Content marketing has been around since the beginning of marketing but then it was not recognised as a key element in marketing but only a part of it. With the recent popularity of digital marketing, Content Marketing has gained huge respect among marketers as the digital marketing field heavily depends on content. From blog posts, every tiny social media post, landing pages, websites, ad copies, everything needs content.

And so every company needs a Content Marketing Manager who will implement all content strategy for your brand. A Content Marketing Manager promotes a business through content. Being a Content Marketing Manager is a tough job and requires a lot of effort as besides being a stellar writer you need to be able to manage all the creative resources of the company and find the best ways to use words to drive promotion and sales.

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What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a niche in the field of digital marketing where brands use words to influence the purchase decision of the target audience. Content marketing is also used by brands to establish a direct connection with their customers outside selling products or services. There are several mediums like blog posts, social media posts, videos, emails, gated contents, and many others which are used for content marketing.

It is often considered an art form that requires the ability of imagination, creativity for design, and creating engaging write-ups to connect and engage the target audience. The main purpose of content marketing is to persuade a customer to take action, and it should also attract the audience with valuable, problem solving, engaging, and relevant information.

Who is a Content Marketing Manager?

A Content Marketing Manager is the person responsible for all the content marketing initiatives and outcomes of a brand or business. A Content Marketing Manager is both a storyteller and also a data analyst.

If you want are looking to have a career in this field, here are some common tasks you will have to perform as a Content Marketing Manager

• You have to plan, create, implement and also track all content strategies for the brand or company you work for.
• You have to implement SEO optimised content creation that aligns with your brand, company goals and audience.
• You have to manage all the content distribution and promotion channels of the company, which includes blogs and all social media accounts.
• You have to prepare and manage editorial calendars, which contain every single detail of the content strategy for the company.
• Use analytics tools to track and measure the progress of all the shared and published content. You have to take the necessary decision to improve the content strategy.
• You have to collaborate with several other departments like advertising, sales, design to tie in your content with brand promotion.
• You will have to manage a team of writers, graphic designers, social media specialists, and marketing analysts.
• You will have to report the return of investment (ROI), rate of conversions, and other marketing results to the CEO or board of directors.

So you see, the life of a Content Marketing Manager is not easy and you will have to juggle a lot of responsibilities simultaneously.

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Content Marketing Manager Skills

• Here is a list of skills that you require to carry out content marketing manager roles and responsibilities.
• Expert knowledge in content marketing.
• Basic know-how of web designs and design best practices.
• Critical thinking.
• Problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to understand and engage with the target audience.
• Working knowledge of various automation tools, content tools, analytic tools, and many more.
• In-depth understanding of social media.
• Creativity and imagination.

Content Marketing Manager Roles and Responsibilities

Here we are listing some of the Content Marketing Manager roles and responsibilities you will have to carry out.

Research and Competitor Analysis

As a Content Marketing Manager, you have to successfully carry out your company’s content marketing strategies by publishing and promoting content that achieves predetermined goals set by the company. It is impossible to set content marketing goals without any research.

As a Content Marketing Manager, you will carry out research to determine the target audience and understand their needs. This will determine what kind of content and topics need to be created to engage with the target audience.

Research Involves the Following Steps

You have to analyse your competitor’s content and distribution tactics.

You have to identify the target audience, their key demographics, interests, and online behaviour.

You might have to conduct surveys of current customers to understand and validate steps to be taken in future campaigns.

You have to identify business objectives and subject matter experts by conducting internal stakeholder interviews.

You need to be an expert in keyword research and know how to use SEO tools for ultimate optimisation.

Find out and stay updated with the latest content tools and software that can help your team to create and promote content.

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Preparing Content Marketing Plans

After carrying out extensive research of the target audience and company goals, the Content Marketing Manager has to start working on the content marketing plans. Depending on the size and scope of your company’s offerings multiple content marketing plans will be needed to define the strategy.

Content Marketing Plans Should Always Include

Specific goals which can be measured and a timeline in which to meet them.

A general budget to carry out the content marketing campaign, which includes staff, creative resources, and paid advertisements.

What topics will be covered and why:

The channels will be used for content distribution.

A plan outlining the frequency of publishing, production workflow, and maintenance of the content.

You might also have to create separate content marketing plans for separate campaigns.

Editorial Calendar

After extensive planning and determining the goals, you have to create an editorial calendar for each of your campaigns. It is for your whole team so they can stay updated with content planned for the coming weeks and months. One big advantage of a content calendar is that your team has a clear vision of the company goals. It also helps you to align content publication and promotion with key dates that are crucial for your business or campaigns.

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Creating Content

After all the research, planning, and calendar comes the main part of content creation. After everything has been approved by the higher-ups, your job as a Content Marketing Manager is to assign topics to the writers and oversee every form of content that is being created.

Though in most companies you might not have to sit and create every piece of content you have the necessary writing, editing, and most importantly storytelling skills as you’re ultimately responsible for every piece of content that is published.

Search Engine Optimisation

It is not enough to create engaging content but it should reach the correct audience. An important Content Marketing Manager role is to have the necessary skills to help rank all your contents. You must have practical knowledge of SEO tools. If you have a big team then most probably you will have an SEO specialist or your company will hire an agency to perform the SEO functions but still, you need to have a working knowledge of SEO.

Editing and Ensuring Adherence to Style Guide

An important Content Marketing Manager role is to carry out excellent editing and proofreading for all the content that is produced by your team. You need to ensure adherence to the company style guide. Though you might not have to edit each copy as dedicated editors will do the job, you need to have the skills to point out mistakes.

Publishing and Content Promotion

Next comes one of the important Content Marketing Manager roles after production is complete. You have to ensure that the content gets published and promoted to the right people, at the right place, and at the right time. You can do this manually or use marketing automation tools.

Monitor and Analysis

Your job as the Content Marketing Manager is not yet over. Now the important Content Marketing Manager role is a content performance monitoring and analysis of the published content. With the help of analytics software, you have to find performance metrics of each of the content and see what’s working and what’s not. These insights will determine your future content marketing plans.

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Conclusion

This article can help you figure out, who is the content marketing manager? And the content marketing manager roles and responsibilities can help you to take a step in building a successful career in content marketing. If you wish to learn more about social media and content marketing and how the world of digital marketing works you must check out MICA and upGrad’s PG Certification in Digital Marketing and Communication.

This course is specially designed for Freshers, Traditional Marketers, Entrepreneurs, Brand and Communication Managers, Sales Professionals to make a successful career in digital marketing. Moreover, you will receive practical experience from industry leaders and get one-on-one feedback.

You will also have a personal Success Mentor who will ensure your consistent progress. If you have strong leadership skills and a burning desire to create valuable and engaging content this course is just for you. Kick-start your career with the right set of skills and practical industry experience.

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