Hiring a Content Manager? Here are the Top 5 Skills to Look For

As more companies are realizing the value of content marketing and blogging, they are also realizing the benefit of having a full-time content manager on staff.  Content managers can not only write and edit content; but develop the strategies and processes involved in a full-fledged content marketing plan. 

The diverse and extensive tasks involved in a content management role are not necessarily best suited to a marketing manager, assistant, or intern as just an additional responsibility.  A content manager should have full responsibility over the content on your company’s website – from strategy to implementation, and from conception to publication.  They have a special mix of skills, knowledge, and experience that goes far beyond just marketing, tech, or writing by alone.

If you are planning to hire a full-time content manager, here is a list of those top skills that you should look for during your hiring process:

1. Strong writing and editing:  And not just for any audience – for an online audience.  A content manager should be able to write content that is “scannable” so visitors can easily pick out the information important to them.  Look for blog writing or online content writing experience, and ask for several writing samples so you can evaluate spelling, grammar, and writing style (very important – writing style indicates what the “voice” of your blog or content will be).



2. Project/team management capabilities:  The content management process can be likened to project management – managing the what, when, where, why, and how of your website’s content.  A content manager is responsible for content strategy, publication schedules, and possibly a team consisting of other writers, a web designer and/or developer, and even a dedicated marketing coordinator.



3. Online/content marketing knowledge: In order to create a content strategy, build content that engages, and determine what works, a content manager should have experience with online marketing principles like audience targeting, identifying metrics, basic market research, data analyzation, copywriting, community building, and social media.  While the content manager may not be solely responsible for marketing and promotion, it will help to have that crucial knowledge in order to work successfully with a marketing team.



4. Tech/web savvy: Let me preface this by saying that I’ve seen too many content manager job postings that describe more of a web dev role than anything else.  The company wants advanced experience with HTML, Javascript, CSS, Ajax, etc. along with experience using every content management system on the market.  While I agree that having these advanced technical skills (in addition to writing and marketing) is beneficial, I also think that just having knowledge of basic HTML and image editors and the ability to learn new web tools quickly is plenty.
   
   What about content management systems?  Again, these can be learned quickly by the right candidate.  You should be looking for savvy when it comes to web and content tools more than extensive programming or web design experience.



5. Knowledge of site usability/navigability best practices:  Part of what can make or break content on a site is how visitors are able to access, read, and share it.  A content manager should be able to work with your designer and developer to determine how to display content for best usability, accessibility, and navigability.

I asked a few of my friends in content management, writing, and online marketing what their thoughts are on this topic, and I received a lot of insightful responses (so many, in fact, that I couldn't include them all here - so check out more at LinkedIn.

Newt Barrett, author of Get Content. Get Customers and Content Marketing Today blog: "A business should think of a content manager just as a magazine or newspaper thinks of an editor. As my old boss, Pat McGovern of technology publishing pioneer, IDG, always said, “Our job is to make our readers successful.” The same mission should apply to every business in the 21st century with a single change--replace ’readers’ with ’customers.’

Therefore, a content manager must have all of the sensibilities of a great editor. An editor must have a deep understanding of his audience and be able to shape information into articles that resonate with that audience. A content manager must be able to do essentially the same thing. He must first understand the toughest problems his customers face and the kinds of solutions they are seeking. He must then translate all of the internal body of knowledge from his company into content that becomes must reading for their target customers.

I believe that without the mindset of an editor all the other technical skills and background are relatively meaningless."

Mayra Ruiz-McPherson, independent marketing strategist and author of the Marketing Misfit blog:

• "Strong copywriting skills aid in the development of strong headlines and sub-headlines that can influence, engage and educate reader on the main ideas of content on a page without having to actually read it.
• The ability to coordinate, collaborate and cooperate with others in a dynamic team environment where web project requirements change rapidly is an essential detail to web content development.
• Sound and basic formatting practices reduce the risks of buggy text layouts, weird symbols, spacings and characters and unwanted code kinks that so often negatively impact our web publishing efforts with delays in cumbersome formatting and typography clean up. Moreover, the web environment is a highly technical ambiance, therefore a content manager of any kind must have a decent grasp of working in a variety of web-based tools and graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
• The ability to inform, engage, lure, entice and excite a fan-base, prospects, members of a brand community or existing customers requires a content manager to have ample marketing-speak know how for integrating communications across a variety of web media."

Danny Brown, Managing Director of Press Release PR and PR blogger: "I'd say the simplest answer is it's all in the marketing and using that in each facet of content management:

• Editing pieces so they're attractive to read
• Organizing key pieces over filler
• Understanding SEO and what will work best for each area, not just an overall hit
• Someone who knows the system well and is pro-active at making sure other users are just as comfortable

I guess you could say a good content manager is someone who would make a good mother!"

Sarah Z. Cordell, writer and communications expert: "Attention to detail, ability to set and adhere to deadlines, intimate knowledge of company style, obsessive organization skills, excellent people skills, ability to multi-task."

James Robinson, Marketing Manager Business Link at Exemplas Group: "A strong personality which translates into an interesting and distinct 'voice'. This means that you end up with memorable content that people want to read. Most people can learn CMS skills; look for the skills you can't teach easily if you want your content read and remembered."

What do you think makes a good content manager, and what skills and experience would you look for in hiring one?