Being an online content manager takes a lot of time and effort. So much time, in fact, that sometimes it’s hard to be productive and get everyone done. Whether it’s curating social media posts, updating a website, or writing a blog post, dealing with content daily is a given. We often discuss during our free webinar training on how to leverage content for the highest payoff, and we demonstrate how to start doing that today.
Be efficient and publish content quickly and Seattle Times you can stay ahead of the game. Stay current with present trends and don’t procrastinate on pushing things out — the more you delay, the harder it’ll be to catch up.
Be efficient. Schedule out your creative content in one sitting using an app like Hootsuite, and add curated material throughout the week as you notice interesting content in your feed. Social media doesn’t have to eat up your time, unless you are addicted to baby goat videos, and then you’re on your own.
Publish content frequently. Think about how you can serialize or repurpose an article. Ask others to contribute content. Keep in mind that text can be short; just make sure it delivers value to your audience.
HubSpot says to stay focused on your job instead of wasting time worrying about what others think of you and how you’re performing at your job. As a new content manager who would like to make an online living focusing on other’s perception of you is a dead end road. Stay positive and dedicated to your work, and everything should fall into place.
Don't get hung up on your own perceptions of how you're doing.
This is not to say that you should be recklessly unconcerned with your own performance, but you shouldn't be obsessed with it. In fact, falling too hard into what psychologists call a performance mindset often means getting stuck in a cycle of feeling inadequate and limited by your own failures.
When you magnify your shortcomings and allow them to cripple your confidence, you forget that you're capable of improvement. And when that happens, you actually stop trying to get better.
Instead of letting your own performance dominate your thoughts and drive you completely crazy, why not put your energy into actually learning the ropes of your new gig? What you see as shortcomings and fixed flaws are actually just opportunities to get better, as cheesy as that might sound at first.
This all just requires a simple mindset change: View each challenging task as a chance to improve on a skill, rather than something that might set you up to fail.
After you score a client or two, it’s essential to explain to them how you think. If you don’t effectively communicate, as Rapid Start Leadership suggests, you may run into some unnecessary hiccups that could have been prevented right from the start.
As the newest person on the team, nobody knows how you function, or how the gears turn in your mind. Instead of playing a guessing game with them, be up front about what’s going on above your shoulders.
When they come to you with some information or ask for a decision, take a moment to walk them through what you are thinking as you respond.
It reduces anxiety. People don’t know how the new leader will react and that can make them nervous. When you calmly explain what you are looking for and how you see things, it helps them understand what they need to do.
You are giving them a chance to be successful. Most people want to do well, so help them out. Tell them what you like about what they have done and why. If their work is not up to standard, be clear about it, tell them why it’s important to do it right.
You are building leaders. By sharing your mental process, you are teaching them how to think, and how to make decisions. You are modeling leadership to them. And when you make this effort, you establish a higher level of trust and confidence.
As you make headway in your new job, remember to keep the company involved. After all, Content Tools reminds freelancers that they are employing you, and it’s in your best interest to communicate with them regularly. Get their feedback on which topics you should focus on now and in the future.
Coming up with ideas and topics all by yourself, writing content all by yourself, searching for partnership opportunity all by yourself can be extremely tiring. If you bring more hands to your side, you will consequently become a project manager instead of a writer+editor+seoexpert+socialmedia+designer+strategist+manager.
And I know you’ve tried before and their answer was all about “Sorry, I’ve got to close clients”, “Sorry, I’ve got to code”, “Sorry, I’ve got to….”, and here are some tips to overcome that:
Create a simple process: half of the people I’ve interviewed at our company, had no idea on how to participate (or even if they could) on the content side of our marketing. They didn’t know how to suggest new ideas – although they had a lot -, they didn’t know where to find information about our strategy – although they helped me build it -, they didn’t know where to actually produce a content. Create a SIMPLE process in ONE single place where they will go for everything and they will come.
Show them all the importance and impact of producing content: become an authority of the field you are working at is good for everyone. Not everyone realize that by themselves, make it crystal clear and the impact it has been for others;
Share the results of each content with everyone: showing the producer how many people have actually read the content can be an impressive stimulus. Compare that with how many people this person personally talks over a week and show them that the only way to get exposure worldwide is through content;
Reward the best performers: preferably in front of everyone. Some awards can be “The king of facebook engagement”, “The king of instagram engagement”, “The queen of SEO”, “The pageview master”.
HubSpot says you should approach everything as if you’re learning it for the very first time. Do this, and you’ll be more willing to learn, make mistakes, and become the best content manager there is.
Approach everything like a beginner.
Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki famously wrote, “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.”
If you approach your new role with the assumption that you're already an expert, you unconsciously close yourself off to new learning opportunities. You're letting your established beliefs derail any chance to absorb new information that could make you much better at your job, just because you feel threatened.
Having the mindset of a beginner in a new leadership position is especially important as it allows you to remain eager, open, and receptive to new information. Being a successful leader hinges on being able to put your preconceived notions aside in the face of facts or people who challenge assumed information.
If you’re looking for a specific job or just got a new online job, study your client. The more you know about them, the better because you’ll be better equipped to help them with their needs.
Another way to be successful: know your company, inside and out.
First of all, make sure you understand the mission of your company. It's amazing how many people work for a company and don't even understand its mission.
Some of those people are in management.
Don't be like that. Know your company's mission statement and make sure to define all your initiatives with an eye towards fulfilling that mission.
Also, take a look at the company's history. Which of its past marketing strategies have been successful? More importantly, which ones haven't been successful?
Capitalize on previous successes. Learn from the mistakes of others as well.
Next: get to know the company's sales cycle. How long does it take to close a sale on one customer? How much does that cost? Where do leads generally come from?
Also, take a look at the existing marketing channels that the company is using. What are its online and offline strategies? Are there any inefficiencies that need to be addressed? Where is the company lacking in getting out its marketing message?
Also, consider the tools that you have available. How can you use those tools to help the company achieve greater success? What tools do you still need to do your job?
Aha! Blog offers some advice from some specialists in the field. We have to say that learning to let go is one of the hardest tips to follow, but it’s so necessary for growth in your field!
Share the major themes (again and again)
“Anytime you are presenting anything, clearly outline and communicate your key points. Sure, you are proud of the work being done and you are going to want to show off every small detail — but avoid this temptation. Outline your major themes and hit them over and over again. Use the same language on your roadmaps. As you approach a big launch, it will feel like you have repeated yourself an annoying number of times. But stay clear and consistent. The next time you hit your key points might be the time that others really start to hear them.” — Austin Merritt
Learn to let go
“Sometimes you need to simply let go. You can do your best each day to push for what you think is right for the product based on your strategy. But if the CEO or the executive team decides they want to go in a different direction, accept that — while also asking questions. Understand why that decision was made. Let go of any emotional attachment you have (to the feature, direction, option, etc.) and embrace the new direction.” — Jessica Groff
During our free webinar training, we provide freelancers like yourself advice on how to best proceed to build your business and become successful. Being productive is also essential as it will help you learn how to land more jobs and live the online life of your dreams!
Sources: Seattle Times, Rapid Start Leadership, Content Tools, Aha! Blog, HubSpot, Inc.
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