7 traits of highly effective community managers
TRANSCRIPT
Dennis ShiaoDirector, Product Marketing@DNNCorp | @dshiao
Tweet with hash tag:#DNN
What we’re covering today:Your owned and operated [EXTERNAL] online
community.
What we’re NOT covering today:
MUST HAVE: Proven ability to develop an idea, build broad, cross-organizational
consensus and sponsorship and carry it forward to implementation and operational management.
Job Description: Community Manager
Product Management
Politics Sales Operations
Excellent communications skills with particular strength in written communications and presentations.
Marketing PR Communications
Superb understanding of trends and industry direction coupled with the ability to identify the most important applications of these trends for integration to the community.
Job Description: Community Manager
AnalystIndustryExpert Integrator Implementer
Proven ability to work effectively with a project team responsible for content delivery tools such as search and other web-based support tools to deliver unparalleled online support experiences.
ProjectManagement Technologist Customer
Support
Job Description: Community Manager
Photo credit: ruffin_ready on flickr Photo credit: natalialove on flickr
Strategic Role of The Community Manager
Community Manager RolesMarketingPRSalesCustomer SupportProfessional ServicesProduct ManagementOperations
Organizational Roles
CEOCFOCIOEngineeringLegalSalesMarketingHRCustomer Support
Strategic Role of The Community Manager
Community Organization
YOU.
Activity Logins Page views Unique visitors New users Repeat logins Time on site
The Currency of The Community Manager
Satisfaction Survey results Sentiment Net Promoter
Score (NPS)
Business Value Leads Inquiries Pipeline Revenue
Related SlideShare: Top Metrics to Track Online Community Health
Community Management Grows in Strategic Value
2013
Content Marketer Chief Content Officer (CCO)
Growth Path
2014
Community Manager Chief Community Officer (CCO)
Growth Path
Chief Community Officer
“Responsible for culture, community, government relations, diversity and global responsibility efforts.”
1) MacGyver-like
Image source: the MacGyver page at IMDb.
A list of problems solved by MacGyver:http://macgyver.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_problems_solved_by_MacGyver
Your mission:Find creative solutions using the tools
available to you.
Be prepared (for anything) Identify the tools available to you Find creative solutions using those tools Improvise as needed Find ways to re-use those tools
P.S. Be always prepared for adventure, too.
1) MacGyver-like
MacGyver Tip for Community Management:Lean on community “champions” to help resolve issues
“When reaching out to your army of champions, not only do you need to be empathetic to their work load and current challenges, but you need to wholeheartedly inspire and motivate them to want to get involved. Present the problem, ask for the support, and be sure to celebrate and socialize their efforts internally and externally.”
Jenny BerthiaumeOnline Community & Engagement Strategist Twitter: @jennycb
Our take: “An issue solved by the community is an epic win for the community manager.”
2) Omniscient
You have your eyes and ears on:
What’s going on (now).Backward-looking trends.
The reason for those trends.Forward-looking trends.
What users like.What users dislike.
What features are missing.What the future holds.
2) Omniscient
Tip for Community Management:Read community members’ online body language
“It is essential that your community manager be hypersensitive to the ‘energy in the room,’ so to speak. A good candidate will have expert listening skills and will be able to match his or her energy and tone to the environment in which he or she is working, blending effortlessly and quickly becoming an asset to the community.”
Jenise FryattSocial Media Strategist, Content Marketing, BloggerIcon Presentations AV/Smarter ShiftTwitter: @JeniseFryatt
Nurture Develop Guide Resolve Comfort Feed
3) Parental
Teach Praise Protect Humor Inspire Listen
Watch Give Reward Love Encourage Challenge
“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a community manager to raise a village.”
3) Parental
Tip for Community Management:Make community members feel heard
“In general, most people just want to feel like they are being heard and a simple acknowledgement can be enough to calm someone down.”
Lauren HarperSocial Marketing Manager, Oracle EloquaTwitter: @LaurenEHarper
3) Parental
Tip for Community Management:Treat community members with consistency
“Like wrangling a bunch of grubby four year olds on the playground, you must wield your power fairly and enforce the rules equally, or you will suffer a barrage of mean spirited feedback.”
Alethe DenisSocial Media and Community ManageriMagiclab, LLCTwitter: @Leafies42
Alethe’s blog post at Ning.com:3 Hallmarks of an Excellent Modern Community Manager
4) Unconventional
Conventional:
…is uniform.…is boring.…is the same old thing.…doesn’t inspire anything or anyone.
4) Unconventional
Be unconventional:
…experiment.…measure.…evaluate.…double down on what’s working.
4) Unconventional
Tip for Community Management:Use humor
“Communities need help, but they also need some comic relief. Take a moment everyday or week to inject some humor. Maybe that's a joke, a funny image or anything that will make your community smile for a moment.”
Koka SextonGlobal Sr. Social Marketing Manager LinkedInTwitter: @kokasexton
Realities of Community Management Expect controversy. Anticipate negativity and/or trolls. A crisis can arise any day, any hour, any minute. Users will not be happy with you. Users will not be happy with your brand. Expect the unexpected.
5) Unflappable
5) Unflappable
To judge quarterbacks, see how they perform when faced with a blitz.To judge community managers, see how they perform when faced with a crisis.
Side note: when facing a blitz, provide good SERVICE [pun intended]
Photo credit: West Point on flickr.
5) Unflappable
Read the blog post and see the full graphic at Kuno Creative.
6) Proactive
communicating
6) Proactive
communicating
A good community manager responds to issues. A great community manager resolves them
before they even become issues.
6) Proactive
“Always On” Outreach Analytics Trend spotting Encouragement Recognition
Experimentation Planning Feedback to internal
stakeholders External PR Optimization
“Community members don’t always tell you how they feel. Use analytics to fill in the blanks.”
The proactive habits of highly effective community managers
7) Generous
Great hotels have great concierges.
Photo credit: adrianflower on flickr.
7) Generous
Be the concierge for your online community Welcome them to your great city Give them directions Recommend venues and destinations Make dinner or show reservations Make sure their stay is pleasurable
Closing Quote
Tip for Community Management:Simmer for best taste
“Your community is not a pot of water that you are waiting to see boil. Instead it is a very delicate sauce, which needs constant attention and patience. It takes time and loads of energy to develop a truly fantastic and engaged community.”
Alethe DenisSocial Media and Community ManageriMagiclab, LLCTwitter: @Leafies42
Book Recommendation
Hat tip to Adrian Segar (@ASegar)
There’s a section on “Effective Community Management.” Available for purchase at Amazon.
The Art of Community
By Jono BaconUbuntu Community ManagerTwitter: @jonobacon
In Summary
MacGyver-like Omniscient Parental Unconventional
Unflappable Proactive Generous
