As website owners like you look for new ways to take your social marketing strategy to a higher level, it’s only natural for you to eventually hire experts that can safeguard your online platforms. You can either outsource content moderation to a digital security agency or hire community management experts yourself.
Regardless if you outsource or build an in-house community management team, you must make sure that you will have highly proficient individuals to do the job for you. The question is, do you know what skills or qualities you should look for when hiring online community managers? Since you want them to lead your community effectively, here are some qualities that your prospective community managers must have.
1. Passionate about representing your brand
Community managers are the representatives of your brand or organization. They must have a strong interest in working for you if they truly want to make solid connections. They should view community management as a lifestyle and not just a task. They must find inner satisfaction whenever they accomplish something that will help your online community. Passion towards your brand is something that can t be instilled during training, so prospective community managers must have this even before joining your organization.
2. Good communication skills
Your community managers communication skills are put to test when engaging with the members of your community. They have to manage blog posts, write emails, review partnership proposals, and respond to comments. If your brand ambassadors have weak writing skills, then they can t represent your brand effectively. Grammar and spelling errors can create negative impression among site visitors. Content moderators must therefore be able to communicate and relay their ideas impeccably.
3. Can make sound decisions
Your community managers will oftentimes be arbiters of good and bad content. More than just moderating user contributions, they will also review all of your online content and decide what things should be published and how and when they should be shared. Their decision making skills must be reliable enough, so that they can foresee the consequences of any form of online activity they are overseeing. These decisions must also be made in a prompt manner, since delays can turn users away.
4. Equipped with analytical and optimization skills
Everything found on your website, social media accounts, and user forums can, in one way or the other, affect your web ranking and overall brand reputation. Your community managers must be able to utilize online interactions to your advantage. They must know what topics are resonating with your online community, the best times to publish new content, or what social features can boost the engagement of members. Every move they make must always contribute to your overall digital marketing goals.
5. Organized
Community managers often oversee multiple platforms and several online activities simultaneously. They need to track feedback and manage content round-the-clock. This can be overwhelming if your managers don t have a systematic way of carrying out their tasks. Multitasking and organization skills must be present since community management is a fast-paced job.
Choosing the right people to serve as your community managers is more than just about evaluating their knowledge and technical expertise. The qualities mentioned should also be exhibited, so that you can have a guarantee that your community leaders are the best representatives of your brand. If you choose the right people for the job, then social marketing milestones will naturally come your way in no time.