The Role of the Content Manager
If your RFP team has been around for more than five or so years, it probably has a dedicated content function or even a Content Management team.
First developed as a way to assign accountability for product knowledge and content library organization, the content manager role has evolved with the increased use of proposal software by RFP teams. Now, content management is much more than just acting as a team librarian for company information.
Today’s content managers are responsible for:
System Administration
Product expertise
Content creation with appropriate research
Proofreading and editing
Brand management with editorial standards
Ad hoc content updates, frequently reactive to company changes or communications
Content library organization and attributes
Proposal software vendor relationship management
Tier One user support
New functionality assessment/adoption decisions
System training, including lesson design and delivery
Business requirement documentation to be communicated to the vendor
Report/dashboard development
Subject Matter Expert network and content reviews
Content reviews with SME, legal and/or compliance
Whew, that is a lot to expect from one role!
RFP managers and their leadership should have a working knowledge of what skill sets that effective content management demand. Too often, I’ve seen that the above list is simply expected from the role without understanding what any individual brings to the skills and experience table. There is a fundamental lack of awareness that can cause frustration and a sense of disappointment with a content management team.
Here are my top misconceptions that content management teams suffer:
The content management team has a working knowledge of all content management software system functionality out of the gate
Software vendors provide intensive training on new and developing functionality
Software vendors provide training materials that are user-ready
Content organization is recommended by software vendors and is assessed against a software vendor’s client base
The content management team are all-knowing product specialists. Product knowledge is communicated directly to a content management team by internal product teams in a proactive fashion
Internal organizational changes and new Subject Matter Expert contacts are communicated directly to a content management team
System administration functions are simple and report writing is pre-built in vendor systems
Tier One user support isn’t going on daily
User support escalations with software vendors aren’t going on daily
Content creation and reviews are completed solely in the system needing minimal extraneous communication.
Your content management team may look a bit different. Some RFP teams break out core content responsibilities (product knowledge and SME identification) from the more IT/system functions, such as user support, vendor support escalations and system training. Other teams even may have a quality manager who oversees editing, proofreading and style guide adherence.
The important thing is to measure what is expected from the content management team versus the capacity and experience of those team members. Communication around current state vs. future state, gap-analysis work, appropriate staffing plans and even professional development plans to build skill sets are vital in your content management team’s success.
Oh, and it may be a good idea to see if there is potential to network with other content management teams in your industry. Most vendors are very open to creating connections and there are existing proposal groups that you can also explore.
