How did you start into community management? What was your career path across the years?

Career-wise, I started out in print and promotional marketing, then made my way into digital marketing and business. When I came across a role at Shopify that was essentially what I had been doing in my own business – but with the backing of a big company. I was tasked with starting a community of entrepreneurs in my local city. Putting together in person events, doing 1:1 business coaching and delivering educational content.

We built up the community team at Shopify, growing to 18 community managers across 3 continents. I was lucky enough to be able to lead half of that team of CMs, and help us navigate the landscape of the pandemic. Pivoting first to 100% online content and then moving to a strategy that included both in person and online opportunities for our community.

After about a year of leading the team, I was able to then move into in a newly formed global centre of excellence community team in a senior community operations role. We wrote the playbook for how to do Community at Shopify and were supporting different areas of the business to achieve their KPIs with community tactics.

My next move would be as a Senior Community Strategist – doubling down on helping the business understand community, and how they could plug in. Now, as I navigate finding my next role, I have started The Community Community. A community for Senior Community Professsionals to grow, together. Stay tuned for what I find next!

What have been the main challenges of your career?

I would say that the hardest thing (outside of living in Canda and have less access to roles in the industry) would be that most companies still don’t understand what community is and what it can do. So obtaining buy-in at a organizational level when you’re sandwiched so far down the totem pole has been my biggest challenge.

What has helped you develop yourself as a community professional?

Finding peers in the industry! I’m a human who learns best by doing – and if I can’t do, I want to be a fly on the wall of what someone else is doing. Also, I think that it is really important to go to therapy and take care of myself. That way I can show up to truly support those that I’m building community for.

What's your favourite community platform?

Oooooh, interesting. Okay, I’m going to say Slack – but with the right to change my mind at a moments notice. haha

What is “community” for you?

By definition community is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of shared interests, experiences, and goals, and it can be influenced by common characteristics and/or geography. What I really enjoy about Community for a business is that it can help your customers (and beyond) achieve their goals, while also benefiting the business. Who doesn’t love supporting humans and creating win-win scenarios?

What's one single strategy that you may suggest to increase member engagement?

Simply stated: Listen to the customer about what they want, and deliver on it.

What would you recommend to those just starting into community management?

Join Community Communities! Find your peers, and share resources with each other 🙂 We’re a friendly bunch of folks in this industry.

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