As a content marketer, you need to be able to wear many hats. You need to be creative, strategic, and analytical – and that’s just the beginning. In order to create successful content, you must also have excellent writing and editing skills, as well as a deep understanding of your audience. Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
So what are the top skills that every content marketer should possess? In this blog post, we’ll explore the top skills of content marketers and take a look at why they’re so important.
Whether you’re just starting out in content marketing or you’re looking to improve your skillset, this post is for you! So let’s get started.
We’ll first start with the general skillset and then move to the specific skillset of a content marketer.
General Skillset of a Content Marketer
Content marketers are often described as storytellers, but there’s more to it than just that. The best content marketers are also skilled researchers, adept at using data to inform their decisions, skilled communicators, and have a keen eye for detail. If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in content marketing, or if you’re already working in the field and looking to take your skills to the next level, here are the top five skills you need to succeed.
1. A Knack for Storytelling
As a content marketer, you’ll be responsible for creating all sorts of different types of content, from blog posts and infographics to ebooks and white papers. No matter what form your content takes, it will always need to tell a story that resonates with your target audience. The best way to hone your storytelling skills is by reading as much as you can — fiction and non-fiction alike. Not only will this give you a better understanding of how stories are structured, but it will also help expand your vocabulary and improve your writing prowess.
2. An Understanding of Data
These days, everything in marketing is driven by data. As a content marketer, it’s important that you have at least a basic understanding of how to collect and analyze data so that you can create content that’s truly effective. You don’t need to be a data scientist by any means, but it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on your Excel skills and familiarize yourself with some of the most commonly used marketing metrics. Not sure where to start? Check out our post on Google Analytics basics for content marketers.
3. Strong Communications Skills
A big part of being a successful content marketer is being able to communicate effectively — both in writing and in person. After all, as a content marketer, you’ll be responsible for not only creating content but also pitching ideas, presenting reports, collaborating with team members, and interfacing with clients. If public speaking isn’t your thing, don’t worry — there are plenty of ways to improve your communication skills (like taking an improv class). Just remember that practice makes perfect!
Also read: Become a content marketer in 2023
4. An Eye for Detail
Content marketing is all about creating quality content — which means paying attention to the tiny details is essential if you want to be successful in this field. From crafting headlines that pack a punch to ensuring all your images are properly sized and formatted for social media sharing to proofreading every last word of every piece of content you publish — if attention to detail isn’t one of your natural strengths, now is the time to start honing this skill.
5. Emotional Intelligence
Last but not least, emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential skill for anyone working in content marketing — especially if you want to be successful at collaborative projects like developing buyer personas or conducting customer surveys. Emotional intelligence essentially boils down to wanting to understand people (including yourself)and being good at handling relationships — two things that are key not only for working well with others but also for crafting resonant content that connects with your audience on a deeper level.
As a content marketer, you should have most of the generic skills listed above and start working on developing the rest. With the specific skillset, you can start with one or more and then learn the rest on the job.
Next, we’ll look at the specific skillset of a Content Marketer.
SEE ALSO: 10 Hacks to Boost Your Content Marketing
Specific Skills of a Content Marketer
6. Social Media Management
As a content marketer, you will create, manage and track content across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Snapchat etc. You need to know what platforms your target audience uses and when they use them while posting accordingly so you can engage with audiences by answering questions or responding promptly on comments that are posted online through these sites in order increase followers/fans of the brand’s presence.
7. Video Marketing
Creating and distributing videos is an integral part of any successful content marketing strategy. There are many ways you can create video content for your brand, including using repurposed blog posts or how-to tutorials on popular topics related to what the company does best. You could even post opinions about things that interest your target audience if they’re interested in these types of articles!
8. Content Writing
It’s not just about writing blog posts. Content marketers are responsible for many other tasks when it comes to content creation, such as editing copy on company webpages and social media accounts while also researching popular topics in order produce effective keywords that will be included throughout the written material they’re tasked with creating or updating!
9. Editorial Calendar Management
If you work in content marketing, you’ll be planning your content well in advance of its release! The content marketer’s job is to connect with their audience by building a relationship and maintaining it. One way they do this, through an editorial calendar that facilitates the connection process for them both engaged in producing quality work together and staying on top of deadlines.
10. Data Analytics
As a content marketer, you will take all of the above methods and then analyze which ones are working. What content is drawing your audience in? You’ll be able to measure success by using top tools such as Google Analytics so we can make adjustments based off this data collection process with an aim towards maximizing impact for maximum effectiveness.
Whether you’re just starting out in content marketing or you’ve been doing it for years, continuously honing your skills is essential if you want to stay ahead of the curve — and ahead of the competition.
