Building Online Communities with a Virtual Community Manager

Building Online Communities with a Virtual Community Manager

Oh, the internet, the world’s most important modern-day invention.

All thanks to the World Wide Web, companies and customers can now connect and interact in an instant on a much broader scale. This means better deals at cheaper prices in a fast-growing online community.

With online presence front and center, more companies are eager to grow their followers and position their brands. And that escalating demand around the web and the popularity of social media paved the way for one job: the Virtual Community Manager.

When your company’s image is disorganized and your content is not strongly delivered, it’s the Virtual Community Manager’s job to speak for the brand, build trust and engage your community of fans.

This role is about building connections between people and brands.

In this post, we’ll tell you more about being a Virtual Community Manager and how to start a career as one, so scroll down and continue reading.

Job Description: What Does a Virtual Community Manager Do?

A Virtual Community Manager is a professional responsible for building and keeping your company’s image, on and offline.

Basically, being a community manager is about fostering genuine relationships with your audience to build online community engagement using social media. They create, grow and oversee online communities.

Beyond that, this remote worker also tracks performance metrics and creates and curates content for your varying platforms; all to boost brand awareness.

What Does a Community Manager Assistant Do?

As the job title suggests, the role of a Community Manager Assistant is to provide assistance to the Community Managers in overseeing the daily operations. They perform a variety of responsibilities that include the following:

  • Take client calls
  • Manage order processing
  • Handle client issues
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Assist in planning events
  • Assist in the preparation of budget
  • Keep important records (bills, leases and security deposits)
  • Help with recruitment and training
  • Process requests from tenants
  • Respond to inquiries
  • Assist in social media campaigns and other marketing strategies
  • Prepare monthly reports
  • Collect rent
  • Schedule and coordinate work with residents
  • Conduct customer follow-up
  • Coordinate property management
  • Organize move-in orientations
  • Make copy forms for meetings
  • Draft letters
  • Delegate tasks to the maintenance staff
  • Schedule maintenance, repairs and inspections

Virtual Community Manager versus Social Media Manager: What’s the Difference?

Confused about what separates an online community manager from a social media manager? Everybody seems to, and it figures because these job titles both handle and engage with the online community.

But despite them being close cousins, these two roles actually have different tasks and responsibilities.

As discussed, a Virtual Community Manager is tasked to create a space or a community for people to talk about their ideas and experience. They manage virtual communities and help foster relationships. In short, they concentrate on communities.

On the other hand, a Social Media Manager manages social media platforms on behalf of a company with the objective of spreading positive brand experience. Ultimately, their main concern is the brand presentation and content.

Okay, the job specifications may seem quite similar, but it’s how they deal with their target market that makes a whole lot of difference.

While a Social Media Manager’s main focus is promoting products and services, a Virtual Community Manager covers the digital brand strategy. Though these roles may integrate, they still deal with separate responsibilities.

A Career as a Virtual Community Manager: Questions to Ponder

How Do I Get Community Manager Experience?

You can start with networking.

Interacting with people gets you an opportunity to gain experience.

You see, networking opens up many resources. For starters, you can attend industry events like tradeshows and conferences and meet industry people and professionals. Then, you can interact with community managers online who can give you so much advice at the start of your career, and may even lead you to volunteer work or several job openings.

Vying to be a Virtual Community Manager, you can begin in entry-level positions like marketing assistant and then, social media specialist. Having experience in sales, marketing, design and writing is ideal for this career path.

How Do I Become a Community Manager Online? And How Do I Get a Job as a Community Manager?

Virtual Community Managers hail from all parts of the world and are very diversed, but one thing they have in common is their profound understanding of public relations and marketing, and leveraging social media. These are the foundations of their success.

Here are some simple steps you can take to have the same triumphant career story as a Virtual Community Manager.

  • Develop Skills

    It’s all about having skills, right?

    If you want to be a Virtual Community Manager, then having a great skill set gives you a head start.

    In practice, the responsibilities of a community manager are pretty diverse, so developing skills in social media and communication is pivotal for the task.

    • Social Media

      Learning the ins and outs of social media is sort of fundamental for a community manager because these social platforms allow you to engage with customers right on and effectively.

      So, demonstrate your skills in how you handle your personal accounts. Afterward, you can follow company accounts to see how other professionals are doing it.

    • Communication

      Communication skill is a built-in attribute of a great Virtual Community Manager. You must learn to talk in clear, effective and unforgettable language.

      Establish your communication competency by constantly practicing, rehearsing conversations and engaging in active listening. In terms of nonverbal communication, you can take writing courses to hone your ability.

  • Background in Sales

    Companies love to work with people who are well-versed in social media and modern marketing strategies — it’s part of the job of being a Virtual Community Manager.

    Therefore, having experience in these areas allows you to fill the role of a community manager more effectively. Kickstart by taking marketing and sales positions to build your knowledge of industry standards.

  • Build Your Resume

    Your resume screams what makes you unique. Thus, we suggest creating one, with major highlights on relevant experience in community building and skills that match the job listing requirements.

  • Do Training

    The training requirements for Virtual Community Managers are typically very few.

    Since community managers often work with marketing and salespeople, training might mean observing a professional to gain better knowledge of how a company works and the approaches in its marketing and sales strategies.

  • Apply for Jobs

    Alas, after skills development and resume building, you can now start applying.

    With your rockstar resume, the chances of landing in the company of your dreams are raving.

What Skills Do You Need to Be a Community Manager?

The essential piece that makes these online communities tick is a community manager. They are the ones that produce a well-functioning community, effectively engaged and robust.

So, if you want to follow in their footsteps, you might want to hone the following skills below that every high-performing community manager has.

  • Communication Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Organizational Skills
  • Project Management Skills
  • Analytical Skills
  • Social Media Skills
  • Knowledge of Digital and Management Tools
  • Writing Skills
  • SEO Skills
  • Knowledge and Love for the Brand

The internet is constantly moving forward. And the same thing can be said about consumption patterns. This digital evolution tells us one thing, jobs around the web is thriving.

That’s why companies are actively pursuing community development and social media relations to keep a strong relationship with their audience.

You, being the professional who’s looking for a career as a community manager and having all the skills we just mentioned, will be sought after by many companies.

Rounding Up!

A community manager is the face of your company — they’re your eyes, ears and voice. They’re the ones who communicate your brand’s value to your audience, and to whom your customers engaged with.

Let’s face it, building an online community while keeping it flouring requires expert hands. Hiring a passionate and experienced Virtual Community Manager can deliver that sort of desired result.

So, if you want to put the pieces into place and create deeper connections between your company and your audience, you can start that journey right now, in just a few clicks.

Latest Articles