You’ve heard all the buzz about content marketing, but you’re not sure what it is or if a career in content marketing is for you.
Content marketing can be a little confusing, especially if you’re new to the concept. Everyone is talking about it, but what does it actually mean?
What is a content marketer
People buy from brands they know, like, and trust.
Content marketing is an essential part of any marketing strategy to build customer trust. Specifically, they are responsible for planning, creating, and sharing marketing content to help a business expand its online presence to attract and retain customers. So, content marketing is not just writing a blog post.
Content marketers work for companies, a content marketing agency, and independently as freelancers. You can be a pure content creator, content strategist, or even a content marketing consultant as a content marketer.
No matter where they work, the goal of an effective content marketer is to produce online content that is interesting and useful to their target audience.
What does a content marketer do
Content marketers use various techniques to achieve their inbound marketing objectives, including creating original content, repurposing existing content, and distributing content through multiple channels and online platforms.
For example, you might design and execute an email marketing campaign for a new product launch.
Content marketers also use SEO and other content marketing tools to ensure that their content is visible to their target audience.
This content can take many forms, such as blog posts, white papers, infographics, ebooks, videos, or podcasts.
A content marketer could do any of the following tasks during a typical day.
Content planning:
Develop a content marketing plan and strategy for what kind of content will be created and how it will be distributed. Plus, determining how content marketing will integrate into the digital marketing strategy.
Content creation:
Write, design, or produce the various types of content.
Content distribution:
Distribute the content once the content is created. A content marketer could be responsible for publishing content and promoting the piece of content through various channels, such as social media platforms, email marketing, YouTube, blog posts, and many more.
Industry and competitive research:
Conduct research to stay up-to-date on industry trends. Your research would include understanding what your competitors are doing, what type of content is performing well, and which long-tail keywords have high volume and low competition.
Data analysis:
Analyze and measure performance and determine what content is and isn’t working. This data can then be used to adjust future content marketing efforts.
Many content marketers are very skilled at and are certified in Google Analytics.
Collaboration:
Content marketers often work with a content marketing team, larger digital marketing team, or other groups within marketing and sales, to ensure that their content aligns with the company’s overall objectives.
In addition, some content marketers will have direct customer engagement and will need to understand how to interact with those clients.
Project management:
Content marketing projects can be large and complex. A content marketer may be responsible for managing a team of writers, multiple deadlines, and ensuring that the project stays on track according to the content calendar.
Successful content marketers know how to use project management tools to stay focused, on time, and within the content marketing budget.
Writing & Copywriting:
Content marketers may be responsible for writing some of the content they produce. Writing includes everything from blog posts, social media posts, ebooks, and others. So, a successful content marketer needs to have excellent writing skills.
Storytelling:
A good story can make your content more engaging and memorable. Therefore, content marketers need to be able to tell a story that will captivate their audience and make them want to come back for more.
Video production:
More and more businesses use video, so content marketers need to be comfortable with this medium. The video production process may include creating scripts, shooting videos, and editing them for distribution.
Graphic design:
Content marketers may need to create visuals to accompany their written content, such as infographics or charts.
Editing skills:
Content marketers may also be responsible for editing the work of other team members. Editing includes proofreading, fact-checking, and providing feedback.
You need an editorial mindset to ensure the content created aligns with the objectives and buyer personas.
Search engine optimization (SEO):
Search engine optimization is a necessary part of any content marketing strategy. Content marketers need to be able to research and select keywords that will help their content rank high in search engines.
Content marketer skills
To be a successful content marketer, you must have strong writing and communication skills and a deep understanding of your target audience. You must also be able to measure the results of your efforts to improve your content marketing campaigns.
You should also be able to develop creative ideas for content and understand how to promote it effectively.
Many content marketers have a degree in marketing, journalism, or English. In addition, some people gain essential skills through certifications in content marketing, search engine optimization, copywriting, or online marketing.
Here’s a list of the most common content marketing skills:
Research
Content marketers need an in-depth understanding of their online audience. Then, they use this knowledge to produce a range of content that is relevant and engaging.
This research helps you understand business trends, your audience’s wants and needs, and what type of content will most effectively reach them.
Strategic Mindset
You’ll need the ability to translate the research and insights into an effective content strategy. A strategic mindset will help content marketers to create a plan for producing and promoting their content marketing initiatives.
The strategy should be aligned with the overall business goals and objectives.
Communication
Strong communication skills are essential for content marketers. You need to clearly articulate your ideas and concepts to your team and target audience.
Content marketers should also be able to promote their content across multiple channels effectively.
Storytelling
Content marketers need to be able to tell a story. Storytelling is a critical skill for content marketers, as it helps to create an emotional connection with the audience.
You’ll use stories to connect with your audience and make the content more engaging.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content marketers need to understand how to optimize their content for the search engines. SEO can ensure that content is visible to your target audience and that your content can rank high in the search results.
If you want to be a good content marketer, gain experience with SEO and use it to develop high-quality content.
Social Media
Content marketers also need to be active in and understand social media marketing. You’ll use social media to promote content and engage with your audience. Plus, review social media analytics to determine which content is performing and how to improve what is underperforming.
You’ll also use social media to build relationships with influencers who can help to promote your content.
Data Analytics
Content marketers need to be able to measure the results of their efforts. So you’ll use analytics to track metrics such as website traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.
This data helps content marketers understand what is working and what is not to continuously improve your content marketing campaigns.
How much does a content marketer make
The salary of a content marketer depends on experience, location, and if they work for a company or themselves. If you look across the major sites that report salaries, you’ll find the following average salaries of content marketers:
- Payscale: $53,234
- Salary.com: $56,079
- Glassdoor: $61,306
- Indeed: $58,724
- Ziprecruiter: $54,762
Content marketing managers have a track record of success and tend to earn more money with annual salaries in the $120,000-$150,000 range.
However, if you work for yourself as a freelance content marketer, you have unlimited salary potential plus more flexibility in your schedule.
As a freelance content marketer, you choose your pricing, clients, niche, how much you work, and everything else that could impact your salary as a content marketer.
If you want to learn more about becoming a freelance marketing consultant focused on content marketing, read our article: “How to become a marketing consultant.”
Job Outlook for Content Marketers
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a content marketers page. However, we can use its promotions, advertising, and marketing managers page for reference. Job openings in this category are projected to grow 10 percent from 2020 to 2030.
- The median annual wage for advertising and promotions managers was $133,460 in May 2020.
- The median annual wage for marketing managers was $142,170 in May 2020.
What does it take to become a content marketing expert?
Now that you know what is a content marketer, you can decide if it’s the right career path for you.
It will take a lot of hard work, creativity, and the ability to produce consistent content that is interesting and useful to your target audience.
The good news is that there are plenty of resources available online and in print to help you get started.
And if you want to increase your earning potential, consider freelancing or starting your own marketing consulting business. There’s no limit to how much you can earn as a freelance content marketer – as long as you provide valuable content that helps your clients achieve their marketing goals.
Are you ready to start creating amazing content?
Learn more by reading our article: “How to Become a Marketing Consultant.”
