The perfect Community Manager – is there such a thing?
What makes a good community manager? If there was a simple answer to this, many of us may be out of a job!
It’s a question we at SWOOP Analytics are regularly asked. A few days ago, I received this email:
"Good news! We have approval to hire a Community Manager for Yammer. So we are going to expand our team 😊.
Now I would really like your advice on the profile that fits a community manager.”
I popped the question on our Viva Engage network and got loads of responses from my colleagues, but I also wanted to tap into the brains trust on LinkedIn and ask the experts who run Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) every day. I’ve been a blown away by the response. The knowledge people have shared in this post needs to be captured!
So, I’ve pulled together some advice on the most important skills, mindsets and experiences you should have in mind if you really want to make your Viva Engage, Yammer or Workplace from Meta network a space for game-changing conversation where sustainable communities flourish.
Whether you’re in the lucky position to be able to hire a dedicated Community Manager, or you’re thinking about how you might refocus your current time or team to make the most of your ESN, here’s the top tips we’ve come up with and gathered from the fabulous minds in our network:
Now look back at the heading of this blog post: The perfect Community Manager – is there such a thing?
What do you think now you’ve considered all the things we’ve outlined above? Is it feasible that one person can bring all of these factors fully-formed?
I think it’s probably a stretch to expect there to be a perfect community manager out there. It’s asking a lot for one person to excel across each of the factors outlined above but I think you could reap outsized rewards if you focus on these factors and expand your thinking beyond the default “must be someone with X years of internal comms experience” mindset.
So go expand your search! Seek a humble, empathetic and curious facilitator with a passion for creating inclusive communities, as well as the adaptability and tenacity to repeatedly make the business case for community as the core of communication and collaboration. Easy, right? ;-)
Note: Special thanks to all those who shared their thoughts on this topic via my post on LinkedIn. I hope I’ve effectively captured a flavour of what you each contributed.
Here’s some suggested reading/watching for you too – a few blog posts and case studies touching on how to run a successful ESN:
To find out more about the importance of community management and creating a thriving community, please reach out to SWOOP Analytics.