photo cred: Shandi-lee Cox
This was one of the scariest moments of my career.
Actually, it wasn’t really a moment…it was more of a period of time.
I blogged, I branded myself, I built up credibility for my voice and words…I even convinced myself of how super awesome and knowledgeable I was. Â Then I landed that community manager position and suddenly…
I was lost.
Helpless in darkness, aimlessly engaging across facebook groups, twitter feeds, blogs and forums just looking for those tiny bits of interaction that made me feel like I was getting closer to the light at the end.
I didn’t know how to start my day or how to end it. Â I didn’t know where to go, or who to talk to. Â I didn’t know how to plan a strategy out or how to set real goals.
You may not have had this experience, but I’m sure a lot of other community managers have. Â Especially if they’re like me and didn’t let inexperience stop them from jumping with two feet into the crazy, up and coming industry, that was social media.
All the while, my bosses who are all jazzed up about hiring a brand spankin new community manager have high expectations! Â They don’t know exactly what I do or how I do it, but they are thrilled at the idea that I can bring the masses together to lovingly surround their brand with marshmellowy community goodness.
Oh shit.
What do I do? This seemed a lot easier when I was looking in from the outside. Â I can’t get a community going. Â One day after another just wasted away, lacking in any consistent accomplishment.
I felt lost. I felt useless, incompetent and scared. Â I was in over my head.
Here’s what I learned from my experience:
1. Mentors are lifesavers.
Building a strong mentor network has been the smartest thing I’ve done in my career.
People like John Yamasaki and Beth Harte helped be get through a lot of tough times as a community manager.
It’s okay if you don’t know something. Â What matters is what you’re doing to figure it out. Â Mentors. That’s how. Â Find people that you trust, who believe in you. Â Respect them, and don’t abuse their time.
2. Patience is paramount.
Patience unfortunately isn’t something that gets too much respect in the business world.  In the world of community management however, it’s vital.  No community will ever be built over night.  It takes time.
You as the community manager will need to take time to become engrained in the space. Â You have to speak the language of the community. Â You have to understand the ebbs and flows of the space.
You have the incredibly difficult task of creating real relationships between people. Â It can take months or even years depending on the audience that you’re connecting. Embrace the journey. Â Take the necessary steps to build a community the right way and it will pay off in the long run.
3. You won’t get results from something you don’t try.
I’ll admit, I was afraid to try a lot of things. Â What if it didn’t work?
You have to train yourself to ignore that fear and embrace the risk. Â The only way you’re going to see results is by doing something. Â You may have to spend some money. Â You may have to call in some favors. Â But just DO something. Â Either it will work, and you can keep doing it, or it won’t and you’ll learn.
The one thing that really killed me was I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Â I wasn’t being paid to do nothing. Â I was being paid to do something, regardless of whether or not it ended in success or failure.
4. You can’t expect your boss to know why they hired you.
A lot of community manager discussions revolve around defining the title itself. Â That’s a problem. Â A title should exist because a need warrants it. Â You shouldn’t have to figure out what it is that a community manager should do. You should have things that need doing, and hire the person who can do it best. Â Simple as that.
Unfortunately, a lot of companies are hiring community managers without having any idea why they need that person.
If you feel like you’re constantly working to justify the existence of your position, then something is wrong. Â It should be clear why you’re needed.
5. It’s not necessarily your fault.
In the end, we ditched the company. Â Seems I, the community manager, wasn’t the only one finding it hard to build traction. Â When a product can’t get any traction in itself, building a community around it will be that much more difficult.
To that point, it’s a lot easier to rally people together and build a community around a company that everyone loves to begin with. Â Hell, if the product is good enough, the community might even form on its own.
This experience was one of the driving forces in my decision to cofound this website. Â I want to make sure that any other community managers who find themselves in the position that I found myself in has a place to turn to for help. Â I want TCM to be that place.
Have you ever found yourself in this position? Â What did you learn from it?
David Spinks, Co-Founder TheCommunityManager.com was a part of the TCM team from the site's inception through 2014. He utilized TCM to create the first CMX conference in San Francisco in February 2014, and then ultimately severed ties with TCM and its co-founders.
TheCommunityManager.com, CMXSummit and LetsFeast.com. Lifelong student, community builder and writer.
Hit. The Nail. On the Head. Great post davidspinks!
Thanks @DavidSpinks for sharing the highs and lows of engaging in social media
COULDN’T AGREE WITH THIS MORE!!! As someone who was recently hired for internet marketing and research work (and have touted for years that he is an internet marketing pro!), when reality strikes and the job is before you, the challenges up close can be overwhelming. These tips are right on!
Yeah, I think a lot of it has to do with managing expectations too.
“You can’t expect your boss to know why they hired you.” – money quote on this post IMHO 🙂
“When a product can’t get any traction in itself, building a community around it will be that much more difficult.” – Indeed, you can’t build a community around shit 🙂 If there’s no human aspect and nothing compelling about the product, doesn’t matter what you do really – from a community perspective, you’re swimming against the current. Worse yet, you risk damaging your own brand/reputation in the business – In this gig, picking your clients/products is crucial (if you’re in it for the long run that is).
This is a fantastic post, David. Like others have said, it truly hit the nail on the head!
Great post David !!! no community manager, however good he or she may be, cannot build a community around a product or service that sucks. And before we do all the planning and strategy, the first prerequisite for any CM is to love the company’s product/service, how can we expect other to like it if we dont like it ourself. As a newbie myself, one important lesson I learned is that, we need to speak both the language of the C’ peeps and our community!!
I suspect many businesses and community managers believe there is a “right way” – some established perfect process that ‘everyone’ uses. They would be wrong. This is all new and there is no one right way. There are many. Together mentors and collaborators can share the best of what works and warn each other about the pitfalls of what didn’t. Those who work together will find great strategies and teach each other. And part of that will be learning how to characterize what we do so that businesses can better understand the value, how long it can take, and why it is all worthwhile. Until then, ‘keep on keepin’ on’ connecting with each other and learning.
Best post I’ve read today! This entirely sums up how I feel many times when approaching the subject of social media and the directions we should go with certain aspects of it. Thanks for the tips… I sure can use them!
Oh man, I could have used this a few months ago if I could have read through my tears of frustration. Thanks so much for tips. I can still sure use them now!
@nuprinz well I’m sure you’re much stronger now because of the experience.
You come out with any good lessons/advice for others that have been through this experience?
@francesforeman thanks so much! I’m glad to see other community managers and social media professionals admit that sometimes, you’re lost. It doesn’t mean you you’re a bad person or bad at your job. It just means that there are some things you still don’t know.
@GrowMap Love it. That’s why we built this site. To bring community managers together to help each other. Thanks for the comment Gail (=
@Fisherish It’s true. And even believing in something yourself isn’t necessarily enough. A lot of companies have a really cool concept, but they’re just not a good market fit. A community manager won’t change that no matter how good they are.What a community manager can do however is understand the community, listen to them, and learn how the product needs to change to become a fit.
@JeromePineau of course, it has to be something you really believe in… something you’re willing to fight for.
Thanks for the comment Jerome.
@CalebGalaraga yea that first wave of responsibility and expectations is scary as shit. Once you get through that though… it gets better usually.
Good advice! I’ve learned that the position, and social media itself is constantly changing…just keeping up can be a full time job on some days! Some days I spend hours just reading other blogs, articles, tweets and comments…and what I’ve learned is that it’s OKAY to spend those hours…heck, it’s even necessary. Learn, listen, read…and remember to keep track of whatever analytics are available. The numbers may be quite small at first, but it takes time. If you end each week with a look back, you’ll start to see your accomplishments.
@a72bmw Oh good, I dont feel so bad spending so much time reading on the topic/industry as well then! 🙂
Really great post! Thank you.
Thanks David. This is a great post. As a fellow community manager I agree the product or service has to create an emotional response with consumers. Personally, I would never act as community manager for a product I don’t believe in. Why? Communities grow around ideas, feelings, and a shared system of beliefs. If the leader of the community is spewing falsehoods the community will sense it. Really good community managers understand how products resonate with consumers and have a unique understanding about the culture one needs to foster for the community to strive.
Cheers!
@DavidSpinks in my company we see using social media as an addition to our Business Development division. It really does go hand in hand in my experience. Developing a relationship online with a potential lead by sharing experiences, insight and humor certainly does warm up a cold call.
@DavidSpinks I think it was finally finding a peer mentor who sat me down. She assured me I was not insane. I was not going to get fire me for just sitting in front of blogs and article. II was silly not to take risks in a company that welcomes mistakes to learn from. Then, most recently, I discovered the Community Manager group in Chicago (#CMGRChi). Its been really inspiring to think I went from feeling incredibly lost to really inspired in a matter of a few weeks.
In short, Find your “community” of Community Managers, there out there. And they’re helpful!
Well done!
@DavidSpinks just read your post again on gaining strength from community and really appreciate it – nice work
Precisely why I’m working with my alma mater on a track for this, and it will include each of the areas highlighted in this post. Thank you, David.
I know exactly what you mean, and no it’s not your fault. I’ve been there, and if a CM hasn’t then they will. There’s no roadmap for CMs. Other than my book, I haven’t seen any type of book that really focuses on community managers specifically, and my book isn’t really a manual for CMs but a ‘this is what community management is’ type of book. It’s still a relatively new discipline. In ten years, those of us in the trenches now will be teaching in colleges, but for now we’re figuring it out on our own. At least you’re in good company 🙂
@jennyweigle love it! Let me know if I can help.
@duzins Books can only guide you anyway. The only way to really learn this stuff is to go through experiences like this.
@GregMeyer Thanks Greg. Really glad it’s helpful.
@DavidSpinks @duzins Agreed 🙂
This article is right up my alley! I still don’t have a clue what the hell I’m supposed to be doing as a CM for a site on-line; where to go, who to talk to, what to do to effectively do my job.
I’m in over my head, but that’s nothing new! Thanks for this article-it really does good to read that someone else was as lost as I am. Hopefully that will change in time.
Thanks for this article! it really helps me to know that I’m not the only one who feels lost in this position-where to go and how to do it effectively.
I couldn’t have found this article at a more perfect time – thank you! I recently accepted a new position as a community manager and had a total “what did I get myself into” moment a few weeks into the job. Finding this website has been the highlight of my week! It’s reassuring to know others found themselves in similar situations and managed to pull through.
@lhridge Hey if you need any help just send me a holler – happy to assist if needed. No worries, you’ll do just fine.
@lhridge So happy that you’ve found it helpful. That’s why we started this site. Please let us know if you have any specific questions we can help with.Or email any time. Spinks at zaarly dot com.
Really glad I found this site at ridiculous o’clock on a Sunday evening when I’m bracing myself for the week ahead, thinking about all the things that I have to cram into my days & how I can do that, plus strategically plan for the mths ahead! Thank you for making me realise, it’s not just me!
God, I needed this.Ă‚Â I just stumbled across this site and lordy does it feel good to know I’m not the only one who feels like they’re swimming upstream in an invisible river!Ă‚Â THANK you!
 @theshaktifier really glad you found it helpful.  Feel free to email any time you want to chat.  dspinks5 at gmail dot com
great article! great to know I’m not the only one… still trying to figure out which way to run yet!
@fioblanchard – just dont run here then 🙂 http://www.socialmediayousay.com
Thank you so much for this. I’m sort of in this situation myself at the moment, and it’s great to read this.
@JessYin Let us know if we can help.  You can post in the discussions on this site, or join the G+ community: https://plus.google.com/communities/110762904068223316820