Suzanne Marlatt
Edelman Digital
Twitter
@applegirl
Website
http://lovesfool.com
What is the most important part of being a community manager?
Flexibility. Community management is all about juggling 100 things at once and adapting your role as needed. You have to know when to shift gears and devote your time elsewhere, when you adjust a content calendar to include something more timely, and how to respond to customer when a conversation turns negative. Being able to adapt to all of the roles you have to play within the community is a huge strength.
What do you like best about being a community manager?
I thrive on meeting new interesting people and building long lasting relationships. Being a community manager allows me to be the natural extrovert I have always been.
Growing up I moved every two years, and would walk around the neighborhood to introduce myself to all of the kids in the area once we were settled in a new location. As a community manager I see myself doing the same things I did as a child. With each new community I make sure to settle in first and get acquainted with the members then I introduce myself and participate daily.
Tell us about a success story you’ve had as a community manager.
I once had a client that used “Check this out” and “Watch this” in every single Facebook update. While their call to actions were clear, they didn’t necessarily represent the brand and they didn’t encourage engagement or conversation on the page. With my team I reworked their entire content strategy using insights from what the community was talking about. With this new content strategy we received the highest level of engagement and interaction the page has ever seen. Nearly a year later the brand has continued to use my content best practices and is building stronger relationships with their community everyday.
Tell us about a job that helped prepare you to become a community manager and why.
During middle school and high school I worked in an amusement park running the main entrance. I was the first face every person saw as they entered the park and the last face they saw when they were leaving. I was their resource to direct them to their activities, help answer questions about the park festivities, and connect them with additional team members for further support. In a way this role mimics exactly what I do now as a community manager—I just don’t get free cotton candy anymore. 
Would you like to be featured as Community Manager of the Day?Be featured as the Community Manager of the Day on mycmgr.com and get your very own badge to show off your achievement on your own site.
Read more about Community Manager of the Day or fill out the Community Manager of the Day application.
