With a global digital population of just over four billion, the content marketing industry is booming now more than ever. And, the rapid growth of this industry has opened up a massive number of opportunities for that occupation.
In contrast to prevailing opinion, this career is not just about writing blogs. Although strategizing blog content is an important part of content marketing, the job demands a great deal more.
If you are a new content marketing specialist or aspire to be one soon, then you might be wondering which skills are important for this role. In this article, let’s talk about the relevant expertise.
1. Social Media Marketing
Yes, social media marketing is the most important skill that you must master. Why? Because social media is one of the most common mediums and a crucial landing spot for digital content.
Depending on the type of industry, the applicable platform will undoubtedly differ. For example, B2B businesses will focus more on channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter, while B2C businesses would lean more towards Instagram and Facebook.
Whichever industry is involved, it is important to grasp at least intermediate skills for the most relevant networks.
Each of these choices has various kinds of content to explore ranging from simple posts to stories, videos, carousels, and the like. So, it is critical to attain a workable understanding of the content types most appropriate for each of these formats.
2. SEO
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is significant because a major focus of this job is creating winning content for search engines, primarily Google. And SEO is, in turn, critical in developing content that ranks high on Google.
SEO includes many categories such as keyword research, competitor analysis, on-page optimization techniques, technical SEO, and link building. Even if your company has a dedicated SEO team, having a good grip on these areas will help better facilitate planning and strategizing.
And as SEO goes hand-in-hand with user experience (UX), a strong understanding of website usability — which includes site navigation, load speed, content hierarchy, web accessibility, and so on — is also required.
3. Sales Funnels and Buyer Journeys
Gaining insight into the business’ sales funnels and buyer journeys is imperative towards the establishment of a valuable content marketing plan.
Content mapping comes into play here, requiring that you strategize the content for each stage of the journey. For instance, the copy created for the awareness phase will be more informational, including blog posts and YouTube videos. In contrast, the content produced to spur purchase decisions might include case studies and product descriptions.
4. Devising a Comprehensive Marketing Strategy
The undertaking includes such tasks as auditing existing content, identifying gaps in the market, keyword and audience research, and creating varying content ideas for different platforms.
You can then advance the process by establishing project calendars and delegating tasks specific to each program.
5. Editing
Editing (including proofreading) cannot be overlooked. A poorly edited piece can effectively spoil your entire marketing strategy. You must edit ruthlessly to assure the copy is crisp and precise.
Undoubtedly, editing is not an easy undertaking. You must balance many considerations, such as the target audience and the distribution network, in the context of the goals of each individual project as well as the marketing program as a whole.
6. Expertise in Copywriting
Copywriting is a highly coveted skill because without good copy, other aspects of the content marketing effort can go to waste.
This function impacts various formats including sales pages, emails, ad copy and social media posts. In many instances you may not necessarily create the original copy, but can provide extremely valuable insight in inspiring the content’s underlying themes.
7. Research
You need ninja research prowess as a content marketing specialist. Whether it be keyword analysis for blog posts, exploring target customer demographics, or investigating a myriad other previously unfamiliar topics, thoroughly examining the data is crucial to the process.
This may start with a simple Google search, or it may entail the use of more complicated research tools and a comprehensive review of published papers.
8. Effective Communication and Management
As a content marketer, you must function seamlessly among multiple teams, e.g., sales, copywriting and graphic design. So, communication and management becomes an integral part of the job.
You will be working with project management tools to accomplish various requirements within allotted deadlines. It will also take a deft hand and a lot of ingenuity to balance the needs of multiple voices in brainstorming and ultimately effectuating the plan.
9. Data Analysis
Without applicable data analysis, you won’t be able to properly finalize your program strategy. Thus, it would behoove you to gain a comfort level working with tools involving social media, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and the like.
10. Email Proficiency
Emails remain one of the most profitable types of content used by most businesses. Earning an average of $38 for every $1 invested, email marketing generates the highest return on investment (ROI) amongst all digital channels.
Hence, you need a clear understanding of various approaches so that you can create and plan effective email campaigns.
For example, if you work with a product-based company, you’d want to strategize powerful product launch email sequences. It would be crucial that you recognize appropriate timing, optimize subject lines, provide value propositions and incorporate calls to action.
Conclusion
We can summarize this post by noting that being an accomplished content marketing specialist entails an appreciation and awareness of many different areas. It demands a careful balance of content creation, program development and careful implementation. Thus, if you feel you have a knack for the above-listed attributes, you very well may be on the right path to success.
