Generally, a community manager has a degree in something related to marketing and communication. In many countries, a degree now exists for this career.

But regardless of their academic preparation, these are the characteristics that any good community manager should have:

1. Good communication skills

A community manager has to appropriately communicate the company’s message.

That is why this person has to be someone who understands how the user thinks and feels.

They have to understand the characteristics of the target market and know the correct tone for addressing them.

It almost goes without saying that the community manager also should have impeccable spelling and grammar, because just one Facebook post with a spelling error or unclear message can spark a wave of criticism.

2. Excellent service-oriented attitude

No matter how healthy and responsive an online community may be, there will always be disgruntled users or trolls.

Dealing with angry users and clients who use social media to air complaints is never easy and doing it assertively and tactfully requires a large dose of empathy, patience, and service orientation.

The client and the company’s positive image must come above everything else.

3. Goal-oriented

Being a community manager is not just about responding to messages and posting the company news. It is about making real commitments to short-term and long-term growth.

For example:

• By what percentage should the fan page followers increase this month?
• What amount of growth in conversions from social media should be achieved with this campaign?

The magic of digital marketing is that its results are perfectly objective and measurable, and a social media professional should never lose sight of this.

4. Enjoys technology and innovation

All digital marketing professionals share this trait. They should be truly passionate about new technologies and trends that are determining the future of their field, because how else can they stay competitive and on the cutting edge in an environment that is constantly changing and evolving?

5. Creativity above all else

Finally, a good dose of creativity and originality is indispensable. It is not just about “going by the book”.

A community manager who dares to innovate and experiment can get extraordinary results with minimal resources, or even create trends through social media strategies.

What tools does a community manager use?

Mainly social media, which at the company level generally already has a designated suite for data analysis and ad management.

However, there are many other tools that are designed to manage various social networks, schedule posts and respond to automated messages all from one place. Some examples are Mlabs, Hootsuit and Buffer.

Additionally, a community manager normally needs a good task organisation tool to plan their editorial calendar, especially if they work on a team. Two good options are Asana and Slack.

Finally, Google Trends, Ubersuggest and Answer The Public are just three options for exploring what people are talking about and what information they are searching for.

How to find the best community manager for a business?

Marketing needs are different for every company and start-up. At Workana, hundreds of professionals who are experts and social media management can be found.

Each one has a very different profile, experience, and professional skills. The ideal community manager is definitely out there among Workana’s great community of freelancers.

To find them, follow these simple steps:

• Identify the current needs of the company.
• Log in to Workana and create a detailed, clear project.
• Select the two or three best proposals and contact the freelancers.
• Ask them for an hourly compensated test run in which they analyse the company’s current online situation and propose a plan of action.
• Choose the strategy and freelancer that best adapts to the company’s needs.

How social media can serve a company

Here are some examples of projects in the community management category on Workana.

It is clear the different activities of a community manager are versatile and the range of proposals is very broad.

So, create a project and begin building an online community to grow sales and scale the business with a personalised digital strategy.

The five best community managers on Workana

If you’re seeking only the best, here are five profiles of HERO-level community managers. You can contact them directly or invite them to bid on your project:

The people at Workana have the commitment to help you grow with the help of the experience and quality of their best freelancers.

You now have all the information and advice you need to find a community management ally to free the potential of your brand’s network.

Click here to find out more about Workana to start hiring or enlisting as a freelancer.