Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / Why Brands Are Hiring Community Managers as Social Media Stars
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've seen those feeds where the brand account feels like it's run by a person with a strong opinion and a weird sense of humor. Lately, that's not an accident. Brands are deliberately putting their community managers front and center, turning them into the actual stars of the channel. Luna: You mean like Duolingo's TikTok? That owl is chaos, but the person behind it is basically a celebrity now. Lucas: Exactly. That account has over 13 million followers on TikTok, and the person who runs it, Zaria Parvez, has become as recognizable as the mascot. She's done interviews, she's got her own fan edit videos. It's a whole new job title in marketing. Luna: So is the community manager the new influencer? But without the influencer price tag. Lucas: That's the pitch. Instead of paying a creator to wear your brand, you've got a salaried employee who already knows your product and your audience, who can post daily, and who brings a built-in personality. Ryanair has done the same thing with their social media manager, Michael Corcoran. He's got a million followers on TikTok just from roasting passengers and posting behind the scenes chaos. Luna: And it works because it doesn't feel like a corporate account. It feels like a friend who happens to work at an airline. Lucas: Right. The ROI isn't just likes. It's brand recall, it's cultural relevance. Ryanair's social team turned a budget airline into a meme, and that translates into free advertising. People share that stuff because it's entertaining, not because they're being asked to. Luna: But isn't there a risk? What if your community manager goes rogue and posts something offensive? You're suddenly on the hook for a viral disaster. Lucas: That's the fear. But the smart brands are building guardrails. They're not just letting the intern tweet whatever they want. There's a strategy behind it. You give the person a clear sense of the brand's values, you set boundaries around sensitive topics, and you trust them to improvise within that lane. Luna: But how do you find someone who can pull that off? Not everyone has that mix of humor and judgment. Lucas: That's the hard part. You're looking for someone who lives on the platform, who understands the culture, and who can write fast. It's a very specific skill set. Some brands are even hiring from their customer support teams because those people already talk to customers all day and know the pain points. Luna: So it's not just about being funny. You need product knowledge and empathy. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why the community manager role is getting a lot more respect. It's not a junior position anymore. It's a strategic role that can shape public perception. You saw that with Wendy's and their social team personifying the brand as this sassy, confident persona. Luna: But Wendy's is a big brand. What about a smaller business? Can a local coffee shop do this? Lucas: Sure. The scale is smaller, but the principle is the same. If you have someone who can be the voice of the shop on Instagram, posting about new roasts, responding to comments, showing up at community events, that builds a loyal following. You don't need millions of followers. You need a thousand people who feel like they know you. Luna: And that's more valuable than a billboard, honestly. Lucas: Yeah. And it's measurable. You can track engagement rates, follower growth, even direct messages that turn into sales. The challenge is getting leadership to see it as an investment, not just a cost center. Luna: So what's the training? How do you turn a marketing coordinator into a social media personality? Lucas: A lot of it is giving them permission to experiment. That's the first thing. You have to tell them it's okay to fail, as long as they're learning. Then you give them the tools—a style guide, a tone of voice document, some examples of what's worked for other brands. And then you let them practice, maybe on a smaller account first. Luna: But what if the person doesn't want to be on camera? Not everyone is comfortable with that. Lucas: That's a fair point. Some people are better behind the scenes. But you can still have a personality without showing your face. Think of brands that use a specific illustration style or a fictional character. The key is consistency, not necessarily a real person on screen. Luna: So it's about finding the right vessel for the brand's personality. Lucas: Exactly. And sometimes the community manager is just the writer. They're crafting the voice, even if the content is animated or uses stock footage. The personality still comes through in the captions and the replies. Luna: What about burnout? If you're the face of the brand, you can't really take a day off. People expect you to be on 24/7. Lucas: That's a real issue. Brands have to be careful not to exploit the person's passion. You need coverage, you need a second person who can step in, and you need to set boundaries. If the community manager is burning out, the content will suffer. Luna: So it's a team effort, even if it looks like one person's voice. Lucas: Exactly. And that's something we've seen with successful examples. There's usually a small team behind the scenes, brainstorming, scripting, and approving. The community manager is the performer, but the show is a production. Luna: I think this is a great angle for our listeners who are trying to figure out their social strategy. It's not just about posting more—it's about finding the right person to be the voice. Lucas: And that's why we love talking about this stuff. It's the kind of insight you can actually use. And it's why we keep these episodes free and ad-free. We figure if you get value from these conversations, maybe you'll support the show. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep this podcast going without interruptions. Lucas: If that sounds good, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just if you want to keep the episodes coming. Luna: Now, back to the topic. We should talk about how to measure the success of a community manager as influencer strategy, because it's not just about vanity metrics. Lucas: Absolutely. You want to look at engagement rate, but also at sentiment. Are people talking about your brand more positively? Are you seeing an increase in direct messages or mentions? That's the real signal. Luna: And you can track referral traffic from social to your website. That's a concrete number. Lucas: Right. And don't forget about the quality of the audience. A smaller but highly engaged following can be more valuable than a huge but passive one. So pay attention to how many of your followers actually interact with your content or click through to your site. Luna: That's a good point. It's about building a community, not just a number. Lucas: And if you're thinking about trying this, start small. Pick one platform where your audience is most active, find someone who can own the voice, and give them a three-month runway to experiment. Then review the data and adjust. Luna: And remember, it's okay if it takes a while to find your footing. Some of the best brand accounts didn't hit their stride until months in. Lucas: That's the honest truth. It's a long game, but the payoff can be huge. When it works, you've got a personal connection with your customers that's hard to replicate. Luna: I'm already thinking about how we could apply this to our own podcast's social presence. Maybe we need a community manager who's as quirky as we are. Lucas: Ha, we might need to. But that's a conversation for another day. For now, I think we've given our listeners a solid playbook for turning their community managers into stars.