Content manager: who is he and what does he do?

The development of the internet has created many opportunities for business promotion. Now, to search for clients, it is enough to have interesting social media accounts or a website. To make the most of the resource, you need to find a good specialist in this area. This article will focus on such a profession as a content manager. It is he who fills the page with the necessary information and is responsible for its popularity on the Internet.

This profession has long ceased to be exotic. It is often chosen by people who do not like to work in the office, preferring to work remotely and leave more free time for their hobbies or family.

The name of the profession comes from the English content - "content". The content manager manages the web resource: creates, replicates and curates its content. He needs to select text, graphic, artistic and other information that will appeal to the target audience. Also in the hands of the content manager is the management of the business relations of the resource. His work resembles an editorial, but in fact, this specialist has more functions.

So that all these difficult tasks are completed, the content manager attracts freelancers and coordinates their work... Among them there are copywriters, rewriters, SEO-optimizers, IT specialists, photographers, web designers. Next, consider a description of the range of responsibilities of representatives of this profession.

Today content managers are in demand in different areas, depending on which their functions change. To begin with, here are the general tasks of a site specialist.

• Planning. The content plan of the site determines its content on time. The curator creates tasks for copywriters and SEO-optimizers, corrects the finished work if necessary, puts content on the resource.
• Editing. In addition to preparing new content, the content manager, if necessary, edits existing content, prescribes meta tags, types up sites, creates links to partner sites, or assigns this work to subordinates.
• SEO promotion. Specialists in this profession are engaged in creating a semantic core for specific articles, and optimizing pages.
• Control. Having set tasks for employees, the content manager monitors their execution in a high-quality manner and on time.
• Reporting. The content manager checks the number of views and sources of activity, collects information, communicates it to colleagues and suggests ideas for increasing traffic.
• Working with the customer. The content manager necessarily works with the customer. From him, he receives all the latest information, including the wishes of customers and advertisers, corrects the team's actions, taking into account the voiced data. He also sends the customer reports on the work done and coordinates with him plans for future actions.
• Rewriting, copywriting. Sometimes the content manager does not post information prepared by someone, but creates it himself. Working with sources requires literacy and speed, the ability to write attractive and not boring texts that meet the requirements of the content.

Today, the work of a content manager in social networks Instagram, VK, etc. has become very popular. They allow you to promote a business, attract new customers, and create a positive image of an entrepreneur or company among the target audience. The tasks of such a specialist include the following functions.

• Development of a content plan taking into account the company's promotion strategy. The content marketer usually deals with the promotion strategy. Having received the assignment from the customer, he thinks over the brand development line and transfers his developments to the content manager.
• Prepare and publish posts, often through dedicated posting programs at the right time. In this way, information is published evenly, without overloading readers and at the same time keeping their interest.
• Processing media files in graphic editors or transferring this issue to a narrow specialist. These are designers working in Photoshop, CorelDraw, etc.
• Answers to subscribers' questions, start and support a discussion on a page in a social network. After all, in order to involve subscribers in the discussion, you need to show extraordinary imagination. This technique is quite effective, since the more real people talk about a product or service, the higher the interest in them. Also, among subscribers, contests can be held, which are also designed to increase interest in products.
• Preparation of content that will begin to distribute itself, at the expense of subscribers. Knowledge of psychology will also come in handy here: you need to understand which posts are interesting and close to the public. It is important to have sufficient experience in content management to create such posts.
• Creation and customization of advertising posts. Cross-PR with other pages allows you to attract new subscribers to both sides. An example of this symbiosis is the accounts of a nail salon and a hairdresser. Both businesses belong to the beauty industry, which means they have a similar target audience.
• Minimal understanding of marketing strategies. This is necessary for a well-coordinated work with a content marketer. Each of the specialists controls and regulates his work in accordance with the information from the second employee.The manager implements the marketing strategy in practice, and the marketer receives the results of his analysis from the manager and, if necessary, modifies the resource development strategy.

Like any other profession, a content manager must have certain characteristics. This applies not only to skills, but also to the characteristics of a person's personality.

Personal qualities:

• predisposition to meticulous work;
• a penchant for creative work;
• attentiveness;
• creativity
• efficiency;
• strict adherence to deadlines.

Skills:

• computer skills and high speed of printing;
• good knowledge of the rules of Russian, and sometimes foreign languages;
• in-depth knowledge of the topic on which the site or page on a social network is devoted;
• knowledge of graphic editors;
• knowledge of the basics of web design.

There are no uniform requirements for training content managers, but having a basic education will be an advantage. Most of the content managers are certified specialists in the field of journalism, philology, and PR management. However, it is not only the humanitarian specialization that can be useful. If the subject of the site has a technical direction, then you need education in a specific area: a person will have really good knowledge of the goods and services of a particular customer.

In the Internet you can find many virtual courses that allow you to master this profession... Based on the results of the training, certificates are issued confirming the qualifications of a content manager. Course prices vary significantly and can fluctuate between 3-30 thousand rubles. Choosing this teaching method, it is important to carefully select the program.

The specialist's competitive advantage will be web design courses. The ability to make up sites will allow the employer to save money on a separate specialist. This requires knowledge of HTML, CSS.

Today, many are interested in the question of how to master the profession of a content manager from scratch, what he should know and be able to do. The prospect of learning this kind of work is especially attractive for young people who are addicted to social media, as well as for women on maternity leave, as it allows them to work from home. There are various options for such employment: to lead one or several projects, remotely or in the office. Typically, such specialists receive about 30 thousand rubles, but for professionals, customers are ready to pay 50 thousand rubles and more.

Starting with minimal tasks, a site content specialist can grow to higher positions over time. For example, a project manager, a website editor, a literary editor of a virtual newspaper, an online marketing and SEO specialist, a photo editor, etc.

Despite the creative component of this profession, the resume of content managers is built according to standard canons. First you need to write your full name and desired position, as well as the level of income. Before specifying the required salary, check the cost of such work in the labor market. In personal information, by tradition, the age and contact information are indicated: address, phone number, other methods of communication. Describing your skills, list the types of content you worked with, knowledge of graphic editors and other programs useful in the work of a content manager, the ability to control the workflow, knowledge of HTML, CSS, SEO.

In personal qualities, perseverance, activity, the ability to assimilate large amounts of information, responsibility, a tendency to monotonous work, and sociability will be priority ones. Indicate your work experience in the specialty and at least one place of work.

Education in this area is not as important as work experience, but philology or journalism is preferable here. If you took courses, then this is also your plus, indicate them in the appropriate section.

Before you go looking for a job, decide if you have most of the required skills. If so, you can proceed with this task. There are several options for where to look for collaboration.

Search job advertisements for "content manager", "SMM manager", "assistant SMM manager", "content marketer" on job search sites and specialized freelance sites. The latter are most suitable for beginners.

When applying for a job and submitting your resume, attach a cover letter if possible. It should contain a targeted appeal, the desired position and the source of the vacancy, a few words about your main skills, a farewell in the form of "with respect, full name". You can learn more about this format from books on business correspondence, where you will learn the subtleties of writing such letters. By the way, reading such literature will be useful for work as a content manager.

Social media can also help you find a job. Take Facebook, for example. Join specialized communities with relevant vacancies, where customers and performers meet. Stay tuned for new offers on the page or in the topics of the group, while improving your skills and checking the posts of other applicants. Perhaps in them you will get ideas for self-presentation.

In the profile, also clarify your specialty and tell us a little about the key skills. This information should reflect the interest in finding a job and openness to communication with potential employers.

Explore the most attractive businesses for you, where you would like to work. Write to them personally, indicating your merits. Perhaps a vacancy has just appeared there, but the search for an employee goes not through resources, but “among our own”. Some decide to come to the office of the company directly, as they understand that there are quite a few competitors in place, and personal communication can help to remember. Not everywhere will be happy with such an act, but your courage will definitely be appreciated.

There are courses after which a person will be assisted in finding a job. Of course, nothing can be guaranteed here, since the courses take into account many factors, including your success, which is not ideal for everyone. In addition, the qualifications of the course leaders themselves may be questionable. Any resource must be carefully checked, it will be useful to read the reviews of other users. This will help avoid problems, wasted money and time.

Content manager is an interesting but difficult profession as it requires training, iron discipline and constant development. Finding a good website content specialist is not so easy, because the range of his duties is very extensive. Not every employee will agree to perform a large number of tasks.