Community Management vs Social Media Management: What’s the Difference?

Within the age of social media, most model communities exist primarily on-line through social media platforms like Reddit, TikTok, Fb, or X.

So, whenever you consider neighborhood administration, you would possibly suppose the particular person accountable for that could be a social media supervisor.

Nevertheless, that might not be the case. There are literally vital variations between social media and neighborhood administration, although the 2 can go hand-in-hand. What are these variations? Nicely, hold studying to search out out.

Group Administration vs Social Media Administration

Listed below are some key variations between neighborhood administration and social media administration.

1. Completely different Targets

Group managers purpose to spice up model visibility and engagement. Additionally they work extensively towards a long-term objective of crafting a robust, supportive neighborhood across the model—which might take years.

Conversely, social media managers usually have sales-related objectives and are involved with social media ROI. They normally create or submit content material to redirect followers to the model’s web site, the place they’ll buy or carry out a particular motion.

Social media managers usually measure their success by monitoring conversion and click-through charges.

2. Completely different Tasks

HubSpot’s Principal Advertising Supervisor of Group, Erica Finley, says, “The largest distinction between neighborhood administration and social media administration is that neighborhood is peer-to-peer and social media is one-to-many.”

She mentions how she used to work for a model with a superb social media presence.

“The rapport was nice between the model accounts and the followers, and it created a really constructive model affinity,” she explains.

There was only one drawback.

“The downside, nevertheless, was that the followers didn’t have a spot to congregate with out us — to share their enthusiasm, trade finest practices, ask their questions, and strengthen their networks,” Finley says.

“Giving them a devoted neighborhood area with particular guardrails and particular rituals that we developed over time allowed them to flourish personally and professionally.”

In different phrases, neighborhood managers don‘t simply handle particular platforms; they create a tradition round their model that advantages the model and its shoppers.

Then again, social media managers are primarily involved with rising a model’s presence on digital platforms.

3. Completely different Abilities

Social media managers should be educated about social media tendencies, methods, and the present panorama.

They have to additionally have the ability to monitor social media metrics as they apply to every platform and use their findings to create or enhance a method.

Group managers require a special ability set. They have to possess glorious interpersonal expertise to construct and facilitate relationships between the model and its viewers.

Group managers should even be drawback solvers who can shortly, professionally, and seamlessly resolve battle or points within the model’s neighborhood.

4. Completely different Measures of Success

Social media managers measure their success in regards to the firm’s general yearly objectives.

So, if an organization needs to spice up gross sales by the top of the yr, a social media supervisor would test metrics to see if their social media posts satisfied individuals to make a purchase order.

If an organization needs to spice up net site visitors, a social media supervisor will analyze information to see what number of web site guests got here from platforms like Fb, Instagram, or TikTok.

Then again, measuring success for a neighborhood supervisor could be much less clear.

“Group efforts will not be onerous to quantify, however there’ll nonetheless be management groups who ‘don’t get it,” Finley says. “Group isn’t new, but it surely’s newer and fewer strictly outlined in enterprise settings than gross sales or digital advertising and marketing.”

Group managers usually focus much less on how their work led to direct gross sales and extra on model consciousness and the way usually individuals speak concerning the model on-line (and if the chatter is constructive).

Success is measured by how the model’s neighborhood grows in the long term and the way customers work together with the model.

How Group Managers and Social Media Managers Can Work Collectively

Group and social media managers can work in tandem to construct your model’s illustration, bridge the hole between the group and its target market, and drive gross sales.

Social media managers guarantee a enjoyable and interesting line of communication through digital platforms, whereas neighborhood managers construct rapport. Combine them each, and you’ve got a dream workforce.

Social media managers may also help hold neighborhood managers knowledgeable about what social media platforms work finest when speaking with goal shoppers and what finest practices on these platforms are.

From there, neighborhood managers can facilitate area for shoppers to interact with the model, community, and develop.