The 2012 Community Manager Report [INFOGRAPHIC]

by Jason Keath on Jan 23, 2012

Tweet
Buffer

Every 4th Monday of January social media professionals gather around their warm, cozy monitors to toast Starbucks and sing viral video carols — all to celebrate Community Manager Appreciation Day. Today marks the third annual celebration of the day, started in 2010 by Jeremiah Owyang.

The community manager is the most popular role among social media teams (according to Altimeter). It has emerged as the main public face of the social media efforts for most companies. Some companies choose to use junior level employees to manage their online communities, while others commit large teams with hierarchies to the task.

Last year, Social Fresh launched our first Community Manager report. And this year we have gathered even more data from twice as many community managers.

We put together the below infographic to give you a taste of where the community manager role stands. And for an even deeper dive into the data keep scrolling for the white paper.

Infographic and white paper can be shared anywhere with a link back to this page.

Thanks to The Community Roundtable, The Community Manager, and all those who helped distribute the Community Manager Report survey.

We had a lot more data this year than we knew what to do with in an infographic. To share all the great data, we put together the below white paper. Here are some of the highlights from the data that is included:

Content is the most time intensive task for community managers
Male community managers make more than female community managers
Software companies were the most likely to have a community manager
The average age of a community manager was 30 years old
Community managers age 31-40 made the most money
More community managers see success on Facebook (52%) than any other platform
Community managers, surprisingly, spend more time on content creation than any other task
New York City is the top city for community managers, almost 1 in 5
1 out of every 3 community managers works on the agency side

Combine the Power of Social Media with Marketing Automation

Ebook

If used correctly, social media can engage and excite influencers, give better understanding and identification of decision makers and potential buyers, and ultimately improve retention through customer service and satisfaction.

Get it now!

Post Author

Jason Keath

CEO and founder of Social Fresh, the social media education company. Jason is a social media consultant, a social media speaker and industry analyst. He consults with corporations and agencies on social media strategy, building community, and influencer... View Full Profile →

http://www.commandpartners.com/ BrandonUttley

Outstanding report! Thanks for compiling this information.
Pingback: Happy Community Manager Appreciation Day…An Infographic In Your Honor!
http://roymorejon.com/ Roy Morejon

Nice work on this Jason.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667279403 Olivier Guillou

Thank U jason … i RT and translate on my blog (in french!) http://olivierguillou.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667279403 Olivier Guillou

Just a question ? Male or Female ? the slide show indicates different figure than the infography ? Who is the good one ?
Pingback: Le point sur les Community Mmanager | olivierguillou
http://twitter.com/KateMcCaffery Kate McCaffery

Jason, do you guys delve into WHY men make more than women in this role? I understand how it happens in certain industries and circumstances, but it seems to me there’s absolutely no excuse for it in low-mid level roles that are still relatively new in the communications realm. Thoughts? (Honestly, that little factoid inspired a little bit of fury this morning!)
Pingback: 3 Things I Learned About Community Management from Church
http://www.castcoverz.com/ Annette

Great report. In next year’s report, it would be helpful to view comparisons between the size of company (in revenues/employees) and employee/agency/part-time contractor designations. Otherwise, this is great information to determine success criteria for my part-time independent contractor Community Champion.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

That was an error. It is now corrected in the slideshare and flickr images. The infographic had it right the first time around, females make up the majority of community managers.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

Not sure why Kate. I suspect it is just a reflection of the same things that cause overall pay inequities between men and women. No excuses for it, agreed.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

So you want to know if larger companies use agencies or freelancers more often than not? Those breakouts could take a little time, but I will see if we can get them from this year’s data. We will continue to blog about a few other insights that we just did not have time to get to yet.
http://twitter.com/JeromePineau Jerome Pineau

The average salary, if true, is still an aberration since 2009! I stand by what I wrote last year:
http://www.socialmediayousay.com/2011/02/social-medias-little-image-problem-or.html
http://twitter.com/WaynetteTubbs Waynette Tubbs

Love the report and the infographic. I’m astounded that so many companies would trust the community manager role to younger, inexperienced employees. I once heard Angela Connor from Capstrat speak on the Community Manager role saying that you don’t want to trust your brand’s integrity and social reputation to a summer intern. I totally agree. I think you get what you plan for and train for.
http://twitter.com/WaynetteTubbs Waynette Tubbs

Completely agree with you Kate. I don’t understand why there hasn’t been a second suffrage. :) How could there be a disparity in earnings in 2011 in low- to mid-level jobs?
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

You are saying our salary number is not consistent with a 2009 number?
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

It is interesting. Keep in mind some younger CMs are on teams, managed by strategists and directors, etc. Still, plenty of younger professionals fill the CM roll, for better or worse.
http://twitter.com/LinkYeah Joel Windels

Amazing compilation of data, really interesting to see.
http://www.castcoverz.com/ Annette

Exactly. That information would be helpful. Thank you!
Steven

Great infographic!

Thanks!

Steven
Voice123.com
Community Manager
Male and living in NYC haha
Pingback: Everything You Wanted To Know About Community Managers [infographic] | Brandwatch
Pingback: Everything You Wanted To Know About Community Managers [infographic] | Brandwatch DE
http://twitter.com/papayamaya Maya Grinberg

Hey Waynette, there’s a difference between a summer intern, a temporary role that students are thrown into during a break from school, and a younger employee. If you assume the company hires smart, intelligent folks on to their team to work full time, it doesn’t matter whether they’re young and inexperienced or (gasp!) the opposite of young, old. Community Management, especially in this time of social media dominance, takes a fresh thinker and a smart worker. How old they are shouldn’t play a part.
Anonymous

curious as to where those salary numbers come from. agencies? brands? freelancers? have you verified them? $51K seems very high for this position, from what I’ve seen.
http://twitter.com/MikeGRad6 MikeGRad6

Really fun report and infographic Jason. It’s interesting to see the gender and geographic break down. Definitely sharing this one.

Michael Girard
Community Engagement, Radian6
Marcy Massura

Well done Jason. Love to see this kind of data around my profession and the profession I work hard to help elevate whenever possible. It is a tough gig, not easy to get it right- but if you work for the right agency/brand it can be beyond fun and fulfilling!
http://cruisesource.us Rich Tucker

Great work!

The emphasis that companies put on social media and community is so wide ranging that the pay has to be all over the board. Year over year did you see the range get a little tighter?

Is there a link to where you define the role of Director of Community vs. Community Manager?
Thank you!
Pingback: Community Manager Appreciation Day is Here! « Communities Conceptualized
Pingback: Community Manager Appreciation Day | Membership Software by YourMembership.com
Pingback: Marketing Day: January 23, 2012
Pingback: Community Manager Appreciation Day! : Pulp & Fiber
Pingback: The 2012 Community Manager Report – INFOGRAPHIC – rhondada
Pingback: TiPi's blog | Community management en 2011
Pingback: Community Management : L'engagement est facteur de succès | R. Vansnick blog
http://www.davemadethat.com Dave Delaney

Great job Jason!
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

thanks Dave. We want to do more of this.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

Thanks rich. the pay is still all over the place but for full time CMs focused on the task it is tightening. Pay for other roles is increasing a little. Director of Community is usually leading a team of CMs.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

Thanks Mike. Glad it was helpful.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

The salaries come straight from the 300+ community managers we surveyed. It is consistent with the 150 CMs we surveyed last year. We also conducted several conversations with large CM employers off the record to confirm similar findings. The agency/brand breakdown is in the white paper.
Pingback: Happy Community Manager Appreciation Day | It's Getting Ridiculous
Pingback: Lessons from a Community Manager | Edelman Australia Blog
Dan J Mckee

It’s time to put an end to the myth that community managers aren’t responsible for content development and inbound marketing. When I talk to companies, specifically consumer facing web startups, a large majority of them want community managers who can create, not just moderate.

While there will certainly be occasional exceptions, I think that moving forward those who are serious about community management should also be heavily focused on content. Rarely do they not go hand in hand.
Pingback: Ile zarabia się na social media? W USA dużo…
http://www.davemadethat.com Dave Delaney

Let me know how I can help. I’m excited to see the great content coming from you and Social Fresh. Cheers.
Pingback: La figura del Community Manager per il 2012 [Infografica] |
Pingback: » Infografía: Community Managers en el 2012 / Creario: Ideas Calidas
Pingback: Highlights from Community Manager Appreciation Day 2012
http://twitter.com/JanetAronica Janet Aronica

This is really great stuff. I’ve seen a few others with similar sentiments in the comments… the salary difference really stands out to me. I can see when it’s across different industries. This sounds like stereotyping but sometimes there are salary reports among recent college grads and the guys make more, but more of them choose high-paying fields like finance or software engineering…(in which case we should probably think about why more women don’t choose those fields.) But when it’s in the same industry, it’s really concerning.
Pingback: Was Your Community Manager Appreciated? « Sysomos Blog
Carolinem1984

could you explain me how you measure “engagement”? Thanks.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

comments, likes, replies, retweets, mentions, shares, etc. Facebook has nice built in metrics for this, as do many of the professional tools in the industry.
http://socialfreshacademy.com/ Jason Keath

Thanks Janet. Agreed, it is never pleasant to see that kind of separation.
Pingback: The Social Media Rockstars – Community Managers (Report 2012)
Pingback: El retrato robot de un community manager: mujer, 30 años e ingresos anuales de más de 50.000 dólares « SocialMedia Ecuador
Pingback: El perfil más demandado: Community Manager | Zoomoteca
Pingback: PR News Roundup 1/27/12: 5 PR Blog posts You May Have Missed | Cision Blog
Pingback: El community manager se hizo carne y habitó entre nosotros « no tengo miedo a la pagina en blanco
Pingback: Was macht eigentlich ein “Social Media Manager”? | MICHAEL HEIPEL EVENT MARKETING BLOG
Pingback: Link roundup 1/29/12 « MC 352: Social media for advertising & PR
http://www.juanmarketing.com/ juanmarketing

I founded interesting the fact Content creation is the task that takes longer for CM.
Pingback: What is the job of a “Social Media Manager” for events? | MICHAEL HEIPEL EVENT MARKETING BLOG
Pingback: Reader: Jan 30, 2012 | updownacross
Heather

white paper link directs back to original article? or is it my mac?
Pingback: Community Managers: Una Definición, Algunas Cifras y Varias Entrevistas | El Ornitorrinco en Linea
http://thefuturebuzz.com AdamSinger

“Community managers, surprisingly, spend more time on content creation than any other task”

Why is this “surprising” to you guys? :)
Pingback: Community Manager: anatomia di una professione | Paid To Be On Facebook
Pingback: Community QueenCommunity Manager
Pingback: Community Manager ¿Una profesión de moda? « RitaFerrer's Blog
Pingback: Getting The Most Out of Great Content in Social Media » Social Media Institute
Ammatenett

We are just beginning with this deal, thank you very much for this report. I hope we’ll incrase the number of women in the rule of community managment
Ammatenett

We are just beginning with this deal, thank you very much for this report. I hope we’ll incrase the number of women in the rule of community managment
Pingback: Community Management: Engage, Converse, Listen, Respond « Astrid Sucipto
http://www.facebook.com/people/Zachary-Chastain/1308655925 Zachary Chastain

Beyond just moderating the community and developing content, I also am responsible for tracking metrics in order to determine what’s going on with our client’s communities and developing/implementing experiments to determine how we can positively affect the community, what content works best, etc.

Really, it depends on where you work. It can vary from very basic responsibilities (moderating a community and posting relevant content) to being a very demanding position with a wide range of additional responsibilities.
Pingback: ¿Es importante la reputación online?, en Reclutando.net
Pingback: Daniel Fajardo
Pingback: El community manager se hizo carne y habitó entre nosotros » Yo Evoluciono
Pingback: February 12, 2012: Community Management | Strategic Social Media
Pingback: Diferenciar a un Community manager frente a un oportunista | Qweb Noticias
Pingback: Social Fresh 2012 Community Manager Report
Pingback: Community Manager. Funciones, rol y características | Concepto05
Pingback: The 2012 Community Manager Report | e1evation
http://twitter.com/Artful_Roger Roger Beharry Lall

I wonder (and I’m just making this up… have no facts whatsoever) if the income disparity is related to various externalities. If women CM’ were found more in retail vs. tech, or in b2c vs. b2b, etc.
Although…. sadly… my guess is that Jason has it right and it’s just the same old inequities that inexcusably exist everywhere.
Pingback: Most Active and Influential Customers are Community Manager Possibilities | Giving Him The Social Business
Pingback: Cómo diferenciar a un verdadero Community Manager de un oportunista « SocialMedia Ecuador
Pingback: Como diferenciar a un verdadero Community Manager de un oportunista. « Claudio Basile
Pingback: Community Managers vs. Oportunistas - Alevosa > Comunicación Digital
Pingback: Voer voor (over) community managers | Elja Daae
Pingback: Cómo Diferenciar A Un Verdadero Community Manager De Un Oportunista « ManuV16
Pingback: El retrato robot de un community manager: mujer, 30 años e ingresos anuales de más de 50.000 dólares « ManuV16
Pingback: [Infographie] Etat des lieux du « Community Management » en 2012 | Websourcing.fr
Pingback: Cómo diferenciar a un verdadero Community Manager de un oportunista | REFRESKADOS - El Blog de KOMUNIKADOS
Pingback: Le rapport 2012 du community management - uniD Magazine
http://www.rahulroy.org/2012/07/Google-Plus-For-Buisness.html Rahul Roy

Natalie Villalobos my favorite Community manager. She is awesome, responsive and kindhearted person.
John McCaffery

Women are more expensive to hire. Now get back to the kitchen.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Zachary-Chastain/1308655925 Zachary Chastain

Yep, I’m astounded at reading this comment. As Maya said, there is a difference in a summer intern and a younger employee. I’m 22, and I was 21 when I first started working full time as a Community Manager after completing 5 months of Community Management contract work for an agency and being offered the job.

I admit when I started out I had very little knowledge of what I was doing when it came to measuring metrics or planning and running campaigns for our clients. However, I am fortunate to work with a team of very intelligent people, both within our agency and our client’s internal teams, that have provided me with great feedback, insight, and really helped me grow as a professional in this field.

I am often amazed to look back and realize how much I have grown. I am constantly pushing forward to improve my reporting and analysis for clients, create experiments that help us better understand their communities, and write great content for our agency and find new ways to reach the audience we’re looking for.

Oftentimes I push above the expectations that were set for me. I was told to write blog posts to show we’re alive and active as an agency, because our very involved role with our clients means that our success is their success, especially as far as the public is concerned. Instead I not only write content for our agency, but also look for new ways to spread that content beyond our existing audience. Now CEOs of leading agencies are sharing my content on Twitter, and I’ve started to build a friendship with an influential author in the social media space after he shared a post I wrote on his own blog.

I may be young, but I wasn’t hired because I’m young and I must “know” social media. I was hired because I’m intelligent and driven, and I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure I succeed and the agency I work for succeeds. The great team I work with has invested a lot in me, and they certainly did get what they planned and trained for, just with a much more positive connotation than you inferred.
http://twitter.com/orgsocialmedia Federico Herrera

Great looking graphic. I would be curious to know if you guys came across any different insights for internal v.s. external facing social tools and the roles that Community Managers play?

Social Fresh