Community Managers Seek Recognition According To Latest ACM Survey

Coworkers analyzing data on digital tablet on desk
Edward Pollitt
By Edward Pollitt
SHARE
THIS



Those that manage the online communities that assist businesses, community groups and governments feel misunderstood, and now they are demanding better.

The third Australian Community Managers Career Survey, released today, portrays an industry with an identity crisis.

“Despite online communities and community management pre-dating social media by more than a decade, it is yet to be fully realised as an industry, with confusion with social media a key factor in its identity crisis,” said Australian Community Managers (ACM) co-founder Venessa Paech.

“This confusion is stubbornly persistent; acutely in Australia, where social media platforms are the dominant site of community building and there are fewer owned communities than other international markets.

“The industry needs to push back by building greater strategic alliances to grow understanding and recognition of its key role as a distinct, value-adding professional practice.”

The titles of community professionals span from a community manager, to head of community, to social
business manager to social media manager, with many others between.

Despite the prevalence, just 22 per cent of community professionals say their role is understood and valued by the organisations they work for or with.

Additionally, one in three community professionals (31 per cent) find it challenging to measure their success with the tools available.

Community professionals are also struggling to deal with an increasing disconnect with platform providers.

Platforms are classified as dedicated community software, such as forums, as well as social networks such as Facebook.

ACM points out that although not specifically designed for community building, the popularity of these social media networks means they are used regardless.

The top concerns with these platforms are community management tools, moderation tools, platform design, users’ data privacy, content regulation and organisational data security.

Despite the range of concerns, just 13 per cent of respondents said it was easy to communicate with the relevant platform when an issue arose.

In addition to technical problems, remuneration is an issue for community professionals.

40 per cent are paid below the ABS’s national average of $82,436 annually, with the average salary for community managers between $70,000 and $100,000.

Just four per cent are paid over $150,000, while three per cent are paid below $31,000.

You can read the full report here.

Please login with linkedin to comment

acm community managers Social Media

Latest News

72andSunny Unveils First Campaign For Plant-Based Drink Brand Australia’s Own
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns

72andSunny Unveils First Campaign For Plant-Based Drink Brand Australia’s Own

Freedom Foods and 72andSunny Sydney have launched the first advertising campaign for Australia’s Own range of plant-based beverages. The campaign introduces a new visual world and identity for the brand and captures the healthy, positive feeling you get when spending time in nature and when consuming Australia’s Own certified-organic, plant-based beverages. As well as featuring […]

Are You Paying Too Much In Search Marketing?
  • Partner Content

Are You Paying Too Much In Search Marketing?

Are you paying too much for search marketing? Discover the awful truth here. Or, alternatively, look at the invoice.

Partner Content

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Nine APAC Finalists In One Club’s Young Guns 19 Competition
  • Advertising

Nine APAC Finalists In One Club’s Young Guns 19 Competition

Nine creatives from APAC are among the 94 finalists from 27 countries in The One Club for Creativity’s prestigious Young Guns 19 competition, celebrating international creative professionals age 30 or younger. The finalists from APAC are: Hiu Ching Kung, graphic designer, Hong Kong Lam Ieong Kun, graphic designer, illustrator, indego design, Macau Raxenne Maniquiz, graphic designer, illustrator, Santa Maria (Philippines) Kiyotaka […]

Adflow’s Regional OOH Coverage Expands By 60%
  • Media

Adflow’s Regional OOH Coverage Expands By 60%

OOH transit company Adflow has announced the success of the first phase of its regional expansion program. Adflow’s regional footprint has increased by 60 per cent to now include 65 regional locations. With 9.1 million people living regionally in Australia (growth of 1.1 per cent experienced in the 19/20 Financial year) and most regional centres […]

Freshworks Starts Trading On Nasdaq, Valued at $13.7 Billion
  • Technology

Freshworks Starts Trading On Nasdaq, Valued at $13.7 Billion

Freshworks, a leading software company, has started trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, marking an important milestone for the company. The company priced its IPO at US$36 per share (AU$49.76), raising about US$1 billion (AU$1.4B), resulting in a total market capitalisation of AU$13.7 billion  (US$10B). Freshworks, which was founded in India, has strong roots […]

SLIK Announces Four New Key Hires
  • Marketing
  • Media

SLIK Announces Four New Key Hires

Independent creative agency, SLIK, has made significant changes to its full service creative offering with four hires across management, creative and production.

How Retailers Can Maximise Their Results This Sales Season
  • Marketing
  • Technology

How Retailers Can Maximise Their Results This Sales Season

Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is the biggest player in the holiday shopping game and Google’s most recent research suggests consumer interest for the peak sales season starts much earlier than retailers may realise. The pandemic has fundamentally changed buyer behaviour over peak sales season, with Google suggesting that global consumer interest in Black Friday […]