Customer engagement platform
Digital-first, omnichannel platform built for enterprises
Digital-first, omnichannel platform built for enterprises
Agent efficiency, automation, and operational insights
Self-service support, education, and collaboration
Content management, publishing, and governance
Create a space for customers to get answers, connect with peers, and share new ideas
Connect with customers on SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp, & more
Chat with customers in real-time or anytime on your website
Start the conversation with automation, increase agent efficiency, triage, & more
Protect your brand & drive loyalty across social media and review site
Orchestrate social campaigns that drive business results
Understand social trends from customers, the market, and competitors
Find, curate, and share the best social media content
Deflect inquiries to messaging channels and self-service communities
Automate conversations with our intuitive drag-and-drop platform
Supercharge agents with AI tools & intuitive workflows
Build brand awareness with a user-generated knowledge hub
Drive higher conversion rates and more revenue
Secure solutions to keep customer information safe
Cutting-edge tech to innovate and inform your customers
Deep insights to keep a pulse on customer demands
Real-time capabilities to stay connected with consumers
An integrated platform to nurture the customer journey
Our in-house experts in social media and community management for Khoros customers
More than onboarding and implementation, this is where our partnership begins
Increase satisfaction and improve product adoption with complimentary training.
CX Confessions, the definitive podcast for digital CX leaders
Guides, tipsheets, ebooks, on-demand webinars, & more
Integrations to connect with your customers, wherever they are
Technical overviews and links to developer documentation
Join us for webinars and in-person events
Insights, tips, news, and more from our team to yours
Case studies with successful customers to see how they did it
Connect with 70K+ customer engagement professionals
A customer experience podcast with Khoros Customers
Check out our social content and follow us on every major platform
20+ years experience, built from Spredfast and Lithium
Meet the team that leads the team
Press releases and other announcements
Data integrations for better customer experience
We’re hiring — come build the future of customer experience
Need anything? We’re here for you
Our commitment to do more and do better
Digital-first, omnichannel platform built for enterprises
Agent efficiency, automation, and operational insights
Self-service support, education, and collaboration
Content management, publishing, and governance
Create a space for customers to get answers, connect with peers, and share new ideas
Connect with customers on SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp, & more
Chat with customers in real-time or anytime on your website
Start the conversation with automation, increase agent efficiency, triage, & more
Protect your brand & drive loyalty across social media and review site
Orchestrate social campaigns that drive business results
Understand social trends from customers, the market, and competitors
Find, curate, and share the best social media content
Deflect inquiries to messaging channels and self-service communities
Automate conversations with our intuitive drag-and-drop platform
Supercharge agents with AI tools & intuitive workflows
Build brand awareness with a user-generated knowledge hub
Drive higher conversion rates and more revenue
Secure solutions to keep customer information safe
Cutting-edge tech to innovate and inform your customers
Deep insights to keep a pulse on customer demands
Real-time capabilities to stay connected with consumers
An integrated platform to nurture the customer journey
Our in-house experts in social media and community management for Khoros customers
More than onboarding and implementation, this is where our partnership begins
Increase satisfaction and improve product adoption with complimentary training.
CX Confessions, the definitive podcast for digital CX leaders
Guides, tipsheets, ebooks, on-demand webinars, & more
Integrations to connect with your customers, wherever they are
Technical overviews and links to developer documentation
Join us for webinars and in-person events
Insights, tips, news, and more from our team to yours
Case studies with successful customers to see how they did it
Connect with 70K+ customer engagement professionals
A customer experience podcast with Khoros Customers
Check out our social content and follow us on every major platform
20+ years experience, built from Spredfast and Lithium
Meet the team that leads the team
Press releases and other announcements
Data integrations for better customer experience
We’re hiring — come build the future of customer experience
Need anything? We’re here for you
Our commitment to do more and do better
This blog was co-authored by guests Ashley Smith, Social Media Manager, and Brian Oblinger, VP of Customer Experience and Global Community, from DataRobot. Together, Ashley's and Brian’s teams work to create a cohesive community experience across multiple channels.
The role known as “Community Manager” has followed a winding path shaped by the forces of companies trying to successfully engage their customers online. It used to mean solely a manager of a branded community, it is now used by many to also include social media managers.
As approaches, technologies, and channels have matured, the role definition has been stretched to encompass many different purposes and functional tasks. This has led to misunderstandings, sometimes even controversy, regarding the ownership, scope, and definition of adjacent roles that have adopted the title.
The truth is that both community and social media roles serve your global community in different ways through different channels. There are clear differences in tactical approach and day-to-day responsibilities, but that doesn't mean that they can't work together to foster a vibrant ecosystem of engagement and belonging for customers.
A social media manager has the crucial role of managing the overall digital brand presence while also working to create content and engage with the brand’s audience on social — essential pieces of the marketing strategy puzzle. They also set the strategy for the brand’s social media efforts with regard to the building and maintaining of partner relationships, deciding when to follow and join social media trends, and using social media management tools to monitor brand activity on social.
An effective social media manager can improve brand awareness, help acquire new customers, and build brand loyalty. While social media managers rely on data to strategize, creativity (in terms of content, strategy, and engagement) is an important part of their role, too.
A community manager’s main role, on the other hand, is to build and maintain relationships between the brand and its customers within the community platform. Community managers also curate community content and relay findings on what the brand’s community members care about to the organization as a whole. An effective community manager improves customer support and retention while building brand loyalty and sourcing ideas for innovation.
No matter the title, community manager or social media manager, each person in each role works to help your brand succeed on social, and with the right support, the roles can complement and support each other.
From a business value standpoint, a symbiotic relationship between those who work in branded communities and those who work in social networks can have amazing results. Community provides timely and relevant content to the social team, which in turn can lead to promotion, traffic, and engagement in community.
Where customers choose to interact and to what depth should not be viewed as a competition in your organization, rather a recognition that your customers have different needs. Your global strategy should include both and success should be reported in a unified way to signify the value of the ecosystem you’ve built.
Rather than spend time arguing about titles or the definition of a Community Manager, companies should instead focus on creating a cohesive customer experience that spans all touch points. Your customers don't care about the politics inside of your company or what your title is on LinkedIn, they care about getting help when they need it, feeling that you care about them, and belonging to something bigger than themselves. If it is your job to contribute to those desires in a meaningful way, your efforts should be recognized and celebrated all the same.
To learn how your brand can deliver excellent customer experiences across social media networks, branded communities, and other critical digital channels, read the Khoros whitepaper: 7 Customer Service Strategies for Highly Effective Teams.
Crowdsourcing Customers: Using Social Validation to Acquire and Delight More Customers
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