Community Managers: Strategists, not machines

I always reiterate that the “Community Manager is a strategist” and in this post I wanted to return to the subject (practically in all my publications I say), because it seems that in the middle has not yet understood this; Or at least not in the Colombian context, which is where I move.

The implementation of an Internet-based communication project must always be linked to previous strategic planning; But today, because of the facilities offered by the network for the creation of content, in many companies or brands do not intervene people with academic training in Professional Strategic Communication, to be able to address their virtual communities grouped around social media.

Community Managers are not machines that update states, publish tweets or upload other kinds of content such as images and videos, accounts in social networks that we manage, We are “strategists” and as such we must act. Therefore, to obtain a correct functioning of the virtual community of a brand established in social networks, it is essential that there is a thorough knowledge of the specific environment of the brand by the professional in charge.

It is also necessary, in addition to the above, to have established the profiles of the public to know how to work and how to address it; And although sometimes that knowledge of the audience is acquiring to the extent that it interacts with it, it is always better to be clear at the beginning what the target of the brand and its characteristics.

And in general, the more data you have, the more that the Community Manager has designed to manage a digital reputation through interaction with your target audience on social networks, creating a community of loyal followers, as it is Surely your work will have more chances of success.

This is an action of people who relate to people, so it must be borne in mind that the messages issued must always be supported in the strategy formulated to properly position the brand in the market (understood as a group of individuals) and obtain a Positive reputation; And these must also be interactive, hypertextual and mutimedia, as it is in Web 2.0 where the Community Manager finds its habitat.

The Internet offers multiple communication tools and if you want to be loyal to an audience, the communicator must leave his traditional role as simple informer to become a strategic professional that represents brands and interacts with their markets through social networks.