One of my biggest community manager epiphanies came from an unlikely source. It came while I was re-watching one of my favorite movies from my childhood- “Good Burger.”
In case you lived under a rock in the 1990s, Good Burger was about two teenagers, (played by the stars of the TV show “Kenan and Kel”) who spent their summer working at a fast food restaurant called Good Burger. The restaurant faced some serious trouble when they were forced to compete with a new burger joint right across the street called Mondo Burger.
Anyways, Mondo Burger tried to outsmart and outcompete their competitor with the notion of making bigger burgers. At first, people flocked to them for their enormous patties. But, Good Burger, who had been around for decades and had a loyal fan base, decided to innovate by creating a “secret sauce” that eventually blew Mondo Burger out of the water.
So, I’m sure you are probably scratching your head right about now wondering how a 90s tween movie could possibly relate to managing online communities. Get ready. Here’s the lesson.
“Bigger isn’t always better. Innovation will always reign supreme.”
As community managers, we are always having to find ways to track and show the ROI of our efforts. We throw ourselves headfirst into our respected communities and develop these large communities of fans and followers. That’s great. But, bigger isn’t always better. More Facebook fans doesn’t automatically translate to helping the brand’s bottom line.
We, as community managers, need to “create that secret sauce” that forces us to turn those fans into more engaged brand enthusiasts. Because of that, innovation is key.
Social media, in generation, moves at a very fast pace. The ADHD effect comes into play. If people are bored with your community, they simply won’t come back. That’s why the need to constantly innovate and come up with new ideas for showcasing your brand is crucial. It keeps your community growing and coming back for more.
More importantly, keep brainstorming and trying new ideas. Occasionally, one idea may fall flat. It’s important to not get discouraged. Mistakes and failures will happen from time to time. It’s our job to be resilient, rebound, learn from those mistakes and continue growing our respected communities.
This is good jessica. Related to what you mention about people coming back to your sites is being relevant for them when they most need it. For instance, I oversee and maintain social media sites for transportation/road projects. The last few days have obviously had a major focus on weather and traffic impacts. So, rather than sit it out because my projects weren’t active, we are helping spread important messages about road conditions and other impacts statewide. This not only endears us to our followers who know we are on the spot, but also helps the client as they have another way to get their information out.
That’s a great point, Darrel. Relevance is such an key element in a social media strategy. It helps demonstrate another need that you are filling for your fan base.
Good lesson and a great closing statement
Thanks, Dan!