, building and managing a community is never an easy task and can be too time-consuming for you or your existing marketing team. That’s where a remote community manager comes in; a community manager can help you create hype for your brand on social media, increase engagement, and facilitate user-generated content that can build your brand in the long run.
In this article, we will explore the reasons why hiring a remote community manager might be the best choice for your business.
What Is a Community Manager?
A community manager manages online communities, such as social media groups, online forums, and other digital platforms. They are the face of a company’s brand and act as the bridge between the business and its audience.
The role of a community manager includes engaging with members, creating valuable content, monitoring discussions, and ensuring that the community remains a positive and productive space. They play a vital role in building brand awareness, fostering customer loyalty, and driving business growth.
A community manager wears many hats –a community manager acts as part marketer, customer service representative, moderator, and strategist. This diverse skill set allows them to effectively manage and engage with the community, fostering a positive relationship between the brand and its consumers.
One of the primary responsibilities of a community manager is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for members. This involves developing community guidelines that outline rules and expectations for behavior and actively enforcing them.
By creating a safe space, community managers can ensure that discussions remain respectful and on-topic, leading to a more positive experience for all involved.
Community Manager Responsibilities
A community manager plays a crucial role in managing and nurturing online communities. They create, grow, and maintain communities around a specific brand or topic. The main focus of a community manager is to engage with community members, build relationships, and facilitate conversations.
A community manager’s job description can vary depending on the organization and industry, but some of the common responsibilities include:
- Creating and implementing a community development plan
- Building relationships with community members and facilitating conversations between them
- Responding to comments, questions, and concerns from community members promptly
- Monitoring social media channels for relevant discussions and engaging with users
- Creating and publishing engaging content to drive community engagement
- Identifying and collaborating with influencers to promote the community and its content
- Analyzing community metrics and providing reports to management
Skills of a Successful Community Manager
To effectively fulfill their role, community managers require a diverse set of skills. Some important ones include:
Excellent Communication Skills
A community manager must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with community members and professionally represent the brand.
Understanding of Social Media Platforms
As most online communities are based on social media, community managers must be aware of various platforms and their best practices for engagement.
Empathy and Relationship-building Skills
To build strong relationships, community managers must be able to understand and empathize with community members’ needs and concerns.
Analytical and Data-driven Mindset
A successful community manager can analyze data and use it to inform their decision-making regarding community engagement and growth.
Creativity
To keep a community engaged, a good community manager must constantly generate new, creative ideas for content and activities.
Community Manager Role In Business
A community manager plays a vital role in a business or social media manager’s success. They are responsible for effectively managing and nurturing the relationship between a company and its audience, including customers, followers, and online community members.
Acting as a bridge between these entities, community managers represent the voice of both parties, fostering engagement and building lasting connections. Their expertise contributes significantly to enhancing brand visibility and driving business growth.
Building and Maintaining Relationships
One of the primary responsibilities of a community manager is to establish and cultivate relationships with customers, followers, and other community members. This involves actively engaging with them through various social media channels, forums, and other online platforms.
By providing valuable information, responding to inquiries and feedback, and fostering discussions, community, and social media, managers build trust with the audience and create a sense of belonging within the community.
Amplifying Brand Visibility
Community managers are also responsible for increasing brand visibility and awareness. Through consistent and strategic communication, the community manager promotes the company’s products, services, and values to a wider audience. They leverage digital marketing techniques, such as social media posts, blog articles, and online events, to reach potential customers and strengthen the company’s online presence.
Gathering and Utilizing Feedback
A crucial aspect of the community manager role is gathering feedback from the community. By actively listening to their audience, community managers gain valuable insights into customer needs, preferences, and pain points. They can then use this information to improve products and services, personalize content and messaging, and address any issues or concerns that arise.
Building Advocacy for the Brand
Community managers also play a vital role in building brand advocacy. They turn community members into loyal customers and brand ambassadors by nurturing relationships and providing excellent customer service. Satisfied customers who feel connected to the brand are likelier to recommend it to others, leaving positive reviews and promoting the company through word-of-mouth.
Driving Business Growth
Overall, community managers contribute significantly to business growth and success. Creating a solid and engaged community attracts new customers, retains existing ones, and increases brand loyalty. They also collaborate with other departments, such as marketing, sales, and customer service, to align community initiatives with the company’s overall goals and drive revenue.
Benefits of Having a Remote Community Manager
Having a remote community manager comes with several marked advantages that can amplify your brand’s reach and impact. One of the prime benefits is the flexibility it offers.
Remote community managers, well-versed in leveraging different social media platforms, can effectively engage with your community around the globe at any time of day, ensuring your brand always stays connected.
Additionally, remote work enables you to tap into a diverse talent pool unrestricted by geographical borders. This diversity can bring fresh perspectives, creative ideas, and innovative community management strategies, enriching your brand’s social presence.
Moreover, remote managers who are familiar with digital communication tools can efficiently handle online crisis management and maintain solid, consistent engagement with your online community, a critical aspect in the age of digital branding.
Flexibility in Work Schedules
A significant advantage of having a remote community manager is the inherent flexibility in their work schedules. This flexibility goes beyond traditional working hours, allowing for interaction with your online community across various time zones.
The nature of the online community is such that it never sleeps, and neither does your brand’s need to engage, respond, and communicate. A remote community manager can accommodate this need, adjusting their schedule to align with the peak activity times of your digital community.
Whether addressing a concern in real time, initiating a timely discussion, or posting content when it’s most likely to be seen, their flexible schedule ensures your brand’s digital presence never takes a backseat.
This level of responsiveness can significantly enhance the perception of your brand’s attentiveness and dedication toward your community, ultimately driving deeper engagement and loyalty.
Access to a Diverse Pool of Candidates
Hiring a remote community manager gives your brand access to a diverse pool of candidates, which is a significant advantage in building a robust and dynamic online community. This global talent pool brings with it a variety of skills, experiences, and viewpoints, fostering a rich tapestry of perspectives that can boost creativity, inspire innovation, and provide a wider understanding of different cultures and communities.
This diversity can drive more meaningful and inclusive interactions within your digital community, ensuring every member feels heard, valued, and connected. In a world where online communities span different regions and cultures, having a team member who is familiar with these nuances can be an invaluable asset when it comes to managing and nurturing your community effectively.
By leveraging this diversity, your brand not only champions inclusivity but also stays in tune with the changing dynamics of the digital landscape.
Challenges Associated With Hiring A Remote Community Manager
Having a remote community manager also presents its own set of challenges. The most prominent is perhaps the issue of time zone differences, which can occasionally hamper the real-time interaction necessary in managing a dynamic online community.
Additionally, communication can sometimes be challenging, with nuances and subtleties that might be easily picked up in face-to-face interactions getting lost in virtual correspondence. Finally, the lack of physical presence might result in the community manager feeling detached from the company culture, which could potentially impact their ability to embody the brand’s values authentically.
However, these challenges can be effectively mitigated with proper planning, clear communication protocols, and regular team-building activities that foster a strong sense of unity and shared purpose.
On-site Community Manager vs. Remote Community Manager
On-site and remote community managers share the common goal of nurturing and growing a brand’s digital community, but their operational environments present unique opportunities and challenges. The on-site community manager, physically present within the company’s headquarters, has direct access to internal resources and can quickly respond to any changes in company policy or strategy.
They can maintain a strong connection with the brand’s ethos, given their immersion in the physical company culture. Conversely, a remote community manager brings a global perspective, potential around-the-clock availability, and valuable insights into diverse cultural nuances, thus contributing to more inclusive and meaningful community engagement.
The trade-off, however, includes potential barriers in real-time interaction due to time zone differences and the occasional difficulty in capturing nuances of communication that are more readily apparent in face-to-face interactions. Overall, the choice between remote and on-site community managers largely depends on the specific needs, goals, and structure of the brand’s online community.
Hiring Community Management Roles Keypoints
You explored the trade-offs and considerations when choosing between an on-site community manager and a remote community manager for your brand’s digital community.
On-site community managers, directly embedded within the company’s physical environment, can quickly adapt to policy changes and embody the brand’s ethos.
Remote community managers offer a global perspective and potential for round-the-clock engagement, coupled with valuable insights into diverse cultural nuances. However, the potential obstacles include time zone differences and communication nuances that are more readily apparent in face-to-face interactions.
The choice, ultimately, should align with the specific needs, goals, and structure of your online community.
Find The Remote Talent You’re Looking For
As we dive deeper into the digital age, it’s paramount for businesses to evaluate their community management needs meticulously. Implementing a strategy that aligns with your brand’s ethos and objectives can be the pivotal factor that propels your online community to new heights.
Whether you’re leaning towards an on-site or remote community manager, remember that the ultimate goal is to foster an engaging, inclusive, and vibrant digital community. Reflect on your business’s unique needs, operational hours, and the diversity of your audience.
By aligning these with the strengths of either an on-site or remote community manager, you’ll be able to create a thriving online space that not only embodies your brand’s values but resonates with your audience on a deeper level. So, take a moment to consider: Which community management approach will help your brand flourish in the digital landscape?
See more articles by Andrea Corona.
