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Content is king. This phrase was coined by Bill Gates in his 1996 essay of the same name. In this essay, Bill Gates posits that content would be the money maker of the internet, and boy was he right.
In 2022 the content marketing market was valued at 413.2 billion USD. This includes blogs, social media, digital efforts to create brand awareness, conversions, and much more.
The prevalence of the Internet cannot be understated. There are 5.44 billion internet users worldwide, and every day 8.5 billion searches are conducted on Google.
All that being said, content marketing is very important for businesses that want to succeed in the most important space for their audience.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for an online audience. This is usually done by a content marketer, someone whose job it is to plan, research, and create content that’s engaging for their clients' customers.
This newer field of work is a very advantageous approach to online marketing. In fact, companies that publish 16 or more blogs a month, generate 4.5 times as many leads.
Content Marketing Jobs
Within the realm of content marketing, there are a plethora of jobs and responsibilities. Content can market through several channels:
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Articles
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Videos
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Social Media Posts
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Paid Advertisement
All of these fall under the umbrella of content marketing.
Marketing Strategist
A marketing strategist is responsible for developing new plans and ways to efficiently use content. They may sometimes create content, but most of their effort is focused on project management and setting big-picture goals.
Social Media Marketer
A social media marketer is a content marketer specialized in developing and implementing social media campaigns. They typically oversee content drafting as well as calendar planning. People in this role need to have an extensive understanding of most social media platforms as well as visual marketing chops.
SEO Specialist
Search engine algorithms change several times a year. Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists are tasked with keeping content optimized so search engines will serve that content higher on search results.
Copywriter/Content Writer
Copy is anything written to sell goods or services. Copywriters are the professionals tasked with writing this copy. They usually spend their days brainstorming, pitching ideas, and wordsmithing.
Graphic Designer
Visual is a very important part of online content. It establishes the brand and improves user engagement — no one wants to look at a boring website. Graphic designers working in content marketing will spend their time creating visuals like infographics and art that support the content team.
Videographer
Video is clearly a beneficial way to do marketing. Videographers are often included in content marketing teams to create high-quality video content to accompany marketing efforts.
What Do You Need To Be a Content Marketer?
Content marketing is a broad field with multiple entry points. However, there are similar skills that are helpful for those working in this field.
Here is what you need to be successful as a content marketer.
Writing Well
A major portion of content marketing is dedicated to writing. This includes writing articles for blogs, copy on websites, social media posts, and advertisements. To do this job well, you need to have a strong understanding of the English language.
Writing well isn’t a skill people are born with, it’s a skill that needs to be practiced and developed over time. To increase your writing ability you can:
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Go to workshops
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Attend creative writing class
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Practice writing for pleasure
Online courses can be a great way to develop your writing skills. If you’re looking for a place to find helpful courses, check out the courses offered through the REDC.
Research
Content marketers need to stay up on trends, analyze data, and research topics. Therefore, it’s very important to understand how to conduct online research.
It takes time to become an effective researcher, and you may need feedback. By attending courses and getting expert feedback you’ll be better able to identify areas your research is lacking in.
Creativity
Creative writing is more engaging than non-creative writing. Content marketers, especially those dealing with the written word should have a certain level of creativity.
Some people are naturally creative, but for those who aren’t, this skill can be developed. The best way to do this is to practice:
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Work on personal projects
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Write about something you love
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Shoot and edit a video of your vacation
Creativity is helpful in every kind of content marketing.
Attention to Detail
All content marketers need to pay close attention to detail. Spell checking and editing your own work is easy when you have the extra time, but on a tight deadline, it’s helpful to be able to notice things easily.
Multimedia Creation
Even if you’re only working on writing, it’s still a good idea to have a basic understanding of multimedia creation.
When needed, content marketers should be able to assist in the creation of multimedia content like:
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Video
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Infographics
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Podcasts
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Webinars
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Interactive content
This could mean writing scripts, giving outlines, or finding interesting ways to distribute the content.
Day in the Life of a Content Marketer
Content marketers often work in an office setting, either in person or in the office. Their days are much like other marketing jobs; attending meetings, communicating through emails or chats, and of course, planning and making content.
Here’s an in-depth look at what content marketers do while at work.
Strategy and Planning
Before anything can be created, plans must be made. This includes strategizing new kinds of content, topics, and finding new ideas.
This is where research comes in handy. It’s very important that content marketers make plans and develop strategies using real-world data.
People working in this field use tools like Semrush and Google Search to find what people are looking for. From there, they’re better able to make an informed decision about what content will have the most impact.
The strategies developed by content marketers include:
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What topics to write about
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How to structure a social media campaign
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What kinds of content should be used on a site
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How to communicate a brand through a website
There is a lot that a content marketer may need to plan, and depending on their role most of their time may be spent on this step.
Client Meetings
Depending on their role, a content marketer might attend a lot of meetings with clients. These meetings are good opportunities to get feedback, find new content ideas, and educate clients on the content marketing process.
Develop Content
Now that research has been done and strategy developed, it’s now time to develop content. For most content marketers, that means a lot of writing. For some, that means writing between 3,000-5,000 words a day. However, depending on the project, it could be less.
The kinds of content developed by content marketers include:
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Blogs
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Long-form content
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Web pages
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Resource guides
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Social Media posts
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Videos
A good chunk of a content marketer’s day will be dedicated to creating interesting and engaging content.
Data Analysis
Creating and publishing content is important, but it’s important to make sure it’s reaching the proper audience. To do this, they may use tools like Google Analytics to track how sites are doing.
The kinds of data important to content marketing are:
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Page views
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New visitors
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Engagement time
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Conversions like form fills
Tracking how content is doing is an important task for content marketers because it allows them to readjust their approach and optimize what’s already there.
Content is King
Content marketing can be a fun and well-paying career, but you have to start somewhere. You can learn the skills needed to get hired and be successful in a content marketing career by taking courses through the REDC.
Need help affording your training? Our team is happy and excited to assist you in finding free programs and courses through the QUEST grant. This grant can give qualifying individuals access to a wide range of career-oriented training through Yavapai College and Coursera.