A content manager monitors the strategic development, creation, and promotion of a company’s communication efforts. As a content manager, you are responsible for everything, from creating or editing copy to hiring a team of content producers.
Generally, the position requires strong marketing, communication, and leadership skills. However, there are other crucial things that can come in handy when serving as a content manager.
What is the Role of a Content Manager?
A content manager’s responsibilities fall into numerous categories. These responsibilities range from research to optimization and team management. Let’s take a deeper look into how a content manager can contribute to a company’s growth and success.
Strategy and Planning
Apart from conducting background research, a content manager maps out plans and strategies. There is an ongoing need to meet with company executives and fellow managers periodically for creating an effective strategy. In some companies, content managers are responsible for overseeing a single type content, such as blogs or videos. However, a seasoned content mangers boasts a wide range of skills for designing content strategies for multiple platforms.
Research and Analysis
There is no content strategy without any research. Conducting a research helps you understand the type of content that your audience will like. Being a content manger, you also need to identify the best channels or platforms for your audience. Running a poll or talking with your sales/marketing team can also give you a fair idea of the best communication channels and the most appropriate time slots to post content.
In case a company has an existing content library or database, a content manager will review its content for optimizing it newer audiences.
Content Creation
Once the research work is done, the next step is content creation. How you create content largely depends on your role. Are you leading a team of writers? Are you responsible for researching, creating, and distributing all content? All visual and written content must undergo strict measures and quality checks before publishing. A/B testing is popular for verifying the efficacy of different elements of your content creation strategy.
Optimization and Reporting
All content managers must meet performance goals, which can include anything from article views to comments. These goals can be even more advanced such as conversions including purchases and email signups. For that reason, creating periodic reports for tracking progress and comparing results is crucial to monitor progress against KPIs. Monthly or quarterly reports are crucial for analyzing the results of your content creation efforts. If these results need improvement, you can tweak your content management strategy.
If you are a one-man team, demonstrate the value of your work so the organization can calculate the ROI. In case of a larger team, incorporate automation, delegation, and quality assurance into your content marketing strategy for monitoring the progress of your overall content strategy.
Publication and Engagement
There’s a lot more to do once you create optimized content for your audience. Publishing blog posts, videos, social media updates, and monitoring their progress are the most important responsibilities of a content manager.
Numerous analytic tools can help managers review key metrics such as views, traffic, and conversions. When posting content on official pages like the company website/blog, don’t forget to trigger engagement by asking viewers/readers their thoughts and opinions. Identifying and removing spammy users, acknowledging comments, and providing answers are all part of a foolproof content management strategy.
Content Promotion
What’s the use of creating content when you don’t know how to promote it? A seasoned content manager knows how to increase readership by identifying promotion opportunities, on social media or through paid ads. Once you determine factors like budget and resources, you will have to work on a robust content promotion strategy for securing optimal placements.
Staff Supervision
When you are working for a smaller company, there may be nobody else in the content marketing team. Small businesses usually outsource most of the content creation work and have an in-house content manager to streamline all processes.
However, if you are serving at an established company, you may have to supervise an entire team. This team includes digital marketing professionals, search engine optimization executives, social media managers, editors, and writers. Content managers, oversee or work along with these professionals to accomplish their content marketing goals.
How Do Content Managers Work?
Typically, content managers work in an office environment, alongside other co-workers. However, it is also common for content managers to work remotely. They rely on video applications, online project management tools, and chat software for communicating with co-workers.
Regardless of their location, content managers need a computer and an internet connection for filling in their roles effectively. You will need access to a computer and an internet connection for writing, editing, distributing, promoting, or strategizing content.
Since any business can benefit from a competent content manager, these professionals work in virtually every industry. Sometimes, they work in an agency that specializes in public, advertising, and marketing operations. Content managers may also work in the marketing department of a company in manufacturing, insurance, finance, and trade industries.
Regardless of the industry, a content manager’s job involves working full-time for at least 40 hours per week. However, there are times when a content manger must put in more hours to coordinate successfully with everyone or meet deadlines. The time it requires to work depends on the type of content you are creating and the project requirements.
How to Become a Content Manager?
The road to become a content manger involves both education and training. You must possess the right training and qualification to serve as a professional content manager, in-house or remotely. Here is what you need to know about becoming a content manager.
Although skills and experience can help you become a competent content manager, it helps to receive a few standard qualifications. Apart from getting the necessary skills and credentials, improving your communication skills also comes in handy.
Here are some education requirements that can make you an exceptional content manager.
Education
If you want to study a four-year degree program for working as a professional content manager, here are some of the most popular majors for content managers.
Media Studies: Courses in art, history, politics, and literature
MBA (Masters of Business Administration): Courses include brand management, marketing analysis, and audience research
Marketing: Courses include branding, public relations, and consumer behavior
Communications: Effective communication programs including journalism, marketing, and copy writing
English: Courses and modules for improving writing, critical analysis, and research skills. When you choose English as your major, you take classes in linguistics, creative writing, composition, and literary theory.
Training
Many times, organizations provide on-job training to aspiring writers or social media executives so they can serve as content managers in future. Since there is no fixed content management training program for professionals, each company trains its members differently. This program may involve workshops and interactive training programs.
Top Skills You Need for Becoming a Content Manager
A competent content manager boasts a good combination of hard and soft skills. Here are some of the most important skills and attributes every content manager should have to become successful.
Attention to Detail: the ability to identify and rectify errors before content goes for publication
Analytical Skills: the ability to process and evaluate information and conclude results
Creativity: the ability to adopt a creative approach for designing a strategy and connecting with an audience
Communication: excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, for getting a brand message across.
Organization: Since content managers are responsible for a wide range of tasks, practicing organizational skills is valuable. Create a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly calendar for posting. Benefit from automation tools for managing multiple communication platforms. Create flow charts for defining processes.
Content Management Systems (CMS): Content marketing teams, all over the world, use a CMS like WordPress. Such a platform allows content managers to write and publish content, without any hassle. You can’t be a successful content manager unless you become familiar with these systems, especially WordPress.
Leadership: Regardless of the size of your team, work on your leadership skills for excelling in this role. Set goals and build trust for accomplishing important objectives.
Time Management: With a plethora of tasks to handle, content managers can’t afford to waste time. That’s why creating checklists or setting alerts is a common practice for content managers. Get ready to work on tight schedules to meet deadlines.
HTML: Today’s content managers should be aware of some basic HTML, which is an essential language to create webpages. Becoming familiar with basic HTML skills allows content managers to edit and optimize digital content.
Social Media: A successful content manager is comfortable using all popular social media networks to publish, distribute, and promote content. You will have to assist with other staff members for preparing captions for popular social media networks such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Website Analytics: Understanding website analytics will help you track results effectively. Google Analytics is one of the most popular tools for evaluating goals and monitoring KPIs.
Bottom Line
Now you know what it takes to become a competent content manager. Follow this guide if you want to pursue a career as a content manager. Don’t forget to explore more articles on Cadslist to know more about digital marketing.