In the age of social media, most brand communities exist mainly online via social media platforms like Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, or X. So, when you think of community management, you might think the person in charge of that is a social media manager. However, that may not be the case. There are actually significant differences between social media and community management, though the two can go hand-in-hand. What are those differences? Well, keep reading to find out. Community Management vs Social Media Management Here are some key differences between community management and social media management. 1. Different Goals Community managers […]

So, you want to hire a community manager to help raise brand awareness for your company and better connect with your consumers. There‘s just one problem: You’re not sure how to hire a community manager. What qualities should you look for when hiring? Where can you find a community manager? Why do you even need one? Well, you‘ve come to the right blog because I’m about to explain all of that and more. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to hire a community manager. Why hire a community manager? 81% of consumers need to trust […]

Jenny Sowyrda, manager of community strategy and operations at HubSpot, shared a great analogy with me about community management: “As the community manager, you’re hosting a party. At first you have to welcome everyone, take their jackets, and offer them food or a drink. But once more guests start to arrive, you can make connections amongst guests who have things in common, and you can slowly pull back … to just being in the background.” Love it. It’s also worth noting that the party may look a little different based on the types of community management out there. So, let’s […]

A key decision when creating an online community is whether it’ll be free for members to join or if they’ll have to pay to access it. And, the model you choose can have a significant impact on how you end up running your community. This piece will be all about free vs. paid communities — I’ll explain what each one is, the pros and cons to each model, and dive into expert tips for choosing between the two. Table of Contents Free vs. Paid Online Communities Free Online Community Paid Online Community Owned Online Community Freemium Online Community How to […]

Brands build online communities around their target audiences. As consumer preferences change and technological advances offer more and more opportunities, community management strategies change alongside them. In this piece, I’ll go over community management trends to be aware of in 2024 and how you can adapt them for yourself. Community Management Trends in 2024 1. Hyper-Personalization A community management trend I’ve noticed most often is hyper-personalization, and I’m not surprised by this: Consumers’ expectations for personalized experiences have reached an all-time high, and this desire has grown within online communities. Consumers, including myself, want to feel connected to the brands […]

When I started thinking about the different types of online communities that exist, I felt like the possibilities were endless. After all, new communities pop up every day. Some are free, some are paid. Some are public, some are exclusive. However, based on what I know about community management, there’s a smart way to categorize these communities based on your brand’s engagement goals. Here’s a list of the main types of online communities for your inspiration. Top 6 Types of Online Communities Disclaimer: Some communities may overlap across categories or share similarities with each other. For example, a brand community […]