Square Enix Collective community manager Amy Graves tells us a bit about what her role in community management at the indie publishing label entails and what skills you need for this field
What is your job? What does it involve?
I'm the community manager for Square Enix Collective. It’s tricky to sum up, but broadly it’s all about engaging with gamers online and working with the communities surrounding Collective and our range of games.
What are your main responsibilities?
Creating engaging and diverse content for the social media channels, supporting the online discussion around the brands and games, interacting with the fans and keeping them up to date with all news and events. Building awareness for the games and brand pre- and post-launch is key.
How did you get your job?
I came from a UK-based indie studio called Curve Digital where I was a PR and community junior.
What special skills or qualifications did you need?
To be a community manager you need to be organised. Time management is key, especially when you’re working on more than one campaign at a time. Attention to detail is also crucial and being able to use Photoshop and basic video editing skills are really useful skills to have - especially if you really want to own your brand and make all your own creative content.
What new skills have you had to learn for this role?
I spend a lot of time talking to fans, writing copy and blog posts – this, in turn, has helped me improve my writing skills dramatically.
Could you describe what a normal day in your role looks like?
I don’t think this is even possible - my day-to-day changes every day. In community management, your day could be changed a possibility of different things.
What are the best and worst parts of your role?
Among the best parts would be talking to very passionate fans and watching the audience surrounding indie games grow. It’s hard to pinpoint a 'worst' part as I thoroughly enjoy my job, but seeing negative and hateful comments between members of the community is one I dislike.
What tips would you give to someone applying for a similar position?
Be confident, build your personal brand and try and create a small community for yourself to manage first to learn and grow from.
This piece is part of our New Year New Job coverage for the start of 2018. If you want to get in touch to share your insight, email [email protected].
