Marketing comes in many shapes and forms. From people handing out flyers to blockbuster commercials, there are countless ways to get a message out to people. One of the most popular marketing methods in the growing digital world is online community management. Simply put, online community management involves building a steady group of followers online and guiding them to brand loyalty. Large corporations and brands update their social media regularly to make sure their customers (who are all on social media) see their product and its benefits.

Online community management is essential in the modern world. With a heavier focus on social media and online communication, it’s essential to have a powerful presence online. By keeping a regular presence online, one can establish brand loyalty and track their specific markets.

The Pros:

Usage of analytic software can give companies a good glimpse of what their target market looks like. Tracking demographics (location, age, gender, etc.) is an extremely useful technique, especially with market research. It can provide a quick glimpse into how companies can target their specific markets effectively. It’s common to see brands online follow trends, too. Any large trend on Twitter or Facebook will typically have a few posts from larger brands to capitalize on the opportunity. It’s a highly effective tool that can generate a strong amount of followers and a loyal customer base.

The Cons:

With all that online community management has to offer, it also has its unfortunate downsides. Online community management is tough to start up – it requires constant updating all the time. Usage of software like HootSuite helps to plan tweets/posts in advance, but it doesn’t account for keeping up on trends. It can be very difficult to have one consistent voice throughout all of your posts, as well. Being not only consistent and appealing to your brand can be quite time consuming. Building a community can be difficult, as a smaller page will typically only have a few likes/followers – this can be frustrating, as the same activity from the same people can be seen constantly through the brand. Advertising on social media can be very expensive, too. To have a tweet sponsored, it costs around $200,000 in US dollars.

One way to manage your brand without having to go through all the trouble of dealing with these frustrations is to hire an agency. While it can be costly, it’s the most effective way to get your social media presence established. Agencies keep track of trends and update your social media regularly to make sure you’re not only sending your brand message, but also promoting your product in the most effective way possible.

Online community management is the future of marketing. Being able to track the demographics of an entire community as well as appealing to their needs based off trends is key in today’s fast paced society. The potential for new revenue streams lie within online community management. It’s clear that this is a trend that will continue for years to come.