In the age of the Internet, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to turn to online written content in order to engage with and educate their customers. Therefore, there is huge demand for good marketing content writers. Whether you are one of the thousands of freelance writers looking to expand their resume or a business looking to expand your web presence or on social media, it is important to understand just what makes a good marketing content writer.
What is Content Marketing?
Content writing/marketing can be summed up as a content marketing strategy that focuses on creating and distributing content that is specific and consistent in order to appeal to a target audience and convert this attention to profitable customer action. There is a lot that goes into being able to do this well. It is not as simple as writing a few blog posts every now and then, however. Creating copy is easy but developing really good content that is both unique and constantly engaging is difficult. The content must be high quality and full of interesting and quality information that is relevant to your audience.
What Skills Should a Content Writer Have?
Obviously, a marketing content writer needs to be a good writer to begin with, but this goes beyond having basic competency in spelling, punctuation, and grammar—as well as keeping abreast of all things social media. The content created by freelance writers needs to be easy for the masses to read and understand while also being compelling. If keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) are going to be used, then the writer needs to be able to incorporate these terms seamlessly without it feeling forced. If their content writing incorporates multiple topics and for multiple clients, then their styling needs to be versatile and adaptable to whatever best fits the personality of the client. Most of all, the content that a marketing writer creates needs to create an experience, have authenticity, and include some sort of call-to-action for the reader.
If the content writer is responsible for creating their own headlines, this is even more of a challenge. Even high-quality content does not even matter if the headline does not draw the reader in. Headlines should be unique, concise, and grab the attention of the reader. They should also be appropriate for the posting location and article type. For example, the type of headline that would draw in a typical user on Facebook would not necessarily get any reaction from someone browsing through Forbes online.
Get Specific in Your Writing
Customers tend to be attracted more to narrow, niche content than broad generalities. Therefore, a good marketing content writer must be able to delve deep into a subject and truly understand all of its facets. The customers who understand your product will be able to tell immediately whether or not a post was written by someone who knows what they are talking about. The writer must, therefore, either actually be an expert on the subject or have the patience and skill to thoroughly research it before putting together their article. If they can find a unique angle that competitors have not yet covered then their content will be much more compelling.
The writer must have a good awareness of their client and audience. The business should have an idea already of their target demographic, so the copywriter should use this information to their advantage. This includes referencing situations that are familiar to the audience, communicating in a style that appeals to them, and teaching them something they do not already know yet would find interesting. A good marketing content writer will also be familiar with the business’ website and existing content so they can create tie-ins and build on what is already there. The last thing the content creator wants to do is turn in something that is contradictory to a piece that has already been published. Conversely, referencing other works encourages the reader to continue reading through the site and spend more time there, resulting in a higher chance that they will further engage and purchase something from the business.
It can be a great advantage to have a marketing content writer that has familiarity with marketing in general and the specific marketing strategy of the client. Being able to tie their writing in with the overall marketing strategy can really elevate the utility of individual articles. To have an effective writing campaign it is important for each piece to have an objective and reason for being written. There should be a unifying theme and a clear progression as each piece is published. Having the marketing strategy in mind can make this much easier to accomplish. This is a much more effective method than blindly writing about whatever relevant topic strikes their fancy.
Critical Thinking and Work Ethic
There are also some non-technical skills that a good marketing content writer will possess. Though there is likely an editor that they will be working with, it is important that the writer is able to review their own work with the same eye that a reader would have. Marketing content tends to be biased as it is trying to persuade the reader to buy into what the company is selling. The writer should be able to review their work with a critical eye and understand how the reader will interpret and react to what is being said. This can make their work much more compelling and engaging while reducing the likelihood that the reader will be turned off by blatant attempts at soliciting their business. It is also very important that the copywriter has persistence and a consistent work ethic. For a business to be successful with online content they must have regular updates and unique content. For the writer to be professionally successful they must also turn in a large amount of work since copywriting is not the most profitable of writing professions.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot more that goes into writing marketing content than turning in a few hundred words on a given topic. Content can only be truly effective if it fits into the overall marketing strategy and is compelling to the target customer base. This can be done with some practice or outsourced as long as one knows exactly what qualities they are looking for.
