What is content marketing?
Content marketing involves creating and sharing online marketing assets (such as videos, blog articles, or social media posts) to educate, inform, entertain, and stimulate interest in a product or service without explicitly promoting it.
At its core, content marketing is tightly connected to inbound marketing (a branch of marketing that emphasizes drawing customers in rather than pushing products toward them), as it involves creating informative and/or entertaining content to engage potential customers.
However, content marketing can also function as an outbound activity, to help promote your brand and products more directly. For example, an outbound specialist may need the help of a content marketing specialist to create sales assets (like whitepapers, promotional videos, and other marketing collateral).
Regardless of approach, the primary goal of content marketing is to provide valuable information that will generate qualified traffic and encourage potential customers to check out your brand and purchase your product.
16 skills every content marketer needs to succeed
Here are several core content marketing skills that every content writer and content marketing agency needs:
Excellent writing
Writing is of course a must. Although their skillset should go beyond that (especially in the current context), writing lies at the core of what a content marketer does. It's essential for them to have excellent writing skills, including the ability to convey complex ideas in clear and concise language.
Also, your content manager should also know how to write for different types of content marketing campaigns, with different goals. It's one thing to write digital content for a blog, it's a different thing to produce a white paper, a piece of gated content, or compelling content for a landing page.
Researching
The type of content you need to create depends on what resonates with your audience. So a marketer needs to be able to research various topics to create relevant and interesting pieces.
A content strategist should know how to fact-check data, dig through customer research interviews, and even run interviews themselves. They should also know how to round up experts and include their quotes in various pieces of content.
Search engine optimization
Although not all content is created for SEO purposes, a good content manager should have a solid understanding of how to get organic traffic from Google and other search engines. That could include on-page optimization, guest posting on other sites, and content collaborations with leading industry blogs.
Social media management
Again, a content marketer's job isn't the same as a social media marketer's, but it's very important for a content marketer to understand the basics of social media management.
Knowing how different platforms work, how to keep your brand top of mind, having basic copywriting skills, and understanding the principles of organic and paid post-promotion can help content marketers reach larger audiences.
Data analysis
Content marketers should know how to sift through qualitative and quantitative data to extract insights, track performance, analyze content gaps, and optimize content for better results. They need to be comfortable with data analysis tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEO tools, and various social media analytics tools.
Graphic design
Another super important skill is graphic design. Your candidate doesn't need to be a design guru. All they need is basic knowledge of Canva, Photoshop, and other design platforms for creating visuals for different types of content. Even if they don't handle the design itself, having basic design skills will help them better communicate and collaborate with the design team.
Email marketing
A content marketing expert doesn't have to know in-depth email marketing. However, they should be able to create email campaigns that help them distribute created content and connect to a brand's audience. They should know how to work with email tools like Mailchimp, Drip, Klaviyo, and more.
Content marketing strategy and planning
Your ideal content writer needs to be able to plan and strategize the content creation process. They should know how to create an editorial calendar, curate topics, come up with ideas for different types of pieces, and create a timeline for writing, promoting, and distributing them.
Storytelling
Content marketing is all about telling stories, so a content marketing expert should be able to craft compelling narratives and embed them in valuable content. They should know how to use storytelling techniques to entice, engage, and convert audiences.
Project management
Your ideal hire should have basic project management skills to be able to handle multiple projects at once and meet deadlines. They should be able to effectively plan and manage their workloads, set realistic goals, prioritize tasks, and keep track of progress.
Communication
Marketers are primarily communicators, so they should have excellent communication skills to effectively convey ideas, collaborate with other members of the digital marketing team (and outside of it), and build relationships with audiences.
They should also be great listeners. Some of the most insightful pieces of content are born when a marketer collects data and stories from customers, prospects, and colleagues.
Flexibility
The digital marketing space changes all the time. Even though the general rules stay the same, marketers must be flexible regarding project requirements, ever-changing search engine algorithms, and trends. They should know how to pivot and be able to move away from outdated tactics to maximize their efforts.
Creativity
Standing out from the crowd is getting harder and harder, so your ideal content marketing specialist should know how to use creativity to come up with high-quality content ideas that:
- Cuts through the noise
- Resonates with the audience
- Captures their attention
- Gets a good engagement rate
Attention to detail
Good content marketing isn't just about creating amazing content. It's also about the little details that make the experience enjoyable for customers and prospects. It's about ensuring each piece of content adheres to brand and tone of voice guidelines. It's about ensuring every comma is in its right place, and every metaphor is strategically used to attract, exemplify, educate, and convince.
Collaboration
Content managers don't work in a void, and as such, soft skills are crucial. They must collaborate with growth marketers, designers, writers, editors, social media professionals, and other teams to create successful campaigns. They should be able to share ideas, express their opinions, and work together to get the job done.
Continuous learning
A content person's job is never done. Continuous learning is an integral part of a marketer's job. If you want to make sure your content marketing hire stays on top of industry trends and performs content optimization accordingly, go with someone who shows a track record of continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement.
7 signs you need to hire a content marketer
Do you really need an expert content marketer?
Chances are that if you don't already have at least one person working on your content efforts, you're leaving money on the table. Content is one of the most affordable and highest-ROI channels you have.
Here are seven signs hiring a content creator is long overdue in your company:
You only produce content sporadically
If you only produce blog posts every now and then and if you don't have a content calendar in place, it might be time to hire someone to handle this for your business.
You don't measure your content marketing
You can't know if you're doing well if you don't measure your content marketing efforts. A specialist can help you create reports and connect KPIs to business growth.
You don't have a distribution and promotion plan for your content
Publishing posts is one thing, but you also need to make sure you distribute them efficiently. This will help you maximize the impact of every piece you produce.
You cannot commit to quality
If you cannot commit to consistently creating quality content, an expert might help. They could create an effective content strategy, a plan, and document processes that ensure quality output every time.
You want to invest in organic search
Content and SEO strategy go hand in hand. If you want your website's pages to rank better, you need to invest in content - and a specialized person can definitely help here.
Your social media posts show low engagement
Content and social media platforms are best friends too. If you want your social accounts to drive more engagement (and attention), a content specialist might be able to help.
You don't have a clear content strategy in place
If your content production is sporadic, lacks clear direction, and doesn't always serve your business best, you need a strategy in place. An effective strategy can help streamline your efforts and reach your goals faster.
You want to amplify your brand
Content marketing can be a tremendous brand-building tool. If you want to build a brand that's trustworthy, authoritative, and human, you need to hire someone to really take charge of it and create the partnerships you need to succeed.
Tips on hiring the right content marketer for your project
Let's say you've already decided to hire a content marketing manager, but you're baffled by the sheer number of potential candidates. Here's how to make sure you hire the right person for your business:
1. Look at their writing samples
First, ask for some samples. If your candidate's writing samples don't appeal to you (or don't feel like a match with your business and its customers), you might want to move to the next candidate.
2. Give them examples of your own content
Sharing examples of something you've published will help you and your candidates ensure you're on the same page regarding style, tone of voice, and what you need your content to do for your brand.
3. Send a paid writing assignment
The problem with published work is that it's often heavily edited. So you want to send a paid writing assignment to really see your candidates in action and be able to gauge their skill level.
4. Ask the right (strategy) questions
When interviewing content marketing managers, make sure you ask the right questions. Some of them could include:
- What's your approach to content marketing?
- How do you create a strategy that supports business objectives?
- How do you measure performance?
- What content formats do you specialize in creating, such as blog posts, social media content, video content, or whitepapers?
- How do you measure the success of your content marketing campaigns?
- Have you worked with tools or platforms to manage and optimize content, such as Google Analytics or HubSpot?
- How do you approach developing buyer personas and creating content tailored to them?
- Can you provide examples of how you have collaborated with other teams, such as SEO, social media, or design, to create effective content?
- How do you conduct research and gather information to inform your content marketing strategy?
- Have you ever run subject matter expert interviews?
- How do you ensure your content is optimized for search engines and meets SEO best practices?
- Do you have specific experience with social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter, for example? Have you managed social media channels in your previous positions?
- What is your experience creating content for every stage of the sales funnel?
- Have you ever built a content team? How about working in a larger content marketing team where everyone had their own specialty?
- Can you tell us about a successful content marketing initiative you had?
5. Use Workello to filter through applications
Workello is an excellent platform for finding and hiring talent, including professional content marketers. It helps you assess applications quickly to find the perfect match for your business faster.
6. Give them more than one chance
Giving your candidates a second chance is a great way to see how they respond to feedback and if they can adapt their writing and strategies to suit your needs. Especially in content marketing, it might sometimes take one or two iterations on a text to ensure it matches the desired tone of voice, speaks to your audience, and matches your business needs.
7. Hire the perfect content marketer with Mayple
Want to save time and hire an excellent content marketer without going through heaps of applications? Mayple offers pre-vetted, expert content marketers ready to help you out. Contact us and let's chat!
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