I’ve been bouncing between copywriting and content writing, but I never know what role of the content marketer was until I read the following book from Jennifer Goforth Gregory, The Freelance Content Marketing Writer. Come to find out, I’m a content marketer. While I enjoy writing copy, I really like writing content best. So, if you’re like me and working in dual areas of writing (or three sometimes), then check out her book and read more about the content marketer’s role in helping businesses bring customers in.
Understanding the Essence of your Role as a Content Marketer
Content marketing is not just about producing content; it’s about creating value and providing solutions to the audience’s needs. A content marketer’s job is multi-faceted, involving various tasks such as research, content creation, SEO optimization, social media management, and analytics tracking.
Research and Strategy Development
One of the primary responsibilities of a content marketer is to conduct thorough research to understand the target audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviors. This involves analyzing market trends, identifying content gaps, and studying competitors’ strategies. Based on this research, content marketers develop a comprehensive content strategy that outlines the types of content to be produced, the channels to be used for distribution, and the KPIs to measure success.
This can also be the role of the marketing team at any business, which means most of the strategies have been examined on a corporate level, and you’ll be assigned work based on other people’s number crunching.
Distribution and Promotion
Once the content is created and optimized, the next step is distribution and promotion. Content marketers need to identify the most effective channels to reach their target audience. This could include social media platforms, email newsletters, or other digital channels. They also employ various promotion strategies such as influencer collaborations, paid advertising, and social sharing to increase the content’s reach and visibility.
Most of the distribution and promotion falls back to the marketing team of the business, but you can pick up extra money if you’re adapt at creating graphics that zing for social media and email marketing that begs to be opened.
Analytics and Performance Tracking
To understand the effectiveness of their content marketing efforts, content marketers must regularly track and analyze performance metrics. This includes monitoring website traffic, user engagement, conversion rates, and ROI. By analyzing this data, content marketers can identify areas of improvement, optimize their strategy, and demonstrate the value of content marketing to stakeholders.
Another job that will have an internal team is the hit tracking. This is helpful when you’re looking for advice on what to improve.
The Importance of SEO in Content Marketing
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in content marketing. It ensures that the content is not only visible to search engines but also ranks high on SERPs for relevant queries. Content marketers must have a solid understanding of SEO best practices and keep up with the latest algorithm updates to ensure their content performs well.
Since SEO is ever changing, if possible, it’s always a good idea to take refresher course even if you have aced SEO in the past. Google is the king of updates and new algorithms, and no matter what cute update name they come up with – Panda, Hummingbird, Penguin – they’re all designed to make more work for you. That’s a good thing if you have a long-term client and a bad thing if you’re running your own website.
Keyword Research and Implementation
Conducting thorough keyword research is essential to understand what terms and phrases the target audience is using to search for information. Content marketers use various tools and techniques to identify high-traffic and low-competition keywords to incorporate into their content. Often times, your client will give you the keywords they want you to incorporate, but it’s always good to know how they come up with them and do your own research, so you can suggest more long-tail keywords.
On-Page and Off-Page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and the content itself. Off-page SEO, on the other hand, focuses on building backlinks and improving the site’s authority and trustworthiness.
Technical SEO
In addition to on-page and off-page SEO, content marketers also need to pay attention to technical SEO. This involves ensuring that the website is crawlable, has a secure and mobile-friendly design, and loads quickly. A strong technical SEO foundation helps search engines better understand and index the site’s content. Again, your clients may not ask you to do this, but it’s always nice to know.
The Role of Social Media in Content Marketing
Social media is another critical component of a content marketer’s toolkit. It provides a platform to share content, engage with the audience, and drive traffic to the website.
Building a Community
Content marketers use social media to build a community of followers and advocates. They engage with the audience through comments, messages, and social listening, creating a two-way communication channel that fosters trust and loyalty.
Driving Traffic and Conversions
By sharing content on social media, content marketers can drive traffic to the website and increase conversions. They use compelling calls-to-action, attractive visuals, and strategic posting times to maximize reach and engagement.
Conclusion
The role of a content marketer is comprehensive and requires a blend of creative, analytical, and technical skills. From research and strategy development to content creation, SEO optimization, and analytics tracking, content marketers play a crucial role in building a brand’s online presence and driving business success.
By understanding the target audience, creating valuable content, optimizing for search engines, and leveraging social media, content marketers contribute significantly to achieving the business’s marketing and sales goals. When you’re able to adapt to changes and always look for ways to optimize content, you’ll see more work.
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