Social Media Manager or Community Manager?

Among all the new professions that the web has helped create, I have chosen to talk to you about the difference between a Community Manager and a Social Media Manager. Why?

Whether you are looking for the right person to manage your company’s image on the web or you are a marketing enthusiast looking for your path, it is important to know a little more about the role of each one. Some web professions are still too unknown, and whether we are the employee or the employer, the right job title allows us not to underestimate or overestimate a role in a company.

Small disclaimer: This article does not encompass all possible and unimaginable cases. Not all companies have a marketing department with a complete team. I am not saying that a CM (community manager) cannot do the job of an SMM (social media manager) and vice versa.

| Community Manager

The Community Manager is, by definition, the person in charge of managing a brand’s community, most often on social media. Among his main tasks (among others) are:

• Creation and publication of content (photos, videos, Instagram stories, etc.),
• Responding to comments,
• Message management,
• Monitoring statistics (number of followers, engagement rate, etc.),
• Organizing events for the community (contests, quizzes, live sessions, etc.).

A CM’s missions will also depend on his situation: if he is a freelancer, if he works in a communication agency for several clients, if he is part of the marketing team of a single company. However, his goal will always be to maintain good relationships with his community and to develop engagement.

| Social media manager

The Social Media Manager is more focused on strategy. He is asked to establish his communication plan in the long term and to establish his strategy around the attraction of new prospects and leads. His main tasks are most often:

• Management of a brand’s e-reputation on the web and social media,
• Implementation of a social media strategy (in agreement with the company’s marketing direction),
• Strategic planning for the implementation of actions (optimization of referencing, forecasting and publication of content, etc.),
• Monitoring KPIs (website audience, number of subscribers, engagement rate on all networks, positioning in Google SERP, etc.),
• Competitive monitoring.

The Social Media Manager’s objective is to understand the reactions and behaviors of his community in order to launch relevant campaigns. This monitoring is also necessary to detect negative content such as disputes, criticisms or questions that can lead to crisis management with a bad buzz.

| Which one for your company?

Generally, the roles between a CM and an SMM are confused. However, they do not perform the same tasks and do not meet the same needs for your company.

If you are simply looking for online presence, management of your social networks and/or creation of links with your community: a Community Manager is what you need. If this is not enough for you and you really want to invest in your digital marketing for your brand image on the web in general (media, website, social networks, partnerships, etc.), a Social Media Manager will be more appropriate. In large companies, we often find both positions with the Community Manager implementing the strategy designed by the Social Media Manager.

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The development of the web and social networks requires companies to invest in their marketing for their brand image. This development leads to the need to find the people who will meet your expectations, and for that, Netino by Webhelp can help you! Do not hesitate to contact us here to get more information.