"I'm a Community Manager" — a phrase rarely heard just a few years ago.
A web 2.0 role, the Community Manager (CM) is responsible for establishing a brand (or public figure) on social media and building an online community around it.
Being a Community Manager means enjoying human interaction and being passionate about the web. The downside of this role can arise when a company tries to micromanage everything the CM does. Being a Community Manager requires creativity and innovation, so the company must have genuine trust in the employee.
What training is available?
Very few programmes train students exclusively as Community Managers. In fact, many schools offer community management as an option or as a standalone course.
Digital Campus is a web school that has been quick to identify the careers of the future. That is why we include community management courses across all our programmes, so that students can develop a 360-degree understanding of all web-related professions.
- Bachelor Web: for students at post-Bac, Bac+1 or Bac+2 level
- Intensive Cycle Bachelor: a 1-year bridging programme for students holding a BUT MMI (multimedia and internet professions degree) or equivalent
- Master's in Digital Marketing; Master's in UX Design; Master's in Big Data: for students at post-Bac+3 level
- Professional programmes: in short or modular formats for professionals.
What qualities are required?
First and foremost, the key quality of a Community Manager is being a strong communicator. They must have impeccable spelling and grammar. They must have good judgment and be empathetic in order to avoid offending people or triggering negative buzz (bad buzz). They should be creative and ideally comfortable creating visuals using tools like Photoshop.
Finally, one essential requirement for the CM is to respect the brand's editorial guidelines. A humorous tone might be seen as inappropriate for a serious news organisation.
What are the responsibilities?
The Community Manager has several responsibilities (depending on their situation: whether they work at a web agency or within a micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise, etc.) but their primary role is to bring the brand closer to its consumers., First and foremost, the CM must remain constantly vigilant about what is being said online.
They must continuously monitor the web to prevent negative buzz. They must also identify the social media platforms that will be most useful for their company, as these can vary depending on the sector., They will create their own community spaces to manage the online community and encourage engagement.
What salary can you expect?
A Community Manager's salary can vary depending on several factors. First, their remuneration will depend on their employment status — whether they are freelance or salaried. The company they work for also plays a role, as pay varies between a start-up and a web agency.
Salaries are also generally higher in the Paris region than in the provinces. The final factor is experience. On average, a CM earns approximately €27,000 gross per year.