Every brand needs a community officer
Author: yinkaolaito
Yinka Olaito is happy,excited and passionate Communications & Media specialist, Trainer and speaker. Yinka Olaito helps Profits and Non-profits with effective communication and positioning for premium service delivery and returns. Yinka Olaito also has special interest in Development Communication and has consulted for noted UN Agencies. Yinka Olaito is the CCO of Michael Sage Consulting(Communication/digital media), African Child Education Right Initiatives(NGO) and Content Director, Africa Development Talk( online Platform for discussion on Policy, Governance, development across Africa) and Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals
Brand is the evidence of your distinction and perception. Managing brand’s perception is heavy work. Times are changing and traditional approaches need review. Chuck Brymer says “everyone now faces the same situation-how do we engage consumers to become brand loyalists and advocates?” In an earlier post in this forum, I have talked about the need to be a chief communication officer for your brand-personal brand-or a need to hire one. The digital media is flourishing and if a brand does not monitor what goes on in the community (cyber community) the brand may end up in a dangerous hot water. It is true that the activity of cyber community is not strong in our environment yet, but as we begin to have community with three million hits per month, do you not think that worth attention?
Let us look at what role the community officer should play:
Monitoring interaction among consumers, monitor and oversees relationship between brands and their cyber communities, creates service dialogue and ensure engagement of consumers to the brands. We must realize that a brand that does not monitor what goes on around today may become extinct tomorrow. I have taken that role for my brand and the company I work for: Michael sage consulting, Lagos. Just mention anything about my brand or our company online, you are sure we will track it within hours and respond if need be. This is not magic or witchcraft, it is simple technology. Ask those who know they will tell you.
A community officer must have basic knowledge of online communities, web 2.0 as well as ability to build strong relationships between brands and stakeholders.
Adam Bass says “the democratization of information means that brands have a delicate balancing act to manage whilst bridging the gap between aspirations and reality”
