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

In the age of SOCIAL MEDIA, most brand communities exist mostly online through SOCIAL MEDIA platforms such as Reddit, TikTok, Facebook or X.

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So when you think about community management, you might think that the person in charge of it is a SOCIAL MEDIA manager.

However, this may not be the case. There are actually significant differences between SOCIAL MEDIA and community management, although the two can go hand in hand. What are the differences? Well, keep reading to find out.

Community Management vs. SOCIAL MEDIA Management

Here are some key differences between community management and SOCIAL MEDIA management.

1. Different goals

Community managers aim to increase brand visibility and engagement. They also work hard on the long-term goal of building a strong, supportive community around the brand – which can take years.

Conversely, SOCIAL MEDIA managers often have sales-related goals and are concerned about SOCIAL MEDIA ROI. They usually create or publish content to direct followers to the brand’s website, where they can make a purchase or take a specific action.

SOCIAL MEDIA managers often measure their success by tracking conversion and click-through rates.

2. Different responsibilities

HubSpot’s Chief Community Marketing Manager, Erica Finley, says, “The biggest difference between community management and SOCIAL MEDIA management is that community is peer-to-peer and SOCIAL MEDIA is one-to-many.”

She mentions how she used to work for a brand with a great SOCIAL MEDIA presence.

“The relationship was great between the brand account and the fans, and it created a very positive brand affinity,” she explains.

There was just one problem.

“The downside, however, was that fans had nowhere to gather without us – to share their enthusiasm, exchange best practices, ask their questions and strengthen their networks,” says Finley.

“Giving them a dedicated space in the community with specific fences and special rituals that we developed over time allowed them to thrive personally and professionally.”

In other words, community managers don’t just manage specific platforms; they create a culture around their brand that benefits the brand and its consumers.

On the other hand, SOCIAL MEDIA managers are mainly concerned with increasing the brand’s presence on digital platforms.

3. Different skills

SOCIAL MEDIA managers must be familiar with SOCIAL MEDIA trends, strategies, and the current situation.

They also need to be able to track SOCIAL MEDIA metrics as they apply to each platform and use their findings to create or improve strategy.

Community managers require a different skill set. They must possess excellent interpersonal skills to build and facilitate relationships between the brand and its audience.

Community managers must also be problem solvers who can quickly, professionally and seamlessly resolve conflicts or issues within the brand community.

4. Different measures of success

SOCIAL MEDIA managers measure their success against the company’s overall annual goals.

So if a company wants to increase sales by the end of the year, a SOCIAL MEDIA manager would check metrics to see if their SOCIAL MEDIA posts convinced people to make a purchase.

If a company wants to increase web traffic, a SOCIAL MEDIA manager will analyze the data to see how many website visitors came from platforms like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

On the other hand, measuring success for the utility manager may be less clear.

“Community effort isn’t hard to quantify, but there will still be leadership teams that don’t understand it,” says Finley. “Community is not new, but it is newer and less strictly defined in business environments than sales or digital marketing.”

Community managers often focus less on how their work led to direct sales and more on brand awareness and how often people are talking about the brand online (and if the chatter is positive).

Success is measured by how the brand community grows over the long term and how users interact with the brand.

How community managers and SOCIAL MEDIA managers can work together

Community and SOCIAL MEDIA managers can work in tandem to build your brand representation, bridge the gap between the organization and its target audience, and increase sales.

SOCIAL MEDIA managers ensure a fun and engaging line of communication through digital platforms, while community managers build rapport. Mix the two together, and you have a dream team.

SOCIAL MEDIA managers can help keep community managers informed about which SOCIAL MEDIA platforms work best when communicating with target consumers and what are the best practices on those platforms.

From there, community managers can facilitate a space for consumers to engage with the brand, network and grow.