Great content marketers aren’t born – it takes skill, time, and experience to really excel in this industry. While each content marketer is unique and has his or her own set of skills, there are some very essential characteristics of a great content marketer that are necessary to be successful. Continue reading to discover the 4 necessary skills of a great content marketer.
1. Research Crazy
Content marketing itself is heavy on research, which includes research about an industry, audience, and competitors. Content marketers must be knowledgeable about what is going on around them in order to identify their competitive advantage and convey that to their audiences. Without the ability to research, and the love of researching as well, content marketers won’t be able to determine their target audience or their strategy for excelling in their industry. It’s imperative that, when creating content, a marketer is specific in their message to their audience and this can only be done through extensive research.
2. Flexibility
Industries, especially content marketing, are always changing. Knowing this, successful content marketers must be flexible and able to adapt to the forthcoming changes that are inevitable to occur. As industries change, content marketers must make the decision of whether or not adapt their skills to the new industry. Great marketers realize that many of these changes will stick around for a while and these marketers will transform themselves to succeed under these new tactics. This is especially evident with changing technology, as can be seen with the increasing use of social media and sites such as YouTube. Content marketers that stick to outbound marketing and haven’t adopted these new inbound marketing methods and are now lagging behind.
3. Writing Skills
At the base of any content marketing strategy is the ability to write exceptionally well. Content marketing is all about conveying a message to your audience – whether that’s through a blog post, video, or social media post. Even with videos, the essence of a great strategy is descriptive, well-written, and engaging content. Great writing skills aren’t complicated, and anyone can be an excellent writer with practice and dedication. What makes a good writer is attention to grammar, appropriate vocabulary, and proper formatting. What makes a great writer is the ability to convey your message in a clear manner that captivates your audience and keeps them coming back for more.
4. Data Hungry
Creating content is only one part of a great content marketer. Another very important part of being successful with content marketing is being able to distribute the content you create. Once you finish producing your content, a great content marketer must be able to share that content with their target audience in the most effective manner. A huge part of distributing content is data analysis and being able to analyze the results of your content to be more strategic and successful in the future. Without analyzing content using data, content marketers won’t be able to create content that aligns with the specific preferences of their audience. Great content marketers recognize this and focus on analyzing their content through data to adapt their content marketing strategy for future success.
Content marketers are the hearts and brains behind every successful content marketing strategy. With their dedication and skills, businesses are able to establish long-lasting connections with their audiences. What other skills do you think are necessary to be a great content marketer?