October 5, 2023
Community Management plays a vital role in the success of gaming and esports companies. However, it can confuse newcomers as a field that shares many characteristics with other professions, such as press relations and social media. You might wonder how to enter the Community Management landscape. I spoke to the fantastic Community Managers Marion Mỹ Anh Baxerres and Victoria Tran to collect a few tips for new and aspiring Community Managers!
Must Community Managers have a Specific Personality?
A Community Manager’s (CM) responsibility is to grow a brand’s community by connecting with its members. In conclusion, many believe that CMs must be extroverted to succeed. When I asked Marion and Victoria about this, both said this assumption was not necessarily true. Marion thinks all personalities can do great in Community Management if they meet company and community needs. “I have seen some really good CMs that were not social or outgoing.” Additionally, CMs with different personalities can learn from each other’s work approaches.
Victoria shared that she is introverted herself. She further emphasized the importance of understanding your community. Moreover, she suggested finding a way to connect with its members while respecting everyone’s boundaries. She added: “It certainly helps to be social, but above all, the best CMs I have seen are kind and genuinely interested in the people they meet.” So, to all shy and introverted people: If you want to work as a CM, do not be discouraged because you believe you have to fit into a specific frame!
What Challenges do Community Managers Face?
To give you an idea of what difficulties CMs may encounter in their work and how they approach them, I asked Marion and Victoria about their biggest challenges. Marion described herself as a person who loves and hates challenges. For example, she struggles with the technical aspects of her job. But she knows that challenging herself to face these difficulties will make her grow as a CM.
Another challenge she encountered was finding compelling ways of communicating with her community. On live games specifically, CMs have to share a lot of similar content. The challenge lies in turning something repetitive into something engaging for both the CMs and the community.
Victoria’s biggest work challenge is work-life balance. She sometimes finds it hard to disconnect from her job. “People do not just stop having issues with the game once you are off the clock at 5 pm. Events where you support the community do not always happen within your working hours.” Therefore, she recommends considering your team’s support and developing ways of setting boundaries with your community. The latter may include:
- Clear communication of your work hours,
- Offering your community alternative avenues of sharing problems, or
- Establishing an infrastructure where members can help each other.
Despite such struggles, Community Management is a highly rewarding profession that Victoria loves, especially because of its community interaction. “Whether it is fan art, funny memes, or seeing them post their best plays, it invigorates me every time knowing that they are having a blast connecting with each other on our game.”
How Do You Get into Community Management?
Finally, Marion and Victoria advised those still trying to make it as CMs. Marion shared two tips. First, lots of valuable Community Management skills and experience can be gained outside official CM positions. For example, before starting as a CM, Marion had a communication and public relations background. Managing your social media profiles, fan pages, or Discord servers can also boost your career! Transferable skills are crucial, especially if you are unsure if you can get an entry-level position.
Marion’s second piece of advice is connected to a point we discussed earlier: personality. Marion highlighted the possibility of leveraging a flushed-out personality as your unique selling point on the job market. According to her, putting your personality into your job is much more critical for CMs than the sole work quantity you can do. “As long as it fits with the established brand tone, it doesn’t matter what your personality is. You can be shy. You can be fun. You can be someone very awkward, but awkward can also be funny. Sometimes it is cringy. But at least there is a part of you in it.”
Victoria recommended reaching out to established CMs when looking for guidance. She said: “CMs are generally quite welcoming to anyone interested in the field!” I can agree with her. As a shy person, I often hesitate to contact other industry professionals. But when I do so, it usually is an informative experience!
Final Thoughts
To conclude, regardless of your personality, you can become a fabulous CM that successfully connects with their community. As a CM, you might encounter a diverse range of challenges. However, with experience and support from your team, you will be able to overcome them and immerse yourself in engaging community interactions. Remember that although finding employment in esports and gaming can be tricky, you can still make it in CM by leveraging your personality, executing passion projects, and networking.
I hope this article can help you be more confident in your career goals! If you have any questions or would like to connect with another aspiring CM, feel free to check out my Twitter or LinkedIn.