Isn’t it scary to be alone? One of the best feelings we can ever enjoy is the feeling of belonging. Because of this need, small groups form, which eventually evolve into communities. As we continue to live in the age of the Internet, there is always a virtual version of everything. Now exists online communities, which is managed by online community managers!
We can have interactions offline, but why do individuals also join in online communities? One of the main reasons is because they support a particular business by buying their product, or discussing it with fellow consumers. Because of this, many companies and organizations have acknowledged the need to focus on this aspect of marketing, and reap its many rewards. As a result, online community management and online community managers have become important elements that can determine the trajectory of a business.
Brand communities, learning communities, support communities, and networking communities are among the forms of online groups where people converge. Depending on their needs, it all boils down to the need to communicate, the fulfillment of being a support system (or having one), and the sense of belonging that humans find joy in.
The invitation to engage and interact with other people online fulfills our need to bond, which becomes the lifeline of online communities. Photo by Samantha Borges from unsplash.com.
Our Nature to Bond
Pretty much everybody knows the old saying “no man is an island.” Or if not, they basically know a version of it. As human beings, one of our instincts is to find another fellow human. We connect with them, form bonds with them, find more humans to bond with, and so on.
Over time, our affinity for connections allowed us to transition from physical interaction, to mail and telegrams, and then via phone through texting and calling, and eventually we were able to cross over into the virtual world through the Internet. Because of this new dimension, it allows us to form tens, hundreds, and if you’re famous, even billions of online connections, which have their own varying degree of intimacy.
Online or offline, our need to form bonds with others continues to remain and morph into many different forms, and this transcendence into the virtual realm eventually led to the rise and evolution of different online communities.
The Birth of Online Communities
Considering social media is fairly new, we may not realize that online communities have been around for quite some time, even as early as 1973! Talkomatic’s text-based group chat allowed people to connect in a space at that time, though it was offline. By 1975, multi-user dungeons in the game Adventure allowed players to work against and with each other in a text-based virtual world as well.
However, it was in the 1980s when people were able to communicate via online chat with CompuServe’s CB Simulator, Internet Relay Chat, or AOL chat room. Fast forward to more recent times of social media, familiar names such as 2002’s friendster, 2003’s myspace, (or if earlier, 1997’s sixdegrees) may have fallen behind, but has inspired the current movement.
At present, we have numerous platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Reddit, and many others where people with common interests converge into online communities. These current platforms are also where businesses establish their online presence, and use it as a tool to manage their customers and hear their voices for future plans or current adjustments.
What is Online Community Management?
Online community management from a business standpoint means facilitating over their stakeholders in their chosen platform/s. These include connecting with their customers and even employees, and is an essential tool to make them feel a sense of belongingness over a common interest. Depending on the rules, everyone in this space can share pictures, videos, feedback, personal stories, resources, and other things that connect to the business.
Online communities are a thing, but managing them is a different challenge. Without dedicated people moderating over online communities, trolls and hecklers can invade a brand’s space. Customers can also be lost because their queries may not be answered, or their messages get lost in a sea of unrelated topics. Thus, effective online community management maintains the cohesiveness of the community, and allows it to be a safe and productive space for people who enter it.
How It Helps Businesses
For businesses and entrepreneurs, the primary benefit of an online community is for the owner/s to gain feedback from their customers. An online community is not only a safe space for consumers, but also for the business to gather ideas and constructive criticism only from loyal followers who know their brand well. Moreover, because the moderator/s of the community can have healthy exchanges with customers, it becomes a collaborative effort instead of just data gathering. It is essentially a large-scale form of customer support, which is an important aspect in allowing a business to flourish.
Because the customers feel heard, it then makes them appreciate the brand more. It also makes them feel that they get the most value out of their brand and their purchase. They can even be first to hear from the brand in terms of new releases, giving them a sense of importance and exclusivity. Lastly, if the online community is well-managed, it can even be a constant space where they can hang out, and by association, fosters brand loyalty.
Perhaps one of the overlooked benefits of online communities for businesses is it also reduces the cost of post-sale service. Instead of hiring more people in customer service, consumers can just make a post or a comment in a brand’s online community, and other people can come to their aid. This saves the business financial and manpower resources, while making sure customers are not neglected.
Online community management can help consolidate data that businesses can use for their future direction. Photo by Annie Spratt from unsplash.com
The Online Community Manager Role
Online community managers act as a bridge between the brand and the customers. They are tasked to communicate with the consumer as the brand’s representative, and as people whom consumers expect answers from. Moreover, they also set the tone and the atmosphere of the online community. Thy do this via the way they give support, the content they publish, and other forms of engagement.
Online community managers carry a huge responsibility. They must be able to keep multiple operations running within the community. Below are some of the qualities they must possess:
- Comprehensive brand knowledge
As representatives of the brand, they are expected to know the ins and outs of products, what the brand stands for, and the future direction where the brand is going. They must act as experts within the space and establish credibility in order to answer customer queries and product troubleshooting effectively. A good grasp of the brand also allows them to convert curious visitors into loyal customers!
- Fast thinkers
In an online community where hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people converge, conflicting ideas are to be expected. Thus, an online community manager must be quick to diffuse any arising online arguments, lead irate customers to the correct internal resources and links, and impose and execute rigid community rules to maintain peace and safety within the space.
- Possess soft skills
Customers appreciate quick responses, but a huge part of effective communication means empathy, active listening, and when applicable, a sense of humor. They must be masters of engagement to keep the conversation going, while making sure customers feel welcome and heard. Online community managers must also be able to sense conflict, irritation, or other negative undertones from an exchange or a message and act accordingly to prevent this from escalating further. As such, it would be best if an online community manager has prior experience in customer support or related fields.
- Social media expertise
Trends are ever changing, platforms ever evolving. Online community managers must have a passion for social media. They must keep up with the quick change of trends. They might have encounters with a multitude of customers everyday that might ask about their social media platforms. On top of that, the community itself may evolve side by side with social media platforms. Of course, online community managers must lead, and not follow, in adapting to these changes.
Tips for Effective Online Community Management
1. What online community platform shall I use?
Social media platforms are mostly free, and it can be used to build your community. You can start in popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. You can also have more than one platform to cater to more audiences. With more platforms, you generate more followers, and expand your brand reach.
2. How do I identify my audience?
As an online community manager, identifying your audience is perhaps the most important part of building your community. It also influences the platform you choose to make your community flourish depending on how they choose to interact. You may collaborate with people in your team with data on the demographics of your loyal customers, their related interests, and spending habits. You can also use multiple platforms to cater to different audiences who all have one thing in common, which is supporting your brand.
3. How do I know what they want to see in the online community?
There are no shortcuts here–asking them directly is the key. You can use polls, surveys, posts, or basically anything that can generate direct feedback from your customers. The beauty of an online community is the easy access to feedback. You don’t even need any other software. You can use this opportunity to ask them what content they want to see. Also, you can immediately know what changes they would like to implement. Because of this, it also helps community managers keep up with the many trends of today’s digital landscape.
4. How do I know my online community is growing?
You can go with more sophisticated stuff like looking into social media analytics. However, you can also observe growth using basic metrics like increase or decrease in followers, likes, positive reactions and comments, and overall engagement. Remember, when a community manager successfully fosters engagement (and set rules), customers become more motivated to join you. Nonetheless, it can also be more challenging to manage a bigger community. As he community grows, more online community managers must handle it simultaneously.
5. What are some tips for effective engagement with community members?
The general rule in engagement is to make community members feel heard. It’s also important to make them feel that they belong. When community managers promptly respond to queries, it reinforces more members to ask questions. It also encourages them to help others in the space making engagement organic. Even simple words of gratitude and praise can work wonders in engagement! Lastly, it also sets the tone on how members must communicate on the platform.
Online community managers can handle multiple platforms for a particular brand, catering to users with diverse content preferences. Photo by bruce mars from https://unsplash.com
Outsourcing Online Community Managers
There are certain advantages in outsourcing your community management employees. Aside from the lesser costs in hiring a third-party online community manager, outsourcing can actually benefit your in-house team more. You can let your outsourced employees run the online community so your team can focus better on other priorities. These important matters include the direction or the next move of the business. Thus, you have more time innovating products based on feedback, and managing costs. On the side of the outsourced employee, they gain experience and grow careerwise. Moreover, if time allows, they can take in extra work without being tied down to one organization.
Process Ninjas
Process Ninjas is an outsourcing company that you can tap for your business needs, including online community management. We outsource competent and top-notch ninjas to address your concerns. Our team includes community managers, virtual assistants, customer support, and content moderators. You can even build your own team for your business’ unique needs!
Conclusion
Our need for belonging will always be at the center of our humanity, whether online or offline. Thus, it is important for online communities to continue to exist. They serve as spaces for people with common interests to converge, discuss, and find joy in sharing ideas. It is also essential that online community managers are well-equipped to make sure the community is growing and thriving.
For businesses, it continues to serve as an a tool to feel the pulse of their customer base. Moreover, it also gives them an opportunity to show that they listen and appreciate their customers. After all, they are the very people behind an entrepreneur’s success today and in the future.
For more information on our outsourced community management, visit www.processninjas.com.