“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter social media marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

Thank Your Community Manager – A Facebook Page or other social platform is just the beginning. A brand’s social media presence invites customer participation, which falls on the shoulders of the community manager, the position that acts as the “front line to the online conversation about your company, industry and competition,” according to Social Media Explorer.

Key Takeaway: A reliable community manager is a rare find. They act as a business’ face and personality in social media. Businesses should invest in this position and ensure the position is filled with someone who is qualified, reliable and properly trained. A good community manger is the difference between having an engage and active community or an angry, unsatisfied group of customers.

Big Data is Evolving Customer Relationships - Geoff Livingston points out that the payoff for big data is developing behavior profiles for database marketing. He also identifies the challenge that consumers are starting to understand that their data is indeed valuable. This means brands will have to work to make sure their marketing is welcomed by customers and not intrusive.

Key Takeaway: We’re getting to the point where we need to prove the value of our marketing just as much as we need to prove the value of our products and services. Marketers should consider how their touch points are benefiting their customers. Attention is a rare commodity. We should do whatever we can to hold it.

We Live in a Bubble – The Atlantic shares one of the latest Twitter visualization tools Tweetping, a tool that displays tweets and their locations in real-time. The article points out the fact that much of the world is dark because they’re not connected or they’re using other channels to communicate.

Key Takeaway: Different people in different locations use tools differently. Marketers are often caught up with the latest thing or the most-hyped tool. Everything we do should come back to the consumer and how he or she uses technology and consumes media. Nothing should be based on assumptions.

The Evolution of the Big Idea – Jeff Dachis writes in Digiday that the “big idea is not as important as it used to be.” The idea has become “engaging, at scale, in a trusted, authentic and transparent dialogue with your consumers.” Talking to consumers has given way to interacting with them. Traditional marketing messages still have a place but the delivery of them has shifted.

Key Takeaway: There has been a fundamental shift in how brands communicate with consumers. That shift is primarily driven by the fact that they can talk back. The big idea still exists, but the context in which that big idea is delivered has changed.