Connie Bensen

Community Strategist

Community Building, Networking & Branding

Providing contracting & consulting services for:

• Building vibrant communities
• Assisting companies with assessing their community management needs
• Providing branding & social networking coaching to maximize success

For a decade I served in a leadership role in a public library system. My community building, public relations & marketing skills transferred easily to the online world.

Over the past two years I have been immersed in online community building. My experience as a Community Manager for ACDSee provided me with a wealth of experience. My initiative and motivation in exploring & employing social media tools & concepts brought them a new niche market that is growing exponentially. During this time my sister & I created a vibrant niche community.

I am presently working with Network Solutions’ social media team. I also provide consulting on community building related services.

My work is recognized as a key resource for Community Managers. Many thought leaders in social media have also recognized my contributions to Best Practices for Community Managers:

• Leadership & Moderation of Community Manager Facebook Group
• Trend monitoring of Salaries for Community Managers
• Case Study in Online Community Best Practices by Jeremiah Owyang, Sr Analyst at Forrester
• Case Study in Customer Service, The Art of Listening & Engagement Through Social Media by Brian Solis
• Contributing Member International Online Community Management Association
• Editor of Personal Branding Magazine (Published by Dan Schawbel)
• Blogging with superstars at Marketing 2.0

Community Building Expertise

• Establishing best practices for community building
• Strategizing & implementation of social media campaigns
• Highly successful brand building & monitoring (both product & personal)
• Development of a successful evangelist & outreach programs
• In-depth understanding of social media tools & effective use of them
• Documenting & providing feedback on product issues/bugs
• Establishing metrics for quantifying interaction
• Establishing a network that includes many thought leaders in social media, marketing, PR & web strategy

And, yes, I’m interested in speaking at your event! Jeremiah Owyang has an informal recommendation on his blog.

I enjoyed sharing best practices at the Web Community Forum in December 07.

If you are interested in being a community manager or what a community manager does please see my Resources tab.