Great content marketers know how to build a content strategy, execute on it, and use performance data to iterate on it. The goal for any content marketing strategy is to acquire, nurture, convert, and retain customer at vary parts of the marketing funnel.
Here are a few of the skills every content marketer uses along the way — all of which MarketerHire vets for.
- Copywriting: A content marketer needs to have a handle on proper grammar and sentence structure — it’s a non-negotiable, and so is storytelling that’s entertaining and threaded with data. If people get bored, they won’t read your content.
- Research and critical thinking: Being able to dig into reports and come up with interesting insights to share with your audience is key for content marketing managers. Writing something with no unique perspective or value-add won’t get potential customers to respect your brand or read your content.
- Data analysis: Content marketers need to know how to use data and metrics to understand which pieces are driving traffic and engagement, and which are falling flat — that way, they can adjust their content calendar and lean into what works for the overall marketing plan.
- Project management: Content marketers work cross-functionally with other marketers and stakeholders on various kinds of content, content strategy, the content calendar, and wider company marketing campaigns — so they need to be master project managers.
- Inbound marketing: To build an effective content machine, content marketers need to understand how content, SEO and social media marketing work together to bring in leads — and how timely, relevant content and email marketing nurture those prospects. All of this means content marketers need to know the user experience, customer journey and the marketing channels at their disposal like the back of their hand.
- Content distribution: Content marketing isn’t only about creating content assets. Expert content marketers work hand-in-hand with social media marketing managers to distribute content on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Expert content marketers also research and assess new content distribution tools and channels.