The world of digital marketing and communication is constantly changing thanks to new technologies, which is why new jobs such as community manager or social media manager are emerging.
10-15 years ago these two roles did not exist, but now they are essential in most companies. Social networks have become a key factor for digital marketing strategies, so it has been necessary to create these new jobs to carry out this task.
Today we bring you what is a community manager, what are their functions and what is the difference with the social media manager, because nowadays many people confuse these two figures.
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what is a community manager?
A community manager or CM, as you will see on many sites, is the person responsible for managing and administering the online community of a brand. He or she is in charge of connecting the company with its community, seeking to maintain stable and lasting relationships with customers and followers on the internet.
This professional profile is the one who has direct contact with the users of a brand, who talks to them, discovers their interests and needs, answers their questions and transmits them all the information about the company. He/she is in charge of executing the actions planned by the Social media manager.
There is still the belief that being a CM is a simple task, and for this reason, there are companies that have not invested in this professional profile, but it is a more complex profession than one might think. This has been demonstrated because in the last decade it has been a job that has grown a lot and most brands have this role among their staff.
what are the functions of a community manager?
Although some people think that a CM is only in charge of a company's social networks, the reality is that theyalsotend to take care of blogs and create quality and relevant content for users.
A community manager must be a person with knowledge not only of writing, but must also know and know how to use the different editing and programming tools, as they are needed to upload and create content for social networks. In addition, he or she must know the client very well, that is, always have the profile of the company's buyer persona in mind, to know how to address them, what content they like best, what is the best time to disseminate information, what formats are their favourites, etc.
Its main functions include:
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responds and attends to the online community
The CM is the voice of the brand on the Internet, the one who speaks up in any situation. His main objective is to create a good community, so that people not only know the brand, but also support it and participate with it.
He or she is in charge of answering users' queries, as well as disseminating content to keep them informed of the latest news about the company or the sector.
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write, manage and publish content
The content strategy is a fundamental part of a digital marketing plan, and it is the community manager who is responsible for coordinating and disseminating this content.
Their work begins with the planning of this content plan and the calendar, i.e. when and how it will be disseminated on the different social networks. It is not limited to writing and creating content, it goes beyond that, as well as always bearing in mind SEO positioning to achieve greater visibility in search engines.
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researches key KPIs
A CM collaborates with the rest of the marketing team, and is in charge of establishing and measuring the main social media metrics.
Their job is not just to count the number of likes or comments, because as you know, there are many different KPIs and these give you the key data to check whether your social media strategy is working or not.
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be aware of the environment and new trends
Community managers must always be up to date, because there are always new fashions, trends, challenges, updates in the different social networks, etc. Therefore, they must be aware of the opportunities.
The CM is the eye of the company on the internet, and must always be aware of what is happening so as not to be out of date.
They also have to be prepared for reputational crises, because on the internet everything spreads quickly and failures even more so, and you have to be prepared for any situation.
differences between community manager and social media manager?
You already know the role of a community manager, but what is a social media manager?
A social media manager is the person responsible for the social media strategy of a company. They are in charge of planning and directing all the actions that the community manager will execute. Their main function is the creation of the strategic plan, control, analysis and monitoring of the campaigns that are carried out.
The functions of the social media manager are more strategic and analytical than those of the community manager, as their work focuses on creating and defining campaigns, selecting which social networks to be present on, managing budgets, adapting communication to the brand's identity, etc.
The main difference between the two roles is in the way they interact with the audience. While the community manager is the visible face of the brand, who participates with the audience directly, the social media manager is the one behind the entire strategy, focusing on achieving the objectives of the actions. In short, the SMM is in charge of the strategy, and everything it encompasses, while the CM is in charge of its execution.
In conclusion, as you can see, although they may seem similar jobs, the truth is that they have very different functions: while the social media manager focuses on logistics, the community manager is in charge of the execution of the actions.
What is clear is that both roles are essential in the digital era, and that a company must have both, because one does not work without the other.
we hope you have enjoyed reading this article and that we have answered your questions about these professional profiles!
