As content manager we try to work as data driven as possible. By utilizing heatmaps, scrollmaps and piwikpro we gain insight on how our content is performing and adjust accordingly. Proposed edits will get verified by looking into the data first and/or conferring with UX.
Interesting statistics:
Content managers are the counterpart of the marketeer. They are two heads on the same set of shoulders. Where the marketeer is more lead and campaign driven, the content manager is more creative and concrete. They speak the same language which then gets translated into content that will serve the mutual goals. They are 2 sides of the same coin and work best in a horizontal relationship.
Apart from marketing, content managers shall work closely together with UX. A customer/ user perspective is pertinent to what we create. Be it an article or a quote document. We strive to maintain an outside-in perspective as much as possible.
Whenever a piece of content is customer facing (e.g. quote document, webpage etc.) content managers will always involve ux researcher or customer experience managers, before creating a new piecec of content.
When optimizing content managers speak with UX researchers to properly set up studies to test our ideas and gain new customer insights.
Content managers will do constant maintenance on the website. Once every half year they will go through their website tree and clean up pages that are unpublished, no longer used or update content on published pages. Since the website is the content manager’s main channel, this maintenance work is important and should be prioritized.
By keeping the backend clean, we prevent 404’s, keep a ‘clean work station’ and maintain oversight in what we produce. By keeping the frontend clean we make sure that what users see is up to snuff and introduce bugs, improvements and new feature requests to the webteam in a timely fashion.
This way of working will make sure that there will be a healthy ecosystem on the website.
To utilize the full potential of content it is important that we keep it up to date. Monitoring and evaluating content with UX and appropriate stakeholders ensures we keep making impact with what we create. This also means that content managers prefer online solutions over static ones. E.g. a webpage is preferred over a pdf.
We define content as material that we use to communicate our values, processes, services and products internally and externally. Examples of this would be:
An expert when it comes to content. How to create it and how to effectively use it. It is someone who has the ability to zoom in and out and look at the question behind the question. Get to the core of a message and then determine the shape of the message; communicate effectively. Effectively means: clearly, understandable, via channels where we can reach our target audience.
The Content Manager is responsible for planning, creating, managing, distributing, and optimizing content across various platforms to engage target audiences and achieve organizational goals. They play a key role in enhancing brand awareness, boosting customer engagement, and driving lead generation.
This role includes creating, editing, posting, and updating content across platforms, while also analyzing performance metrics to further refine and improve.
Additionally, a content manager is a bridge builder: they collaborate with different stakeholders and make sure they are visible within the company.
At Vattenfall InCharge a content manger/ specialist does the following things:
Centralise content requests via a briefing/request form.
Manage media library: Prevent wild growth in your media library, keep it need and delete what you are not using. File your images neatly in folders.
Currently every market has their own way on how to manage the media library, but I suggest we at some point should centralise it across the markets. And document this in a way of working.
Bigger requests: always schedule a meeting, always make sure you have the briefing clear. Manage expectations and communicate lead times.
Follow-up on content you created: how are the pages doing, how is the form performing, did the flyer come out nice? And adjust if needed.
Content managers are often at the center of the business. We speak with everyone and everyone speaks to us. That makes it sometimes harder to determine priorities. Keep these principles in mind:
Topics with a high impact that are part of the content strategy should be prioritized. This will only be de-prioritized when an issue arises with high customer impact.
A content issue with a high customer impact will often result in a lot of calls for customer service. Waiting times will increase and with it customer dissatisfaction. Based on the issue it can also interfere with conversions (e.g. charge card form is not working correctly).
If the issue directly affects customers and their ability to converse or impedes them to use our services a content manager should give it a high priority.
I tend to prioritize small tasks, since they are done fairly quickly (e.g. fixing typo’s or changing an image) and the profit tends to be high. Aka better impression towards are customers, colleagues can continue their work without being blocked etc.
If a smaller tasks starts to take more time, evaluate again: what is the ‘profit’ and do I need to do it now?
If it’s the first one it’s important it takes time to figure out how to do things. Talk to people and understand what’s happening. Important to work on, but good to give pushback, this takes time and stakeholders cannot expect you to do it right here and now.
If it’s a quick win, prioritize it.
With both situations keep in mind that the customer can be a stakeholder. If the customer is a stakeholder again figure out what the impact is and move the prioritization either up if necessary.
Content creation has lead times. Which means that a late briefing does not necessarily deserve a higher prioritization. If there is time and space in your schedule sure, but it is not an automatic given.
When a stakeholder comes in with a request it might be good to figure out how long they have been working with the current solution. Based on the other criteria this might move your prioritization up or down.