Building a community is like throwing a party.

You hang the disco ball, set out the party snacks, and start playing that playlist you spent hours curating, but then something terrible happens...

...no one shows up!

Why? Because you don't have the commitment from the audience you actually want to serve.

There's a different kind of party, one much more favorable, that you can learn how to create with a little help from this certification.

It's the kind of party where you only invite a few people, and 200 guests show up — scary for a high schooler whose parents are out of town, but for a company that is trying to build brand awareness or increase loyalty, this is a dream come true.

When you know how to invite the right people, with the same common goal, your community members will likely do the heavy lifting for you and invite everyone they know.

But then, a lamp breaks.

With so many people in the house, you can feel the chaos intensifying and you think...

"What did I get myself into?!"

As a Community Management Master, you'll have all the tools to put out any fires, and even stop them before they happen!

For too long, brands have considered online communities to be an "option."

But that just isn't the case any more.

Your online audiences are begging to "attend the party" (AKA connect with brands who create valuable, real-life relationships that go beyond transactional interactions).

They want friends to talk to, mentors who will listen, and fans to cheer them on.

The best part? There's a place for brand communities in every step of your customer's journey...

Beyond the problems your product solves, there is a whole world out there that your prospects are struggling with. So, why not be a voice of guidance that supports them even BEFORE the sale happens?

And when they do buy your product, they're looking for a place to share their success and their struggles with people who actually get them and understand what they're going through. Communities exist to bring customers together who are passionate about your product, but more importantly, they're passionate about the same end goal.

There may even be advocates or hardcore fans of your product that need support in getting your message out — and there's a type of community for that, too!

No matter what place your customers are in, it is guaranteed they're waiting for an invitation to your party. They crave a relationship with your brand that goes deeper than your product or service in itself.

Face it.

This whole "relationship building" idea is not familiar to most business owners and marketers.

We're used to giving out information in mass sums, spitting out the ugly truths of our prospect's situation in hopes that they will realize our product or service is the only solution!

Community Managers are the key to getting out of the promotional content safe zone and actually standing on the front lines to give audiences a new type of value they can hold on to.

The problem is... most Community Managers don't know what they're doing.

They just create a Facebook group, forum or other community platform, add their members, and just hope that their community will gain some traction.

Community Managers who actually know what they're doing understand the importance of nurturing their members with a solid content and programming strategy that will get (and keep) the conversation going... that's where you come in!

As a Certified Community Management Specialist, you'll know exactly how to build a community from the ground up that will grow your brand, your brand advocates, and your overall revenue.

When you become a Certified Community Management Specialist, you'll discover...

• The 10 direct benefits communities can provide for your business (from decreasing churn to increasing revenue and even boosting SEO rankings)
• The best way to maintain trust within your community and the CRUCIAL difference between marketing communication and community conversations
• The 3 ways community members can carefully use the platform to convert members (and how to do it without destroying the member-brand relationship)
• How to determine which of the 8 types of communities your business needs based on how your members define their common bond (hint: purchasing your product is NOT a significant bond)
• Communication styles that are most effective when serving your market instead of serving your product (and why no one really cares about your product as much as they do about your brand)
• The 3 things every community mission statement MUST include to outline the overall purpose, goal and scope of your community
• How to effectively moderate the conversation at all times to maintain a safe, comfortable environment for your members and what to do when trolls start invading your posts (even if you're a team of one)
• Two of the most popular ways to grow an online community that works regardless of your industry (yes, even "boring" products can have flourishing communities)
• The 8 types of content that drive compelling discussion and build your community, and why it's more effective than asking general, non-meaningful questions that create massive, but short-lived engagement
• What metrics you should use to measure success and how to prove a positive ROI in your community management efforts
• How to keep your members positive and active within the community by using consistent, ritual content that will keep them engaged
• The best ways to encourage every type of member to engage with the community — no matter if they're "newbies" or "salty veterans"
• What to look for when choosing a community platform like Facebook Groups, forums, or other social community platforms (you can even build your own platform and own the data)

...and so much more!

In short, Community Management Specialists are able to effectively build and maintain a healthy online community that supports and empowers their members, while still meeting critical business objectives.

If you're seriously interested in becoming a Certified Community Management Specialist, then I have one question for you...

Let's face it: Marketing experts are a dime a dozen.

So, how do you separate those who "walk the talk" from the ones who merely...

...talk?

That's the problem!

And at DigitalMarketer, it was our problem, too. You see, we don't just teach marketing best practices, we actually DO MARKETING for businesses that we ACTUALLY OWN.

We aren't researchers. We aren't journalists.

We're business owners running companies (both online and offline) in B2B and B2C markets, selling everything from cosmetics to camping equipment to industrial water filters and everything in-between.

In other words: WE ACTUALLY DO THIS STUFF...

...so we know how hard it is to find truly skilled people who know what they're talking about when it comes to building and maintaining an online community.

And that's why we created the "Community Management Mastery" course and certification.

We built this certification to train our own team members, but in the spirit of "open sourcing" our business (which is what DigitalMarketer is all about) we're now making this certification and training available to the world.