Community Management for your Brand

community management strategies for online engagement

Many people think of a community manager and social media manager as one and the same. However, there is a distinct difference between the two. A social media manager interacts with customers as the brand, through the brand’s social media accounts. Community managers, on the other hand, act as internal brand ambassadors who advocate for the brand and reach out to potential customers from a different account. But how does community management actually affect a brand?

Grow your Customer Base

Social media managers interact with existing customers, while community managers help brands find new ones. So while the social media manager is entertaining those already onboard, the community manager is looking to increase the audience. This allows community managers to grow the brand’s customer base.

Increased Visibility

With a second pair of hands on deck to get the brand’s message across, companies can expect greater visibility through increased awareness of the product. Community managers also inspire a grassroots-level engagement by reaching out to customers and potential customers, on an individual basis. These new customers have a need for the product or service but did not know about the brand and its solutions.

Boost Credibility

Since many people don’t know a community manager is more than a brand ambassador, they’ll see that having someone else advocate for the brand boosts credibility. And credibility gets a stronger boost when the community manager develops a following. For instance, the PR guru for Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Tracy Nguyen, advocates for a better image of her clients by posting her side of their story online. She portrays them as friends and responsible parents with strong family values. Giving a different perspective than what the media portrays of the West-Kardashian mash-up.

Brand/Reputation Management

While the social media manager focuses more on customers interactions, a customer manager keeps an eye out for other untagged mentions from anyone – whether they are a part of the brand’s community or not. This provides the company with opportunities to catch negative comments and resolve the issue before it spirals out of control creating a PR crisis. It might also result in a new customer.

Sourcing Influencers

Because of their wider reach, community managers are in a better place to source brand influencers, than social media managers. These brand ambassadors help to build and distribute the brand’s message to the masses translating into more sales and familiarity in the media and other public spaces. Not every brand requires community management, especially for smaller brands with smaller communities. However, for larger brands who could use the extra helpers catering to brand management and community-building, the benefits are well worth the investment.

Written by

Leigh Ann Ambrosi

Leigh Ann Ambrosi leads the Consumer Lifestyle division at 5W. With over 25 years of experience, she is a seasoned expert in brand development, publicity, and media relations. Whether shaping strategy, restructuring workflow, handling multiple clients or managing budgets big or small, she effects change with a constant eye towards producing results. Prior to joining the 5W team, Leigh Ann was Executive Vice President, and Chief Administrative Officer at Magrino Public Relations for over nine years. While at Magrino, she oversaw the Consumer and Food, Wine, & Spirits divisions, and managed the operations of the agency. She was responsible for signing new clients, strengthening existing client relationships and programs, and providing oversight for brands including Martha Stewart, Hunter Douglas, SCOUT, The Ranch, Vaughan, Flybird Cocktails, and Horse Soldier Bourbon, among others. Her passion for her work is paramount, which positions her as a strong mentor to junior staff, inspiring them to a higher level of performance. One of her many accomplishments previous to her agency work include a career in book publishing publicity and marketing, where she created multi-platform marketing campaigns that encompassed advertising, events, social media, buzz marketing stunts, publicity, brand building, and strategic partnerships. During her tenure in publishing, she helped to build the brands for authors including Mario Batali, Deepak Chopra, Jillian Michaels, Tyler Florence, Haylie Pomroy and more. Leigh Ann holds a degree in Mass Communications, with a minor in Journalism, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She lives with her two kids in Maplewood, NJ

View all articles by Leigh Ann Ambrosi →

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