Let’s say that your company has decided to invest in inbound marketing but is not sure who should produce the content. In this article, I’ll go through why I think it is important to have a web content manager who is responsible for producing and publishing content.
To see real results with inbound marketing, you need quality content that answers your customers’ questions and concerns.
It is best if someone internally is responsible for creating and publishing this content and it is their primary (and only) task.
Hiring Content Managers
Many inbound campaigns fail when they don’t prioritize hiring a website content manager. Companies assign “someone” internally to take on that role. This tends to be a person who is working on other marketing tasks or who is good at a certain area.
The problem with content management being placed on a person wearing multiple hats is that other tasks could take priority. This may result in delays, lower quality of content, and eventually loss of confidence in the content strategy.
For example, it may feel like a good idea at first to get your subject matter experts to write content for your blog. But soon you will find that it is not a sustainable strategy. Even if they think it’s fun to work on content, it takes time away from their regular tasks.
As soon as their focus is needed elsewhere, managing content will feel like a chore. This results in missed deadlines and lower quality of work. Therefore, it is better that they spend their time helping customers in solving problems and share their insights with someone who is responsible for producing content.
Likewise, it is often a bad idea to let existing marketing coordinators create and publish the content. They also have multiple responsibilities and when other tasks take priority, they will be burdened with the task of producing content. This leads to inbound marketing strategy again grappling with missed content, fewer leads, and fewer business opportunities.
In addition, a large part of the task will end up being about getting people to proofread. It does not turn out to be the kind of job that a creative person normally enjoys doing.
Outsourcing Content Management
It is also common to let an external agency or writer own the production of the content. This is the case when there are difficulties in prioritizing the work internally. However, you put yourself in a position where you become dependent on external consultants who strive to lock you in a long-term contract.
At KISS Investments, we think it is a good idea to start with this model until you are ready to recruit a web content manager.
So, the long-term solution is to hire an internal website content manager. But what does this entail?
Web Content Manager Job Description
Here are some examples of how an in-house website content manager in a B2B business spends the working day:
- Content production: Creates new content for website or blog
- Email marketing: Designs emails, newsletters (check out the Newsletter Title Generator), automation templates, etc.
- SEO: Optimizes pages and corrects editorial flaws on the website
- Premium content: Create reports, e-books, guides, webinars, etc.
- Website: Optimizes and improves website content, call to action buttons, content distribution
- Personal development: Monitors new trends, and functions, learns new things in inbound marketing, attends workshops, takes courses from experts, etc.
- Internal meetings: Meetings with sales teams, marketing teams, and the management to discuss content plans
- Repurpose content: Reuse content, create them in different formats, etc.
- Analyze reports and data: Keep track of developments using tools like HubSpot to see which content attracts the right visitors and generates the highest number of leads
To cope with these tasks, a number of different skills are required. Most of it can be learned. But there are also qualities of a good content manager that you should keep an eye out for when interviewing your candidates.
How To Become A Content Manager
1. You Should Love To Write
The written words can be incredibly powerful online, especially through blogs and other mediums. The important thing is that the person can communicate and simplify the advanced technical language in an easy-to-understand format.
Skills such as SEO can be learned, so it isn’t a requirement initially. Content managers can be taught how to rank content in the search engine and there is enough content out there to get better at it.
2. Get Good At Conducting Interviews
Conducting interviews does not only mean asking questions but also interacting in an effective manner. It is about connecting with the interviewees, giving them a sense of why you are asking certain questions, and being transparent about what the information will be used for.
3. You Should Live And Breathe Social Media
Social media is here to stay and you can choose whether to jump on the bandwagon that your competitors are already taking advantage of. Communicating your company’s expertise in a context that works on different channels and formats is critical to success.
4. You Have To Be Creative And Innovative
Thinking outside the box is becoming increasingly important. It’s about challenging the status quo. You need to change your own perspective and constantly hone your skills to keep up with the latest trends.