According to the Content Marketing Institute, 93% of all business-to-business marketing firms utilize content marketing, with 58% planning to increase spending in this area in 2014.

But content marketing strategies are only as good as the team and managers that make them come to life. And because content marketing is a young field, there is significant variation in terms of the roles and responsibilities of individuals within it.

A new 2014 study conducted by Jay Ivey, a market researcher at Software Advice, examines the qualifications and qualities that make the ideal content marketing manager.

Methodology

The team scoured job listings from Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. Researchers searched for the title of "content marketing manager" and then expanded to include close equivalents and titles with comparable requirements. In the end, the team relied on a sample of 300 listings and analyzed them to see what employers look for in the ideal manager.

The Ideal Content Marketing Manager: Key Findings

Key findings from the study are presented in the following infographic, designed using easel.ly:

Takeaways

As is evident in the infographic, researchers found that there were three main areas of interest among employers looking for content marketing managers:

1. Education: Employers desire new hires from a variety of academic backgrounds, including traditional marketing degrees and nontraditional business majors like journalism and English. According to market researcher Jay Ivey, "the data suggests that there are still many paths to a career in content marketing. But the experts we spoke with suggested this may not be the case for very long as the field of content marketing continues to mature."
2. Experience: While about half of employers require 3-5 years of professional experience, about 80% require at least a year. Most prefer this to be marketing experience, but other disciplines like blogging and digital publishing also make the cut.
3. Skills: A significant number of employers look for impeccable writing and editing skills when evaluating candidates. This makes sense, as content marketing success hinges on quality. Other noteworthy skills include SEO, data analysis, WordPress, and design (check out the full list here). Aspiring content managers should make efforts to develop these skills as much as possible.

In addition, it is noteworthy that management experience, while not required often in today's listings, will grow in importance in coming years.

The Link to You

It's important to understand the demand for managers because they will shape content marketing strategy for the foreseeable future. For employers, understanding what makes a manager successful in this field will lead to strong success with new hires. And for individuals, understanding what constitutes an ideal content marketing manager will help them take steps to become frontrunners for desired positions.

What do you think of this research? Is it consistent with your personal and professional experience? Let us know in the comments below!