The Community has been in recent times the fashion profession; When it came to redirecting their career and finding a way out, many chose to start training in the area of social media management. However, lately we heard little or nothing about this figure, which makes us think, was it really a profession of the future? Why has it stopped generating expectation?

The importance of the Community Manager as “person in charge / responsible for sustaining, enhancing and, in a certain way, defending the company’s relations with its customers in the digital field, thanks to the knowledge of the organization’s strategic needs and The interests of customers … and that according to the Association of professionals of community management and social media (Aerco) is still as much or more necessary than ever.

But why does not the Community Manager figure sound as much as it used to?

Many were those who faced the emergence of new profiles of social media professionals among those who were the Community manager were critical to point out that it was simply a fashion profession, fleeting with the risk of repeating the history that happened in the past With popular and well-known webmasters. However, as you do, you have them, and even if your figure moves away from the media sphere and you do not talk so much about them, their functions and their work, they are still equally indispensable.

Perhaps the emergent figure of the independent Community Manager has evolved towards integrating solutions from consultants and companies specializing in the management of social profiles. In this way, many companies outsource such services, and the community manager becomes integrated into multidisciplinary teams, but where it continues to play an important role.

Its work, a priority for companies present in social networks

Social networks continue to be a powerful marketing tool, requiring professionals who know their intricacies thoroughly and are able to take full advantage of the company. On the other hand, they constitute a two-way communication channel, which are mainly used by customers to approach companies, in order to be able to talk to them from you to you. Without forgetting its effectiveness as customer service. Given this reality, the figure of the Community Manager is as much or more important than ever, since every day companies are more aware of the need to have an effective presence in Social Media, and to show their closest part to the consumer.

However, in mentioning this name we can not avoid that our mind also has a series of negative connotations, of events and names of dubious reputation, that make question its effectiveness and know-how that the profession implies.

This is the case of those pseudo Community Managers who, despite the lack of knowledge and skills, have been able to detect the opportunity that the great demand in the market supposes, and have started to try to occupy a job in this sector. Once in it, they have come face-to-face with their own ineptitude, and have had to abandon, leaving stained the reputation of the real professionals in their path, and undermining confidence in the sector of the brand that was good to hire them.

We also find companies that do not appreciate the value of this profession and leave the online reputation of their company in the hands of fellows, employees of other departments, without training or experience, or even the rescued “cousin”, who “understands a lot of those things”. The result of his actions is usually similar to the case explained several lines above, with the consequent discredit of the entrepreneur in this of the social networks.

If to this we join the low quality training offer that, taking advantage of the wind in favor to launch free courses, or at most low cost, they manage to launch low cost professionals into the labor market; We continue to worsen the already black future of this activity.

All these circumstances inevitably influence the prestige of the profession, helping to avoid talking openly about it, although in fact it remains as much or more necessary than ever. Fortunately there are both highly qualified professionals and a first-rate training offer, as well as associations that look after the defense and care of the figure of the Community Manager, in order to recognize the value of this profession and remain so in force or More than the first day.

As long as the Social Media exist, it will be necessary for the Community Manager to exist to manage them. Yes it is possible that its capabilities evolve, given that we are facing a sector that changes day by day, but will know how to adapt and reinvent itself with it.