Content marketing managers are in high demand. Knowing what to look for is essential to creating a killer job description and attracting the right person for your organization.
But in a relatively new field, finding talent isn’t always easy. Here are five characteristics to look for.
1. Writing and Editing Skills
Recent research shows that the most important skill-set for content marketing managers is writing and editing. Why? Because they’re responsible for producing content that drives action and converts your prospects. If your content marketing manager isn’t an excellent writer and editor, he or she will fail to produce quality content that resonates with your target audience.
To vet candidates, ask for several writing samples. Let the work speak for itself.
2. Curiosity
Content marketing managers must be curious—curious to test new tactics, take some risks, and investigate innovative topics.
To excel, content marketing managers must be curious—curious to test new tactics, take some risks, and investigate innovative topics. They should be constantly finding ways to push the envelope when it comes to your organization’s content. Without curiosity, they risk recycling stale content ideas and turning off readers and potential customers.
3. Project Management Skills
Content marketing managers are not only responsible for churning out excellent content, but also for managing that content. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to content campaigns: identifying tasks, scheduling deadlines, and organizing approval processes, to name a few.
A great writer who lacks the skill set to coordinate their material won’t be a very effective content marketing manager. Find someone who exercises both the left and right sides of their brain.
4. Creativity
Great content marketing isn’t just about the words on a page. It’s about how those words are packaged, designed, and delivered. It’s about how the content makes readers feel—especially since, time and time again, emotion trumps reason when it comes to purchase decisions.
Great content marketing isn’t just about the words on a page.
Content marketing mangers should feel comfortable exploring new ideas, designs, and concepts. They will be working closely with designers, videographers, and community managers to create compelling content experiences. Writing well isn’t enough. Content marketing managers must have a good sense of how the words and design support each other. Thinking outside the box when it comes to delivery and packaging of content should be a prerequisite.
5. Industry Knowledge
A content marketing manager who doesn’t know anything about your industry, or who doesn’t have a keen desire to learn about it, won’t be a good addition to your team. Passion and thought leadership are important ingredients to great content marketing campaigns. If your content creators aren’t excited about the subjects they’re writing about, readers probably won’t be too excited to read about them.
If you scan your content marketing manager candidates for these five qualities, you’ll end up with someone who will help bring your content marketing efforts to the next level.
Find the Best People for the Job
Check out what we’ve found to be the best things to look for when hiring for content marketing.
