At FeverBee, we use a calendar for clients that designates everything that should be achieved on a particular day.
It measures the actions against the results. The calendar ensures the community manager is always working to developing the community, not simply maintain it.
This calendar highlights what content will be created, what discussion topics will be initiated, who the community manager should try to build relationships with, when the platform will be tweaked, when measurement will be undertaken and schedules time to deal with the day to day issues (resolving complaints, responding to questions from single members etc…
The calendar prioritises development over maintenance. It ensures the community manager uses allocated time for activities which will have the biggest long-term impact on the community.
It’s easy, for example, to spend hours resolving the complaints of 15 members rather than initating discussions, creating content or organizing events which impact 1500 members.
My one big tip for the new year is to compile a calendar and stick to it.
