7 Tips for Successful Community Management
How Companies can Turn Followers into Fans
By Christina Widner
The more important digital marketing and social media become, the more crucial it is for firms to have followers and fans. But what do companies need to do to turn passive followers into engaged and loyal fans? The answer is simple: community management. The article explains the importance of community management and gives tips on how to convert followers into fans.
What is community management?
Community management is the art of maintaining and interacting with the online community of a company or brand. This community comprises existing and potential customers, followers on social media platforms, visitors to the website and other online platforms. The goal of community management is to inform and entertain the followers on the various platforms, while at the same time, encouraging them to interact.
Why is community management so important?
Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship. Effective community management can build trust in the brand by responding to questions, concerns and feedback from the community. When followers feel that their opinions and concerns are being taken seriously, they’re more likely to become fans of the brand.
Loyal fans are true brand ambassadors. They share content, recommend products or services and help expand the brand’s reach. Community management makes it possible to build an active and loyal fan base that supports and defends the brand.
Community management also offers firms a great chance to intensify customer relationships. Regular interactions on social media or other platforms can build customer loyalty and ensure that customers return.
Who is responsible for community management in companies?
Community management in companies can be done by various staff members or teams, depending on the size of the company and the resources available. Here are some options of who can be responsible for community management in companies:
- Social media managers: Companies with a strong social media presence often already have social media managers who specialise in managing and interacting with customers on social media platforms and who take care of the online community.
- Marketing team: The marketing team can assume community management tasks as they already manage the brand communication and strategy.
- Customer service team: The customer service team often has experience in dealing with customer enquiries and problems. They can be the ones who respond to customer feedback and social media enquiries and maintain the relationship with customers.
- External agencies: Some firms consider using external agencies or freelancers to carry out community management. These professionals often bring with them extensive experience in managing online communities and can offer fresh perspectives.
The choice you go for depends on your company’s goals, available expertise and resources. However, in many cases it’s vital that the person or team responsible for community management has good communication skills, empathy and a deep understanding of the brand and the community in order to be successful.
Tips for successful community management
1. Integrate community management into your social media strategy
A prerequisite for good community management is that the task is planned in the company with clear responsibilities and resources.
2. Listen and understand
It’s essential to understand the needs, wants and pain points of the community. Companies should spend time reading comments and messages to get a sense of what their followers are actually interested in.
3. Active interaction
It’s important to respond promptly to comments, messages and mentions. Companies should show interest in their followers’ concerns and respond to their questions. If a company only reacts weeks or even months later, followers don’t feel they are being taken seriously.
4. Values and authenticity
The brand should have clear values and an authentic voice. Authenticity attracts followers and builds trust.
5. High-quality content
High-quality and relevant content that addresses the needs of your target group is important. You can do this by sharing visuals, videos and stories to make your messages interesting and engaging.
6. Rewards and recognition
Recognition is one powerful way to turn followers into fans. This way, engaged followers can be rewarded with exclusive offers, competitions or special mentions. This strengthens the bond and promotes loyalty.
7. Take criticism on board and improve
One thing that is particularly important is that you take constructive criticism on board and use it to improve your products or services. By doing this, you, as a company, show that you’re willing to listen to feedback.
Bottom line
Community management is a key element in modern marketing. Turning followers into fans builds trust, creates loyalty and promotes brand growth. If companies invest time and resources in effective community management, they can ensure their success in the long term – because their own community, which consists not only of followers but also of fans, will thank them with commitment and support.
About the author
BASIC thinking is an online magazine and one of the widest-reach tech portals in the German-speaking world. The editorial team reports daily on social media, marketing and business topics. This article was written by Christina Widner from BASIC thinking GmbH and BASIC thinking International.
