If you’ve decided the time has come to hire a content marketing specialist to help market and grow your business, congratulations. It’s a decision you won’t regret.
But what exactly does a content marketing specialist do?
The truth is this varies from business to business. Those who specialize in content marketing and digital marketing tend to wear a lot of different hats and take on a lot of different roles. Much of their list of job duties depend on what the company needs and what is being provided by other employees.
Primarily, content marketing specialists are supposed to attract traffic to the company website and build brand awareness. They also should be growing the company’s email list and help facilitate high quality content. Additionally, if the company sells any products or services online, they should be generating revenues for those endeavors through product marketing.
Despite the overall basic duties of someone in this position being similar, not all companies are going to need exactly the same thing. In general, you’ll want to look for someone capable of developing a long-term and day-to-day content strategy, but your brand will dictate exactly what this looks like for your content marketing strategy.
Content marketing specialists must have a comprehensive understanding of campaigns designed to market content. In addition to what goes into the campaigns, they also need to have a grasp on best practices, content production, customer engagement, product marketing, and the various tools that are available for promoting the brand. Having the ability to focus on the full life cycle of a content campaign is essential.
What are four of the most important skills a specialist in content marketing should have?
1. Writing and Editing Skills
This might seem like the most obvious skill for a content marketing specialist, but you’d be surprised at how many people overlook the importance of being a good copywriter. It’s important to have both writing and editing skills if you want to oversee content creation and a marketing campaign, because your primary goal is to identify high-quality content.
The writing and editing of a content marketing specialist must set an example for your team so your content writers have something for which to strive. You want a content specialist who understands and has a grasp of the basic foundation of the work, so dealing with the day-to-day issues of the job is second nature to them.
2. Understanding Brand Development
Your primary role is to help develop the brand for your company or for whomever you are working. This means that all of the content that is used should support and develop your brand. Understanding your brand and knowing how to build a brand is an essential part of being a content marketing specialist.
Every brand is different, so regardless of the success someone achieved elsewhere, it’s important to make surethe marketer on your team has a firm grasp of your brand and how you want to develop it. What works in one case might not work in another. Developing different brands requires a degree of flexibility and the best specialists are able to provide this.
3. Awareness and Understanding of Social Media Platforms
Being a content marketing specialist is about more than just creating content for a website. You need to understand all of the various tools that use content to develop a brand. Social media is a powerful part of marketing a brand and building brand awareness. In addition to knowing about the social media sites and knowing which ones are most appealing to your target audience, you also need to understand how to create content for these sites. This involves knowing the culture of the platform and knowing how to appeal to those who use each platform, while still maintaining marketing activity.
4. Ability to Collaborate and Lead
A content marketing specialist who is overseeing a content team must be able to guide that team and encourage productive collaboration. You must be a strong communicator and be able to work with people from a variety of different online marketing backgrounds. Being a leader in content marketing is an important part of succeeding and ensuring that the money you are investing in online content pays off.
Bringing It All Together
If you’re in charge of hiring someone for this position, it’s important to evaluate any potential candidate based on the four qualifications listed above. But bringing the right person on board also requires that you find someone who fits into your existing culture. It’s not enough for someone to be able to perform the basic skills needed for the job. He or she must also understand your brand and be able to work within your existing structure.
It’s also important you look for someone who is willing to adapt and has every intention of continuing to learn and grow once they are in the position. Content specialists need a long-term strategy and a day-to-day strategy. You need to discuss what they will implement immediately and where they see things going long-term. What’s the best way to tell your brand’s story today and tomorrow? Someone with basic skills who also has a clear picture for where things are going is a great candidate for a content marketing specialist.
This is also an ever-changing industry. In the last 10 years, things have changed dramatically. Social media platforms have come and gone, and those locked into a plan they are unwilling to deviate from tend to struggle in this environment.
The best content marketing specialists are willing to change with the times and go wherever their audience leads them. You might be working with someone now who is a huge fan of Instagram and understands the ins-and-outs of Instagram marketing. This is great as long as your brand’s target audience is also a fan of Instagram. But what happens if they transition to a different platform? What if an entirely new platform comes along and that’s where they spend time? A great specialist is willing to be flexible and adaptable and willing to try new things.
Bringing all of these skills and traits together can take time, but finding the right people for your content marketing team is too valuable to rush.
