I'm often asked, "What does it take to become a community manager?" My answers usually turn people away, so instead of focusing on how difficult it is, I'm going to focus on what it takes to be a good community manager once you've landed the role. Although, you don't have to take my word for it, I interviewed three rockstar community managers to share their thoughts.
Here are 6 tactics that will get you to the top:
Research: This never stops, and it shouldn't no matter what profession you're in, but with social media marketing you need to be the "go-to person" for Facebook questions, and any other social network that your clients or company is using. How-To: Read blogs, a lot, written by the top content producers in the industry, such as Mashable. Also by the top influencers in the industry, for example David Armano, Gini Dietrich, the list goes on.
Connecting: You need to build relationships with the people I just mentioned above. If they are true "influencers" and actually use social media daily, and don't have their assistant do it, then this is possible. How-To: Read their blog posts, and comment on the posts by giving your thoughts. I know it's scary since you're just starting out and this person is a big-wig but I promise that they'll listen. I remember the first time I commented on Spin Sucks, I was so scared I think I read my comment 15 times before publishing.
Experimenting: Take risks, immediately. In the beginning you'll only have your own personal networks to experiment with but that's ok. How-To: Write a controversial blog post, tweet someone you wouldn't dare to on a normal day. Post content that you know will piss someone off. This is how you push the envelope in Social Media, and it is the only way you'll learn what the boundaries truly are with your audience.
Listening: Listen to what others are telling you, in your company and online. How-To: You need to be able to take the feedback you receive and implement it into your current strategy. Sometimes, heck most of the time, you won't agree and you'll know that it's not "best practice" for completing a task but you need to find a way to show them that you are listening. You'll need their help later getting more people on board using Social Media, as well as getting budget for events and applications.
Tracking: If you've landed a role in Social Media Marketing and you don't have data to take with you, then you mine as well stay where you are because getting a job somewhere else, especially if you're moving up, is going to be tough without analytics in your portfolio. If you only have access to your own personal networks that's ok, you can track your followers, the engagement you received for certain types of content. But being able to show the growth you achieved for your employer by conducting your current social strategy is a game changer. How-To: Tools, they're out there, and if you don't have a budget you can use some that are free. If you have a budget I would highly suggest paying for a SMMS, Social Media Management System. Using an SMMS you can create charts that track data for you, compare them against your sales data for the month, and so much more. Plus using an SMMS makes your job so much easier, and gives you much more free time to do things like write blog posts.
Pushing Back: You are in your role because you know what you're doing, remember that. If you have years of experience using social media marketing to grow a business then don't let someone tell you that you're doing it wrong, again you need to Listen, but stand your ground. How-To: You've got data to back up your strategy, use it to show them why you're right.
Do you agree with my strategy above? If so, why? If not, let's debate in the comments below!
Photo credit: socialfresh