What Is a Content Marketing Manager?
A content marketing manager owns the content marketing efforts for an organization, often with specific goals in mind. For example, a content marketing manager might develop a blog strategy to increase website visits. Or they might strategize a content campaign to move potential customers through the marketing funnel.
A quick disclaimer: The roles and responsibilities of a content marketing manager vary, depending on the organization, the marketing team’s structure, the industry, and other factors. I’ve been a content marketing manager on a marketing team of two and a team of 30+, working in edtech, cybersecurity, and IT. Please keep these caveats in mind while reading this post, as I’m largely drawing from personal experience!
Education Required for Content Marketing Managers
Most content marketing manager roles require a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, English, journalism, or a related field.
I became a content marketing manager after I got my undergrad degree in English (technical writing). Later, I earned a master’s degree in communication (public relations), and that degree has given me a leg-up in terms of versatility. I’ve not only managed marketing content for companies, but I’ve also written op-eds, press releases, media pitches, and other communications items.
Tools I Use as a Content Marketing Manager
As a content marketing manager, I work with several tools regularly. Here are a few of them and their purposes.
Writing tools
My favorite go-to writing tool I use every day as a content marketing manager is Grammarly. I run every single draft I write through Grammarly’s awesome content checker. It checks for grammar and spelling (of course) as well as ways to make your content more concise and easier to read. And even better, it has a built-in plagiarism checker.
I also type all my drafts in a word processor before transferring them to our content management system (more on that in a minute). At my current gig, we’re a Microsoft shop, but in most other places I’ve worked, we used the Google Suite.
Search engine optimization (SEO) tools
As a content marketing manager in today’s world, you’ll need good SEO skills. SEO helps you make your content rank higher on Google. While SEO is a field on its own, you’ll need a basic understanding of how to make sure your content is SEO-friendly. And luckily, there are tools to help with that!
If your budget is slim, you can rely on Google Keyword Planner: a free tool that helps you choose good keywords to target in your digital content. If you’ve got some money to play with, SEMrush is a safe bet. But heads up: SEMrush is a very powerful tool and can become overwhelming quickly if you’re new to SEO.
Content management systems
A content management system (CMS) is the platform content marketing managers use to publish digital content. Examples of content management systems include WordPress, HubSpot, and Contentful. I’ve used a number of these in my day, but my favorite is probably HubSpot. I find it super easy and intuitive to use.
Project management tools
As a content marketing manager, you have a lot of priorities to juggle. Balancing tasks, content requests, daily to-dos, and whatever else makes its way onto your plate is so much easier with a good project management tool.
I’m a huge fan of Asana and Wrike. Not only do these tools help you keep track of your tasks, but you can visualize your workload in multiple ways on these platforms. For example, I find the calendar views useful when I need to glance at my content calendar to see which posts to prioritize working on.
I find Wrike to be a bit more customizable, which was perfect when I worked on a marketing team that adopted the agile methodology and worked in sprints. But Asana gives you an occasional flying narwhal when you check off a task.
And sometimes, as a content marketing manager, you just need that little dopamine rush.
Communication tools
I use a communication tool every single day. It’s by far my most-used tool category as these tools help me collaborate with teammates.
As a content marketing manager, you’ll likely work with a mix of instant messengers (such as Slack or Microsoft Teams), video tools (such as Zoom or Google Meet), and email (such as Gmail or Outlook).
My favorite communication tool by far is Slack. Despite its name, Slack increases my productivity by keeping me out of my inbox. Slack isn’t as intrusive. I can message anyone I work with and get an answer quickly. Plus, Slack has many integrations that make your inbox (and several other tools) unnecessary for most of your day.
Skills for Content Marketing Managers
There are a few soft and hard skills that have come in handy for me as a content marketing manager—and I gained many of these when I was an English major! Here are some of the skills I recommend honing if you want a career in the content marketing world.
Hard skills
Writing (of course!)
Editing/proofreading
Researching
Content management systems
Project management
Search engine optimization (for web writing)
Marketing
Soft skills
Creativity
Critical thinking
Collaboration
Problem-solving
Empathy
Organization
Time management
Willingness to learn
Curiosity
Salaries for Content Marketing Managers
According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for content marketing managers in the United States is $88,038. Payscale lists the average as $74,645 per year. Indeed states $72,668. Of course, multiple factors determine salaries for content marketing managers: years of experience, industry, job duties, location, etc.
A Day in the Life of a Content Marketing Manager
And if you’re wondering what an actual day in the life of a content marketing manager looks like, you’ve come to the right blog! Here’s what I might do in a typical day in my current role.
Get caught up on Slack (we don’t really use email)
Check Asana for my tasks to complete for the day
Proofread colleagues’ work
Schedule social posts (I also handle our social media)
Monitor social media channels
Research blog topics
Interview subject matter experts for guidance on blog topics
Find target SEO keywords for blogs
Stage drafts in our CMS
Attend meetings and syncs (luckily, I don’t have too many in my current role!)
And there you have it! Being a content marketing manager has been fulfilling for me in my career. I learn something new every day, and I get to earn a living doing something I love. Is there anything better than that?