The community management industry is fairly young and there are a lot of people who still can't imagine how complex this job is and what a Community Manager job description actually looks like. We attended the CMX summit 2019 and handpicked 9 key trends from the community industry. Let's have a look at them!
1. The community industry is growing!
Fresh stats from a recent industry study of community professionals commissioned by CMX - 2/3rds of community professionals were increasing their investment in community in the coming year 2020.
2. Trust in business is declining.
According to the Edelmann trust barometer we have seen for the first time a significant decrease in trust in businesses. We need to focus on making businesses more human. People tend to prefer purpose-driven brands. There is a „new category“ of consumers - conscious choosers.
3. You ≠ your customers.
You are not your customer. Ask them what they want, listen to them, evaluate how the behavior of your members looks. Never stop experimenting. Don’t be afraid to pivot from what’s not working.
4. Turning community into a movement.
Communities and movements start with individuals. You can create a movement when you give people actual goals and responsibilities in your community. When someone takes a risk, other people will join you. The key thing: Embrace your most loyal members and mobilize people behind your vision.
5. Online communities go offline.
58% of respondents of the industry study ran communities that had both online and offline components and there is a clear interest in taking online communities offline. If there is nothing but a virtual bond between people, it will be easily disrupted.
6. Loneliness.
22% of millennials in the USA say that they don’t have any friends. Nearly 50% of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out. Loneliness has the same impact on your life expectancy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
7. The community at workplaces.
Americans spend ⅓ of their lives at work. Because of the existence of loneliness, it is very meaningful to build community at workplaces by creating space for mentorship, allowing for frientimacy (company culture where the creation of friendships is supported), promoting healing spaces (yoga, meditation, etc.).
8. Business is the most personal thing in the world.
Let’s tear down the walls between personal, business, and customers. Customers also want to be seen as people, they want to belong.
9. Community is not a homogenous mass.
Essentially, if you assume all members have the same needs and treat them the same, you're only satisfying the needs and gaining from members who have that need. However, if you recognize your community is a collection of different members, you can satisfy each of their needs better. It is important to keep your community diverse.
As Charlene Li said: “Community Manager role will become more and more crucial because what is the most important thing for every company? Customers. And who knows customers the best? Community Managers.”
