Content marketing is an exciting industry that involves creating, publishing, and distributing content to a specific target audience. Online content marketers are the professionals who help plan, create, and publish this content.
If you want to explore the world of content marketing, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re looking to become a content marketer or hire one, this article will provide you with the essential information you need.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a strategy to attract a relevant audience to a website or blog by providing valuable, actionable information or insights.
The goal is to encourage potential clients to engage with your content, such as signing up for mailing lists or downloading guides, to drive them closer to a sale.
Content marketing aims to build a strong relationship with your target audience by addressing their needs and interests rather than simply promoting your products or services.
What Is a Content Marketer?
A content marketer is responsible for planning, researching, creating, distributing, and analysing content to attract and engage potential customers.
They create various types of content such as blog posts, how-to guides, videos, infographics, white papers, and more.
They may also conduct market research and analyse content performance.
Content Marketing Roles
In the digital marketing industry, there are different roles that content marketers can take on. The following are some of the most common roles, arranged from junior to senior positions, according to Semrush’s State of Content Marketing: 2023 Global Report.
1. Content Strategist
A content strategist understands a brand’s goals, messaging, and values. They develop a content strategy that aligns with the business objectives and oversee its implementation.
They aim to bring value to their audience, drive qualified leads to the website or blog, and help other content specialists meet conversion targets.
2. Content Creator
Content creators produce various types of content, such as social media posts, video scripts, long-form articles, guides, emails, downloadable content, and more.
They research and write engaging, accurate, and valuable content for specific audiences. They also analyse, update, and repurpose content for other channels.
Content creators must have a solid understanding of the mediums they are writing for, including the formats and the audience.
3. Copywriter
Copywriters create written content that persuades, engages, and motivates the target audience to take particular actions. They produce written content for different mediums, such as print ads, brochures, websites, and email marketing campaigns.
Key copywriting skills include excellent writing and communication skills, creativity, and the ability to work with tight deadlines.
4. Head of Content Marketing / Director (or VP) of Content Marketing
The Head of Content Marketing holds a senior position. They oversee the development and execution of the content marketing strategy and manage a team of content creators.
They ensure that the company’s content aligns with the overall marketing and business goals. They play a critical role in driving brand awareness and generating leads.
This could be for their own company or a range of clients if they are working for an agency.
What Does a Content Marketer Do?
A content marketer is responsible for planning, creating, distributing, and analysing content for a business. They create content such as blog posts, how-to guides, videos, infographics, white papers, and more to attract and engage potential customers.
To succeed in this role, content marketers must understand the product or service they’re promoting and their target audience. This is the key to creating content that resonates with the audience and drives engagement.
Here are some of the top responsibilities of non-senior content marketers:
| Responsibility | Description |
|---|---|
| Research | Marketers must discuss the strategy they will use to promote any content. This means sitting down with various teams to make sure the article, video, or post reaches the largest possible audience. |
| Strategy | Content marketers create a roadmap that aligns with overarching business objectives and ensures all content marketing efforts have a direction and meet key performance indicators. |
| Content promotion and distribution | Linked to strategy, planning is more focused on launching particular pieces of content when and where. This can include creating a content calendar that looks weeks, months, or years in advance. |
| Planning | Content creation involves writing or producing content that will be used in the marketing campaign. It might include writing SEO-optimised blogs or producing social media content campaigns. |
| Content creation | Marketers review how effective a given content strategy has been. By reviewing a blog, social channel, or search campaign, content marketers can see what connected with audiences and drove engagement. |
| Editing and optimisation | Senior content marketing professionals will edit and proof the work of junior content creators and copywriters. This is a great time for more experienced team members to coach their younger colleagues. |
| Content audits | Marketers must analyse and review the performance of content. This means reviewing data to see when posts performed best and trying to replicate those patterns in future campaigns. At the same time, analytics looks at the overall results, exploring the true number of conversions (leads, purchases, and other important metrics) generated by your content. |
| Analytics and performance | Communicating across teams is vital for content marketers, who often become coordinators for the wider company. For instance, you must ensure your content calendar is aligned with brand and product campaigns. |
| Cross-team collaboration | Communicating across teams is vital for content marketers, who often become coordinators for the wider company. For instance, you need to make sure your content calendar is aligned with brand and product campaigns. |
Senior content marketing positions share several similarities while being more focused on the management and strategy side of things.
Key Skills for Content Marketers
To be an effective content marketer, you need to employ various skills. Our research indicates that the following are the top skills required by content marketers in non-senior positions:
- Writing – This is a crucial skill for almost every marketer. Even professionals who produce video and other visual content must be adept at writing. Most video is scripted and needs a writer.
- Analytics – These problem-solving skills help marketers make sense of data and develop creative solutions based on their findings.
- Video – Video is an increasingly important skill as social media platforms become more video-focused. How to shoot and edit video on a mobile phone is valuable for content marketers.
- SEO – Understanding how to use Search Engine Optimisation is essential for pushing content higher up the search engine results pages. Ultimately, SEO content drives higher levels of qualified traffic.
- Content Strategy – This skill is important for creating content calendars and developing long-term ideas for driving campaigns forward.
- Storytelling – Without this skill, even the best marketer will struggle to keep audiences engaged. Storytelling is crucial for making compelling content.
- Content Management – This is a top skill for content marketing leaders. Compelling a team and managing content flow is integral to leading campaigns from the front.
By mastering these skills, you can become a more effective content marketer and help your brand stand out in a crowded marketplace.
How to Become a Content Marketer
There are various ways to become a content marketer. A background in writing or classical marketing can lay a strong foundation for a successful career, but it is not essential.
No one is born a great marketer; it is a learned skill.
Becoming an In-House Content Marketer
If you’re interested in working in-house, you might need at least an undergraduate degree in marketing, English, journalism, or communications. An entry-level job will mean working as part of a larger team as you learn the ropes. Look for positions titled “Content Marketing Intern,” “Junior Content Marketer,” and similar titles.
As your career progresses, you’ll need to ensure you have both a creative and a strategic skill set. In other words, the content marketers most in demand can create great content and make sure it generates real-life business results.
Becoming a Freelance Content Marketer
Starting as a freelancer will require some experience and contacts. It probably isn’t the best option for a complete newbie. Freelance content marketing is often a destination for former journalists, copywriters, and PR professionals who want to work for themselves.
You’ll need the same skills as an in-house content marketer. You’ll also have to have a contacts book filled with commissioning editors. You can also check out platforms like MarketerHire, Freelancer.com, and Upwork.
Moving Up the Content Marketing Career Ladder
The content marketing career path can be tricky, as this is a relatively new profession. It’s common to see general marketing managers perform content marketing functions—especially in smaller companies. However, this trend is changing, and you’ll see more businesses hiring specialized content marketers.
Generally speaking, it’s a better strategy since content marketing requires much effort and dedication to be effective. As you progress in your career, you might move from being predominantly a content writer to managing other writers and even managing teams of content strategists, content producers, etc.
To get a management role, it’s key that you can create great content and ensure content marketing generates revenue for the company.
How Much Do Content Marketers Earn?
Content marketers can earn good salaries depending on their experience and the size of their company. In the United States, senior content marketing salaries can hit an average of $109,000 annually, while non-management positions come in at around $62,000.
The average content marketing salary in the United Kingdom is just over £35,000 per year, significantly increasing as people climb the career ladder. In London, the average salary for a Content Director is just under £86,000 per year.
Here is a breakdown of the average content marketer salaries in Australia according to Indeed:
| Job Title | Average Salary per Year |
|---|---|
| Content Marketer | $83,767 |
It is important to note that these figures are subject to change based on location, industry, and company size.
Wrapping Up
Content marketing can be a lucrative career for those who enjoy combining creativity with strategic, analytical work. You can excel in this industry if you have a passion for storytelling and communication. There are numerous disciplines and tactics to use in content marketing, so you have plenty of options to diversify and grow professionally.
Remember that the essence of content marketing is building strong relationships with your target audience. As you gain more experience, you can earn six-figure salaries in this field, which is impressive given its flexible working arrangements.
To stay abreast of the latest trends in content marketing, download and read our free report. Remember that content marketing success requires putting your audience first and focusing on their needs and interests.
