If a business wants to build a real online presence, they need to have a community. From blogs to picture sharing sites, if you look at the majority of the biggest sites on the Internet, a devoted community is the one thing they all have in common. The reason this type of community is so important is because it consists of the people who will help your online presence to grow. While you can accomplish a lot through search engine and social media marketing on your own, things move a lot faster when there are other people contributing to your efforts as well.

Although building a strong online community should be at the top of your to-do list, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy task to accomplish. Getting this type of community up and running takes a lot of hands-on effort. Since getting a community to where you want it to be is all about momentum, it’s important to avoid neglecting it. However, since this task is just one of many that you have on your plate, it may not be possible for you to handle everything that your community needs in order to flourish.

Even though you may not be able to do it on your own, the good news is that doesn’t have to spell disaster for your community-building efforts. Instead, it simply means that you need to have a community manager who can take care of all those tasks for you.

Does a Community Manager Really Need to Be Full-Time?

When a business decides they’re going to hire a community manager, the first decision they have to make is whether to hire someone on a part-time or full-time basis. It’s actually fairly common for businesses to initially assume that a part-time manager is fine for this role. The most common reason they make that assumption is because they simply don’t realize how much work actually goes into building a great community.

As you may have guessed, if you’re serious about building a community that’s going to continue driving positive results for your business, a part-time community manager isn’t going to cut it. Instead, you need someone who’s going to be fully immersed in this role. Although hiring a full-time community manager may seem like a steep expense, it’s actually one of the smartest investments you can make in your online marketing strategy.

By making this position a full-time one, the manager you hire will be able to fully immerse themselves in the community they’re building. That will allow them to be far more effective at providing the highest level of member service. It also means that because they’ll be respected and trusted by the community, their direct influence will be able to drive actual sales for your business.

Could your company save time with social media management services? Web Strategy Plus offers a free quote or consultation to help you identify the areas of your marketing plan that need improvement. Learn More