Sculptor: Data, clients, your image; all need sculpting. You must sculpt your image, especially if you’re up and coming or you have a lot of competition. People need to be able to not only identify you, but associate you with something good, like good customer service, because it will be an uphill battle if you are working with negativity in the brand’s image.  Sculpt your data to show anything from engagement timeframes, traffic to the site, and over all spread of the brand.

Traffic Cop: Whether we like to admit it or not, this is also known as dispatch. We may not know all of the answers, but we do know all of the people with the answers. This involves us having to send tweets, copy Facebook posts, and other things that we find so we know how best to respond. I am in marketing, I have no idea about technical BDR issues…but I know where the support team sits and I’ll burst into the department, notepad in hand, and get the answer so I can reply to your post.

SPAM Warrior: Monitoring is a key role in the day in the life of a community manager, from when people ask questions to when people bash you

[the brand]. What about those people who start to spam your wall, those people who mention you on Twitter with a malicious link? It is your job to investigate, block, and remove people who are damaging to your brand. Nowm free speech is important, but if you’re the moderator of a group or a forum, you must have guidelines and make sure people follow them.

Empath: Use the force with this one; you must know when there is a disturbance in it. Keep an eye out for what is trending, if there is a crisis, or anything else. Always be able to gauge what is going on and ensure that there is always a harmonious balance with you and your clients. Don’t wage an all-out war on social media—let your trusted advisers (those who love and follow your brand) engage in war on your behalf.

Mediavore: You’ve got to live and breathe this stuff. Your local news station should have reporters coming up to you and using you as an expert for any story related to social media. Learn about new mediums before they are out. The worst thing is to be asked by someone about something new in social media and not know anything about it. Join or build a local social media community network where local professionals can meet and chat about what challenges they have had with engagement, new and upcoming social media sites, and campaigns or strategies that have worked for your small business or vertical.

Being a community manager is a lot of work. It requires a creative mind, thick skin, the ability to be fast-paced, and an on-the-fly problem solver. You are always plugged into what is going on in your industry and with your brand. For some of us, this is a full-time position; for others, this is part-time or rolled into our daily job duties. No matter what level you are, building your brand is exciting and can provide the backbone to your strategy on your online presence.