Why You Need Editorial Managers Instead of Account Managers

The worlds of content marketing and advertising both work with brands to create campaigns that turn heads. Advertising agencies traditionally create multimedia campaigns using traditional media while newer content marketing firms create multimedia campaigns of content. Of course, there’s overlap in what they do but not how they work behind the scenes.

Agencies and firms in advertising have traditionally adhered to an internal order. Advertising has a well-oiled hierarchy set in place, a structure for which they can successfully collaborate and have firm job roles. An account director oversees the brand’s business while her Account Manager keeps the client happy and updated; the creative director and her team produce the campaign material. It’s a system we’ve seen work for decades for this more traditional industry.

But at Quietly, we’re trying to abolish rigid structures like this to find what works best for the content marketing industry and for our company. And that structure didn’t align with our goals, company culture and natural inclination towards constantly improving how we work. Instead of structured roles, we prefer flexible, fluctuating roles where our employees can do their jobs but also stay creative.

That’s why at Quietly, we hire Editorial Managers. Akin to an account manager, our Editorial Managers bridge the brand with our team of creatives, offering an insider perspective to the content industry thanks to their communications and publishing backgrounds. Combining creativity with account management, we are champions of Editorial Managers running the behind the scenes at our company, fulfilling less of a hierarchical role and more of a leadership one.

Our Editorial Managers are the ones who write the publisher briefs, coordinate communication between writers and editors, strategize content plans, contribute story ideas and have plenty of experience working with publications, style guides, tones, voices, verticals and other writer jargon. They have a personal relationship with each account they oversee, but can offer editorial insight and know the best practices of the biz to ensure editorial integrity.

Unlike Account Managers at an ad agency who solely focus on the relationship with the client, our Editorial Managers balance the duties of an Associate Editor in charge of the account; essentially they become Account Managers with editorial clout. They are the authorities on your account in every way that counts. Starting at the bottom, our Editorial Managers work with research and data to comprise a monthly report for the client, walking you through where your weaknesses and strengths lie. From there, it’s for an Editorial Manager to explain why we recommend strategy X over strategy Y, breaking down the insight and research, the editorial calendar schedule and goals we expect to hit and break that month. Combine the personal relationships, leadership skills and editorial knowledge, and you have one of our Editorial Managers.

Editorial Managers know their accounts backwards and forwards, but they are also chosen for their expertise and know-how. And for us, the advertising model doesn’t cut what we’re trying to do, frankly. We want to innovate and keep moving forward and see what works and what doesn’t. And so far, Editorial Managers work for us and they can for you.

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Image Credit: Splitshire