Contents
What is community management?
Community management is the process of forming and developing a community of people united by common interests and goals. Initially, this term was actively used in the context of online gaming communities; however, its application has now expanded to various fields, including business and volunteering. One vivid example of such a community is LEGO.Ideas, where adult LEGO enthusiasts can share photos of their creations, participate in contests, and propose ideas for new construction sets.
Why is community management needed?
The main task of community management is to manage interactions between people and projects. Unlike classical management, which focuses on company employees, community management is oriented towards the voluntary participation of individuals who act not for material gain. For example, the "Wikipedia" community includes participants from around the world who discuss articles and coordinate work on sections of the online encyclopedia. An important goal of community management is to create an active community around an organization that is not limited to a simple group on social media, but represents a group of people united by a common idea and a desire for interaction.
Tasks of community management
Community management helps brands address several key tasks:
- Increasing brand recognition: People who share the company's values become not just customers but brand ambassadors, conveying its culture.
- Product promotion: Community members discuss new products, share reviews and recommendations, which contributes to sales growth.
- Gathering feedback: Users share their opinions about products, providing the company with valuable information for product improvement.
- Finding ambassadors: The community gathers experts and loyal customers who can become brand representatives.
- User-generated content creation: Creating and publishing UGC content is possible not only through contests but also through personal interactions.
An example of a successful community is the "VkusVill" group on "VKontakte," where participants actively share recipes and discuss topics related to the brand's products.
Channels for community development
For the successful development of a community, community managers use various channels, including:
- Social networks
- Messengers
- Email newsletters
- Offline events and meetings
These channels allow not only to maintain communication with participants but also to organize events where participants can meet and exchange experiences.
Differences between community management and SMM
Although the tasks of community management and SMM overlap, there are key differences between them:
- Sales: The primary goal of SMM is to sell products through social networks, while community management does not aim for direct sales.
- Platforms: Communities are created not only on social networks but also on forums, blogs, and offline conferences.
- Requests: SMM managers typically do not address customer issues, while community managers monitor user requests and resolve conflicts.
In large companies, it is common for SMM managers to take on the responsibilities of community managers, which may be ineffective. Ideally, these roles should be filled by different specialists working closely together to achieve maximum effect in brand development.