Personalities Needed

A key ingredient to a successful online community is personality.  Personality goes a long way in any situation.  While beauty may be important to many people, it is as they say only skin deep.

So if your online community appears to be managed well, then yeah, you probably will attract a good crowd, but once members start engaging and trying to connect they will soon realise that beauty is not enough.

It’s not only important that a community manager has personality, but also that his or her personality matches that of the community.

Simply put – the community manager should be an enthusiast of the topic he or she is managing.

Once this is established, the personality bit should come easy.  Personally, I know if I am asked to engage people on a certain topic that I am enthusiastic about I am able to do it with flare.

Here are some quick tips on how to let your personality shine through:

Be friendly – Talk to your community as if you were speaking to your mates.  This will make everyone else in the community feel comfortable to do the same; which in return will let other personalities shine through.

Be opinionated – Don’t just post a topic and be done with it.  Let the group know what you think about it while also encouraging them to share their thoughts.

Be thoughtful – Try to put yourself in your members’ shoes.  Think about what they would want and if you aren’t able to come up with an answer, then ask them.

Community management is all about ensuring that there is a safe platform for members to communicate.

Once that is established, the community manager can blend in with the members and have fun networking!

Online Communities for Everyone

Sometimes too much of a good thing can be overwhelming.  Just the other day I was in the grocery store shopping for some cereal.  Seems like a simple task, right?  Well, it wasn’t!

I stood there for 30 minutes starring off into the cereal abyss.  There was just too much – too many colours, too many flavours and way too many cartoon characters trying to lure me into their sugary coma.

I finally gave up and just grabbed one.  As I was walking to the checkout point, I started thinking of when variety works.

Variety in online communities is a definite must.  No one should have to settle for a community that is only so-so.

The whole point of a social community is to be able to learn, grow and interact – no one is going to participate if they don’t feel satisfied.

So how do you find that perfect online community? First, you should decide what type you are searching for.

B2B and B2C offers you two choices. You can choose from communities that serve their market and/or communities that serve their customers and clients.  These external communities open the door for people to discuss their interests, concerns and ideas.

Internal communities serve their employees and partners. Say goodbye to the suggestion box! Employees and partners now have a safe platform to speak their mind (within reason of course). This type of community is designed to create a strong relationship within the business.  After all, happy employees equal happy customers.

Melting pot communities – or better known as hybrid communities – are all of these delightful platforms blended together. If you can’t choose just one, pick the community that gives you everything.  The advantage of these communities is that the individual has more power.

One last thought, if none of these communities peak your interest, go out and make your own.  That’s what is so great about the digital world! You can create your own community that tailors to your needs.

Trusting Businesses One Online Community At A Time

Trust and loyalty are probably two of the greatest qualities a person can have.  And unfortunately, these days they are the least likely qualities to find.  The world is becoming much more cynical and a lot less welcoming.  I remember when I was a kid we use to leave our house unlocked, help out a stranger in need without feeling threaten and even leave the car running if we had to run into a shop real quick.  Now, granted, I do come from a small town. Population around 500 – if that.  So I understand if not everyone can relate to this idea of ‘trustworthiness’; however now I can’t understand where it went.

I miss the days where if a person said something then it was good as gold.  Nowadays we shrug everything off as if words are meaningless.  With this ideology, businesses have it pretty tough.  If it’s hard for me to trust an individual, then it is sure as heck going to be hard for me to trust a corporation.  With that being said, my cynicism is slowing slipping away.  I’m beginning to look at businesses differently and I’m more willing to try their product or service because I believe they really do want me (the consumer) to benefit from what they have to offer.

Online communities give me the trust that I need to become a loyal customer.  The best way to trust a brand or believe that a product works, is to hear about it from a regular Joe.  While cutesy commercials are entertaining and listening to a celebrity talk about something is inspiring, it’s not enough to make me trust a business.  Of course their commercial is going to praise them and of course the celebrity is going to swear by the product – if you pay me enough, I’ll convince you that grass isn’t green – but seriously hearing another regular everyday person talk about a product, makes me want to try it.

When businesses take advantage of online communities they are sending a message out to their consumers saying, “hey, we may not be perfect, but at least we are willing to listen to what you have to say about us.”  And to be honest, that’s really all I need.  I don’t want some flashy gimmick or some beautiful person telling me what I should do, I want to make my decision on my own.

An online community allows me the chance to actually get my questions answered from a business and read what other people have to say about the product/service.  Businesses shouldn’t be scared of receiving bad reviews – those bad reviews are what makes me trust the company.  If they are willing to allow the good and the bad to be posted, then I believe at the end of the day regardless of what anyone says about them, they trust their product/service.  That type of confidence is enough to make me do the same!

 

Welcome to Your Online Suburbia

What do you look for in a community?  Could it be security, friendship, maybe support?  Think about it.  When you are looking for a place to settle down and call home, what type of community do you want?  Personally, I would want one that provided me all of those qualities.  I want to feel safe, have friends I can rely on and support from my neighbours.  So why would I expect anything less from my online community?

I want my online community to provide me with security – the type of security that allows me to feel confident and safe to post my personal ideas and thoughts.  Not everyone is as excited or willing to start up a conversation with complete strangers, but if the community’s platform is managed correctly then people would be more willing to dive into a conversation or start one of their own.  It’s all about making the members feel like what they have to say is not only interesting, but necessary.  Community Managers can do this by asking questions and posting relative topics about the industry that the community is formed around.  Getting off topic can leave a lot of members wondering, “why did I join this group to begin with?”

While you may not develop the typical type of friendship in your online community that you would in the ‘real world’, you will definitely form business friendships.  Online communities can help people network better than ever before because you are guaranteed to meet people who are currently in your industry.  This offers you the option to explore different opportunities within your field; which could ultimately result in a career change or a chance to expand your business.  The more people you connect with who are also in your industry provides you with a business friendship that can stretch out across the world.  Understanding how different people operate within your selected field will help you become an expert in your profession.

Support has to be the most helpful quality an online community can offer you.  The business world is so competitive that at times we do not connect with out colleagues as much as we may want.  We are too worried that they could steal our ideas and pass them off as their own; or even worse they could view our questions as ignorance and try to use our weaknesses against us.  I know that sounds a bit harsh, but when you think about it, if there is an opportunity for a promotion and the candidates are you and one other person there is no telling what you or the other person would do in order to secure that position.  So, online communities takes all that stress away!  In your community you can share ideas, discuss best practices and get opinions on how you should better perform.  It truly is a win-win situation!

Calm Down Facebook, Change Isn’t Always Necessary

It is interesting how Facebook stays at the top of the social media ladder while continuously pissing its users off.  Every time Facebook makes a change, my news feed is flooded with status updates about how much they hate the change.

You know what I’m talking about – “seriously Facebook, quit changing” or ” wow, thanks Facebook, once I finally get use to you, you go and make more changes” or my personal favourites, the more abrasive tone, “F YOU FACEBOOK CHAT”.

So why does Facebook insist on constant change?  None of the viewers are asking for it – in fact it appears to be the complete opposite, they are asking for less change.  Facebook was perfect when it was a simple social networking site, when the goal was to stay connected with friends and family members from all over the world and to reconnect with those who we haven’t spoken to in ages.

But now, it feels like bad medicine forced down our throat.  Well, maybe not that extreme, but I do find myself rolling my eyes and sighing at the screen an awful lot.  I don’t need Facebook to suggest people I may know, if I knew them or wanted to be connected with them, then I would be.

I also don’t need Facebook to automatically tag people in my photos for me – that’s just creepy.  I find myself spending more time untagging Facebook’s mistakes rather than keeping the tags they made.

And what’s up with this new subscribe button?  To quote Jay Dolan, writer of The Anti-Social Media blog, “Let’s call it like it is: Facebook’s subscribe button is the latest piece of crap in Facebook’s war to take over the entire internet. It’s poorly implemented, poorly communicated, and holds little value for the average user.”

With all this said, I’m not trying to bash Facebook.  I love what Facebook does and how it works, but with all the unnecessary changes it constantly makes, it worries me that I will eventually grow to hate it.

Just keep it simple Facebook, you don’t have to be every social media rolled into one.  We like you just the way you are.

 

Show Them What You Got

The job market is tough right now and as a recent graduate I know that all to well, so how do you stand out from the rest?  How do you prove that you can do the job better than the next guy?

It is all about how you market yourself; especially in my industry.  I can tell a company all day long that I am the perfect candidate for the position, but until they see it for themselves they won’t be convinced.

Convincing them is the difficult part.  Since I am a recent graduate, I do not have the experience that most companies are looking for – at least so they think.

Yes, it is true that I have not worked for an official company as a Community Manager; however my unique degree in Digital Marketing has trained me to do what most people in the field have learned simply through self teaching.

Furthermore, my studies go far beyond books and lectures.  At Hult IBS, I participated in several action learning projects.  I wrote a digital marketing strategy brief for Positive TV, served as Community Manager for London Bistro Club and presented 3M with creative ideas as to how they can use Facebook to brand their automotive car detailing products.

Hult gave me more than just knowledge, but also hands on experience – the exact experience that companies are looking for, so my goal right now is to prove to employers that the above experience equals to the experience that they are looking for.

It is all about marketing yourself.  If you can’t market yourself, then how can you make a company believe that you can market them?

This is why I stay active on all social media.  I personally blog, outreach to other bloggers, tweet and manage my social media by keeping it clean and organised.

If companies can see that I do all of this on my own for my personal life, then surely they will see that I can do the same for their company.  For me, being a Community Manager would not just be a job, but my passion.

So, how do I stand out from the rest of the job seekers?  To be honest, in a lot of ways I don’t.  We are all passionate job seekers maintaining an active voice in social media, but what can put you head of the class is how you deliver yourself.

Find new ways to market yourself, be professional but don’t be scared to let your personality shine through.  Show them you can do more than just the job required, show them you can bring a lot more to the table than just your professional skills.

 

 

The Making of a Good Community Manager

What makes a good community manager?  Seems like a pretty basic question and basic questions normally have basic answers; however a good community manager isn’t someone who just performs the basic tasks.

Basic tasks of a community manager is managing all social media channels by providing informative posts, creating brand awareness and engaging the audience through quick responses.

Pretty simple, right? Inform, awareness and engage – we do this on a daily basis in our personal life.  We tell people about what’s new in our lives, share our likes and dislikes and respond to their questions or suggestions.

While these factors are what are required to be a community manager, a good community manager brings in a variety of other qualities.

Personality – No one wants to feel like they are talking to a computer or some form of auto response system.  People want to talk to people.  Adding personality to posts and responses will make the audience feel more comfortable.  The more comfortable an individual feels, the more likely they are to trust you; and as we all know trust leads to long lasting loyal relationships.  So how do you add personality to your posts?  Be creative!  Talk to them as if you were speaking to a mate.  Be funny, lively and honest.  You can do this while staying professional, but the whole idea of social media is to have a more personal relationship with your audience versus professional.

Listening – A good listener is hard to come by.  We have all felt at times that while someone may nod their head up and down, they really aren’t listening.  Simply responding to someone doesn’t meant you are listening.  You want to prove to your audience that you are listening, then use what they are saying.  Take their suggestions and run with it.  Don’t just say “okay” or “that’s a great point”, ask them more about what they are saying.  Ask for examples and more details – anything that proves that you not only understand what they are saying, but that you are also interested in it.

Writing skills – Coping and pasting posts just aren’t going to cut it.  You need to create your own posts and being a good writer can help with this.  Add flare to what you say and be aware of how you say it.  You want to make sure your message conveys the correct tone.  Knowing what words to use and how to write them can go along way.

Knowledgeable – Know the company you are working for as if it was your own.  Just knowing the ends and outs of social media isn’t enough.  The better you know the company, the better you can sell it.  This will help with speedy responses to the audience’s questions or suggestions.  You may know how to write the answer better than the company, but if you have to search for the answer then you are wasting valuable time.

These are just a few qualities that will help to make a good community manager.  At the end of the day, a good community manager depends on the individual.  There is only so much a person can be taught.  Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you can do it well.

In general, have fun with it!  Community manager is a unique position, so treat it as one.

Digital Marketing – It’s What I Do

I’m constantly asked by friends and family what exactly am I doing in London.  As my mom always puts it, “She is doing some super marketing course”.  And to be honest, that is pretty much what it is!   

It’s marketing on steroids.  I’ve been trained to use the different social media platforms that are available to target individuals.  My speciality is Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter is an excellent use for customer service.  Customers can tweet issues that they are having with a particular product or service and the company can respond accordingly.

Everyone hates dealing with customer service.  You normally have to dial a number that isn’t free, sit on the phone for almost an hour and once you finally reach someone they aren’t really helpful.

Twitter cuts out all the frustration.  The company can respond quicker and solve the problem more efficiently.

Facebook is ideal for learning more about your target audience.  A company can do this by viewing people’s likes, their statuses and anything they post onto the news feed.

This is really great for companies because they don’t have to guess any more; and the consumer doesn’t have to get spammed (as much) with loads of content that does not interest them.

While some times Facebook adverts can be a bit creepy because they know you just to well, at the end of the day I find them quite useful.

Social media is just my emphasis, but I have taken courses that cover all sorts of different topics.

My international marketing course allowed me to work within a group where we provided a digital marketing plan for the company PositiveTV.  We put together a brief full of suggestions and explanations.  Once the project was completed, we were able to present our findings to the heads of PositiveTV.

It was such a great experience and rewarding because the owner of PositiveTV was very interested in our ideas and implementing them.

Other courses I have taken consist of project management, digital marketing optimization, advanced social media and as many of you know digital publishing.

I’m excited for the next module because I will begin my action learning project with 3M and start my course in creative industries.

So to sum up, digital marketing is basically promoting products and services using the internet, mobile and other interactive connections.

I’ll Take My Social Media To Go, Please

It took me a long time to jump on the smartphone band wagon.  I always told myself once I became a professional I would get me a Blackberry or iPhone, but as a masters student in digital marketing I have found myself needing a Blackberry more than ever.

So about a year ago, I purchased my first Blackberry.  While I am very appreciative of it and don’t know how I survived without it before, I definitely do not call it my ‘crackberry’.

I take advantage of my Blackberry – not the other way around; which was the main reason it took me so long to purchase one.  I  didn’t want to be one of those people that was constantly on their mobiles.

My Blackberry seriously just makes my life easier.  Since I am perusing a career in social media, I need to constantly tweet, check my LinkedIn profile and even blog on the go.  Having my Blackberry makes all of this possible for me.  I am no longer a slave to my laptop.  I can go out and enjoy the day while still staying on top of my social media.

eBooks Versus Books

I must admit, I’ve never been much of a reader.  As a child I much preferred writing my own stories instead of reading other people’s; however I was always astonished by how my sister could loose herself in a book.

The sun would be out, kids would be playing, but she would be inside cuddle up on the couch reading one of her many Babysitters Club books (I never saw the appeal).

Books were too much work for me.  If I had to decide between carrying a toy with me or a book, the toy would win every time.  As I got older I began enjoy reading much more, yet I still couldn’t be bothered with carrying books around.

I did most of my reading online.  I could sit at my computer for hours reading articles, previews on Google books and blogs.  So you can image my excitement when eBooks came out.

I could now put all my favourite publications in this handy little device and carry them around with me everywhere.  I just simply found eBooks to be more convenient.

My sister on the other hand, does not agree.  She swears that she will never purchase an eBook.  She loves the feeling of an actual book in her hands, she loves turning the pages and she even love the way an old book smells.  I believe it’s nostalgic for her; and if I would have gotten into reading at an earlier age then I probably would agree with her.

But for now, eBooks definitely get my vote!  If you are interested in learning more about eBooks, check out this post about the advantages of eBooks: Top Benefits of eBooks.