When getting off the ground with content marketing for your private equity firm, your natural inclination might be to start off by outsourcing the work to a content marketing agency or a freelance writer to start creating content.
If you’re not careful here, you will fall into a common trap of nascent content marketing programs: focusing too much on content creation and not enough on promotion.
While you certainly will need a good writer as part of your content marketing program, so much more goes into creating and promoting content. Consequently, your first hire should be a content manager.
What is a content manager?
A content manager is the stakeholder that oversees the execution of your content marketing program. This role is not only responsible for writing your content but also promoting it across the various digital marketing channels a private equity firm should focus on.
Your content manager should be a good writer, but they will do more than just write. Below are some of their responsibilities other than those related to content creation:
- Plan an editorial calendar based on the content topics you’d like to cover
- Publish social media posts to promote new content
- Run paid social advertising to get your content in front of prospects
- Draft email templates for your biz dev team to use
- Manage advertising and email audiences
- And more
How is a content manager different from a content writer?
A content manager is both a writer and a project manager, making sure you not only create content on a regular schedule but also publish and promote that content on all the right channels.
In many cases, a good writer can be trained to learn the skills of a good content manager, so long as the person training the writer understands content marketing in the private equity space.
Does my content manager need to be a full-time employee?
If you plan to scale content marketing, you’ll need a dedicated resource to oversee content creation and promotion. Plus, having a full-time employee gives you some flexibility with what they work on (e.g. 4 blog posts one month, 2 videos the next, 3 podcasts the next, etc.)
Okay then, Jack, if I’m going to hire a content manager, why do I need you?
Great question. While a content manager focuses on execution, my focus is on strategy. While a good content manager will with time, trial, and error be able to figure out how to market your firm, I can show them exactly what to do from day one. Hiring me could save you from spinning your wheels for a year trying to figure out what works.
In addition, I can help you find your content manager. Having worked and hired in the space before, I can teach you the skills to look for in a content manager, as well as bring you the benefit of my network of content creators.
The value of a content manager
When equipped with the right strategy, your content manager will help you consistently stay top of mind with your prospects so they’re more likely to respond to emails and ultimately partner with you.
Here are some other resources to help you with your first content marketing hire:
