Marketing with good content is not a trend which has just experienced its first hype. "Content is king", the famous saying by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is already a quarter of a century old and more relevant today than ever before. The success of a brand is highly dependent on high-quality content. This requires certain expertise and skills, which can be covered either internally or externally by an agency. The ideal solution: a Content Manager.
But exactly what are the responsibilities of a content manager? This article will first outline the individual areas of responsibility, list the requirements, and last but not least, give you a few tips to help you on your way to optimize your content in the future.
Every day consumers are faced with vast amounts of text, graphics, photos and videos. They want to be informed but, at the same time, also entertained and advised. In order to prevail against the multitude of competitors on the internet and reach the right customers, you ultimately need convincing and compelling content. In order to create this content, you need a qualified employee who is fully responsible and dedicated to the topic of Content Marketing.
Plan, produce, and deliver: A Content Manager's Daily Tasks
Amazing photos, videos, blog articles – whatever form the content takes, it is the foundation for attracting potential customers to your communication channels and therefore the best sales tool. But in order to get closer to your business goal, someone needs to keep an eye on all of this: a Content Manager. But what does a Content Manager actually do? Essentially, a Content Manager is responsible for the strategic conception, the operative implementation and the continued improvement of the content. The actual extent of this responsibility depends on the industry and the size of the company. The employee who holds this position also needs to be able to devote real time to their tasks. This might sound like a given, yet in many companies this role is performed "on the side".
To help you better understand which tasks and responsibilities we're talking about here, we've created a checklist of a Content Manager's weekly To-Dos:
Tasks | Time required in hours |
Creation of at least three new content pieces per week (text, video, audio) | 5-15 |
eMail Marketing | 1-3 |
Analytics and Search Engine Optimization | 3-5 |
Social Media Engagement | 1-2 |
Content Production (ebooks, white papers, webinars) | 3-5 |
Website optimization (new pages, call-to-action positioning) | 2-4 |
Continuing education/Training | 3-5 |
Regular meetings with the sales team | 2-4 |
Profile of requirements for a content manager
The To-Dos of a Content Manager are versatile. You could even say that the field of activity of a Content Manager goes far beyond the pure management of content. The close collaboration with marketing and sales plays a key role. After all, the key to success is answering questions that arise on the customer side in a way that is suitable for sales and customers.
Content skills, the right mindset and creativity – plenty for a Content Manager to bring to the table. At this point, some of you are probably asking yourselves: How do I as a company find the "right" Content Manager? Below, we have summarized a few key requirements for you:
- Strategic planning and creation of digital content
- Ability to coordinate content
- Creative approach to day-to-day work
- Know-how around photography, videography as well as basic technical knowledge
- Affinity for social media
- Skills in monitoring and reporting
- Textual skills
- Ability to work in a team, since collaboration with other departments, especially with the marketing and sales team, is essential
What makes a good content manager?
Content Marketing is constantly undergoing change due to newly emerging media and marketing strategies. Therefore, continued professional training is an absolute necessity for any Content Manager. Nowadays, the Content Manager has evolved even more into an encompassing Content Creator and all-rounder. In our fast-paced information culture, doing things and building strategies the way they were done ten years ago is simply not sufficient anymore. Video content, to name one example, is now indispensable. So you need the right skills in terms of production, on the one hand, and editing, on the other. Ultimately, close coordination with the marketing & sales team is essential. At the end of the day, the goal is to create content that is of such high quality that it results in more leads and, at the end of the day, more customers.
Tips for optimizing your content
Ultimately, what does it take to produce good content? Here are three tips we'd like to share with you on this journey:
#Customerfirst:
First things first: Always keep your target audience in mind! It's all about striking the interest of potential customers.
#BrandStory:
People love stories and good storytelling. Make sure to establish a consistent thread in your storytelling. "Pictures (and especially videos) are worth a thousand words" – this saying is not without reason.
#Visualfirst:
Graphics, checklists, videos and stories on social media are all popular and a great way to get content out there.
So, you'd like to increase your traffic, generate as many leads as possible and have long-term satisfied customers who trust you 100% at the end of the day?