It’s Not About You: Community Managementfor a Brand

Jessica Spiegel &

Jennifer Dombrowski

Jessica Spiegel Currently:

• Freelance writer

• Freelance social media/community

manager

• Plansify community manager

• Italophile, singer, Sazerac enthusiast

Former:

• TBEX community manager

• BootsnAll community manager & staff

writer

• American Cancer Society community

manager (pre-internet)@andiamo

jessicatravels.com

Jennifer

DombrowskiCurrently:

• Social media strategist and

communications manager for Grand

Canyon University

• Blogger and content creator

• Shoe-lover, Northern Lights chaser,

oenophile, hiker

Former:

• Customer experience manager

• Employee training manager

@jdomb

jdombstravels.com

What is a community manager?

storyteller

marketer

insights

forager

customer

liaisontherapisthost

What is the brand’s community goal?

marketing

content

customer

service

public

relationseducation

fun

Consumers today expect customer service

over social channels.

of consumers now

expect companies to

provide customer service

via social media.55%

15%increase in the churn

rate for existing

customers.

Failure to respond via social channels leads to

Synthetix 2012/Gartner 2013

“The community decides when it’s a

community. You don’t.”Mitch Joel, Digital

Marketer & Author

Community Strategy Development

Tools for Community Strategy

It’s Not About You

● Go with the plan (even when it’s not yours)

● Brand sets the social tone

It’s Not About You

● Grab company name on all platforms, &

then go where the audience is

● Be a social media diplomat

● Remember: You’re not the decision-maker

● Go with the plan (even when it’s not yours)

● Brand sets the social tone

It’s Not (Just) About You

● Do not share only brand content

● Do not share only brand content

● FTLOG, DO NOT SHARE ONLY BRAND

CONTENT

It’s Not (Just) About You

Community Teamwork

Benefits of Teamwork

• Diverse interest areas

• Focus on different social

platforms

• Tight-knit team will always

outperform individual

superstar

• Extended service hours &

real-time marketing

32% of people who had ever attempted to

contact a brand, product, or company through

social media for customer support expected a

reply within 30 minutes.

SproutSocial “The Social

Habit” Report 2012

Community Teamwork

Benefits of Teamwork

• Diverse interest areas

• Focus on different social

platforms

• Tight-knit team will always

outperform individual

superstar

• Round-the-clock attention &

real-time marketing

Challenges of Teamwork

• Maintaining one brand voice

• Cross-posting, multiple posts

• Thinking someone else is

taking care of it

• Wait, who answered that

question?

Tools for Community Teamwork

Knowing When to Shut Up

(AKA Crisis Management)

● Pause schedules during world events

Knowing When to Shut Up

(AKA Crisis Management)

● Pause schedules during world events

● Don’t make everything a marketing opportunity

Knowing When to Shut Up

(AKA Crisis Management)

● Pause schedules during world events

● Don’t make everything a marketing opportunity

● Don’t mix business with pleasure

Knowing When to Shut Up

(AKA Crisis Management)

● Pause schedules during world events

● Don’t make everything a marketing opportunity

● Don’t mix business with pleasure

● Make sure accounts are secure

Knowing When to Shut Up

(AKA Crisis Management)

● Pause schedules during world events

● Don’t make everything a marketing opportunity

● Don’t mix business with pleasure

● Make sure accounts are secure

● Don’t try to have the last word with trolls

● Understand hashtags before using them

“For the last time, brands of the internet, pay

attention to what you’re doing. Or just do us

all a favor and stop tweeting.”

Jared Keller, Mic.com

It’s Not About You...

...Except When it Is.

ευχαριστώ

Jessica Spiegel

@andiamo

@italyexplained

jessicatravels.com

italyexplained.com

Jennifer Dombrowski

@jdomb

jdombstravels.com