Cocomore job check: What does a Community Manager do?

Kimberly: Christian, what exactly do you do as a Community Manager at Cocomore?

Christian: One of my main responsibilities is supervising our clients’ social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, etc. The extent of support varies from client to client. For some pages I am “only” responsible for replying to comments and messages, for others I am in charge of sharing posts and ads. Additionally, I create posts and write editorial calendars, which are used as a basis for publishing posts. I also take care of maintaining the pages and making sure that they are regularly updated with content.

Furthermore, as part of the editorial department, I am responsible for composing texts in general: This includes, next to social media posts, writing newsletters and any kind of web content.

What does a typical work day look like?

It depends on the number of short-notice inquiries that come in and how active users are on the individual pages. Usually it’s like this: First thing in the morning I check my e-mails, then I go through the various pages to see what has happened over night. After checking my tasks for the day I prioritize what has to be done by when. This list is the schedule for the day. However, if last-minute assignments come in it is indeed possible that this schedule has to get completely revised. Here, one thing is important: Keeping cool, because rushing things can easily cause mistakes.

What else is important in your line of work?

In my job you often have to switch from one thing to another – this can be exhausting, but also makes it exciting. Furthermore you have to be appropriately responsive to fans and followers. And aside from the social web you have to be able to work in a team, because a lot of times Community Managers work with other departments. This way, I collaborate with the creations department and PR quite a bit.

What do you like about your job?

That it’s versatile. There is a lot to organize and you have to keep track of everything, which is what I would consider the technical part. Then there’s the creative part: It’s very important to me to develop my own ideas and being able to realize them. It’s a lot of fun to come up with posts and see how well they are received. And there is also the part which is best described as “movement”: There are constantly new platforms and features on social media, so you have to stay up-to-date. It is always exciting for me to familiarize myself with new topics.

Are there things that annoy you sometimes?

Yes, for example when Facebook simply gets rid of features overnight and I find out about it the next day when I am trying to use them – after all, they were there the day before. Or, of course, when things don’t work how they are supposed to.

How should a Community Manager behave when fans are upset?

Obviously, this happens. It’s important to see things from the perspective of the person writing the message or comment. And to remain professional during the conversation, even if the other person is emotional and annoyed. It’s always a good start to show the user that he is being taken seriously and that his problem is being taken care of. Although, despite the anger someone might feel towards a brand or a product you should keep in mind, that people on the other end are only human as well.