Growing Digital Communities

What does a Digital Community Manager do? This growing area has previously been lacking in formal training but the apprenticeship ensures that job holders have a solid grounding in all the key skills.

Digital community managers have a different role from social media managers. Rather than posting brand content they will engage with the community, answering their questions and providing a link between the users and the brand. Meeting your customers and users where they are and building trusted relationships helps with acquisition, customer care, crisis management, retention and advocacy.

It’s a growing area but one which has evolved quickly, so digital community teams tend to be lacking in formal training.

The Digital Community Manager Apprenticeship is relatively new, having started in 2019, and tutors ensure the learning reflects the latest in social media developments. The 18 month course covers: brand and product strategy; communication strategy; copywriting and etiquette; communication and the digital experience; content creation and content management systems; rapport and retention; conversation data; protecting brand and reputation; moderation and conflict; customer experience improvement: influencer analysis and innovative practice: experiential marketing mix.

The role has roots in the online gaming sector but is becoming widely adopted by leading organisations. JGA’s clients for the Digital Community Manager apprenticeship include a wide range of organisations which have stakeholders and constituencies which benefit from this type of focus: Historic England, Sheffield City Council, Innocent Drinks, Highways England, WW and Legend Gaming.

“Tom’s apprenticeship… meets his needs, those of his specific role and National Highways. We are delighted with the quality of the provision.”

Saulo Menezes, National Highways