A Quick Guide to the Perfect Content Manager

Great content doesn't grow on trees, and it doesn't thrive like wild fruit, ready to be picked. Instead, content is made to be managed. That way, it can meet stringent quality standards, stay totally on-brand, knock the SEO stats out of the park, and keep a company's message fresh and innovative.

That's where professional content managers become essential. But who are they, and what do they do? Read on for our quick guide to what makes a first-rate content manager, and how you could be missing out.
Content Managers: A Basic Definition Content managers are professionals who are responsible for content on specific websites. This can mean a lot of things, and management tasks vary between websites, from getting video metadata right, to sourcing articles, and building backlinks.

On a day to day level, content managers tend to work via Content Management Systems like Wordpress or Drupal. They usually work with either an in-house team or agencies like greatcontent who can assist with tasks like blog management.

As such, they are crucial parts of modern businesses, playing an instrumental role in how visible sites are on search engines, brand management, and social media interactions with followers.
What Do Content Managers Do? Put simply, content managers are like wizards of the content marketing world, and they have a range of spells up their sleeves.
1. Determining Which Content is Published Many content managers take direct control of how content is commissioned and presented, what topics are dealt with, how many pieces are published, where they are published, and how often they appear.

As such, they play a similar role to magazine editors, determining what audiences want, how to find strong writing talent, and when to change focus.
2. Ensuring Content is Part of a Wider Content Strategy Good content managers also have to take into account a wider content strategy, and ensure that texts, videos, and social media posts fit in with their company's broader marketing campaigns.

To achieve maximum impact with every blog or video,  they will find ways to link them to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, and even real-world publications. Good content management doesn't just happen in one place. It has to be part of a wider marketing ecology.
3. Making Sure Sites are Perfectly Constructed Content managers also have to do the behind-the-scenes grunt work which keeps websites ticking over. Assisted by slick CMS software, they have to ensure that all content is properly structured, so that it remains on-brand and palatable to the site's audience.

This can mean a lot of tedious image resizing and word counting. It also means checking that content doesn't become outdated, as well as finding creative ways to repurpose older content to maximize SEO.
4. Keeping Talent Motivated and the Audience Engaged Above all else, content managers have to manage people. It might seem like they spend most of their time wrestling with CMS, but their core role is still to deal with people.

They may have to manage teams of content writers (a temperamental bunch at the best of times), or work with content writing agencies to ensure that texts are delivered on time, and to the required quality.

Moreover, content managers need to stay in touch with their audience, so they know what kind of content to publish. It's a deeply human job, and one where sympathy and HR skills can be vital.
Comparing Content Managers vs Copywriters One way to look at the role of a content manager is to compare them to copywriters. Where copywriters are given tasks and contracted to complete them, content managers are autonomous (within the confines of the overall content strategy). They sometimes write, but always focus on finding content that will achieve the biggest impact.

As such, it's common to find the content managers depend on copywriters, and like to cultivate good relationships with dependable writers. At greatcontent, we know all about how frustrating it can be when this relationship malfunctions. That's why we maintain a pool of reliable, creative writers, and liaise closely with content managers who reach out to our team.

So, if you need assistance with content creation, get in touch. Whether you work in fashion, crypto-currency trading, flight booking, or gourmet food delivery, we can add a touch of magic to your site.

Text: Sam Urquhart
Image: unsplash.com