Go back
SOCIAL MEDIA

ACM & Quiip launch State of Community Management Report 2022

by Allie Milfull February 28, 2023

The latest State of Community Management report is out now! Led by Australian Community Managers and supported by Quiip and Higher Logic, this unique industry research is focussed on the online community management profession in Australia. 

This is the sixth annual career survey of online community management practitioners in Australia and we’re delighted to share some of the top-line results, including the demographics of community managers, the nature of the communities they are managing, moderation practices, challenges and opportunities.

Who is managing our online communities?

  • 72% of online community managers are female
  • 73% of community professionals are tertiary qualified
  • 36% of practitioners are over the age of 40
  • 61% work for a single business or organisation 
  • 73% work outside a traditional office, including 46% fully remote.

What trends are we seeing for communities? 

  • Communities of practice dominate in Australia (35%), followed by communities of interest (24%).
  • While NFP, media and government are the leading sectors hosting online communities, health, government and technology are the top sectors investing in online communities.
  • Knowledge building and sharing is the leading purpose for online communities, followed by customer service or support.
  • 39% of online communities have fewer than 10,000 members.
  • 35% of communities have been active for 5 years or more.
  • 4% of communities are generating more than $5 million annually for their organisation.

How are we undertaking community management and moderation?

  • 78% of community managers conduct post-moderation and reactive moderation; the most popular approach to moderation.
  • 47% work to a strategy 
  • 18% measure the ROI of the community quarterly or annually
  • 17% of in-house CMs work with agencies or consultants on their community.

What are the benefits and challenges of working in community management?

  •  The ability to connect communities, create impact for members & organisations and variety were highlighted as the top benefits for working in community management.
  • Lack of leadership support, communicating community value & ROI and stakeholder understanding emerged as the top 3 challenges. 
  • General social conflict, misinformation and micro-aggressions were the top 3 moderation issues.

What’s the future for community management?

Despite the challenges of 2022, Quiip is delighted to see a growing sense of optimism with 50% of community managers now optimistic about the future of community management. Importantly, 40% of respondents said that they would still be working in online CM in 5 years’ time. We are also thrilled to see the number of communities delivering clear value for businesses and organisations over the longer term.  

Given the continued growth of digital media, fragmentation of the media landscape and the challenges for traditional marketing, at Quiip, we believe that community-based marketing and communications will become a vital lever for brands and organisations to reach audiences, increase engagement and grow impact. 

As building and nurturing community becomes a key strategy for both businesses and purpose-driven organisations, we look forward to seeing the online community management profession continue to grow and develop in step.  

Download the full report here for more detailed information:
https://www.australiancommunitymanagers.com.au/2022-acm-socm-report

And stay in touch by:
+ Joining the ACM Facebook Group
+ Signing up for the Quiip e-news.
+ Reaching out to us to chat about your community strategy or moderation needs.