The game has changed in marketing.
Traditional advertising and highly structured marketing campaigns are fast being replaced by more nimble approaches that feature content marketing as a means to raise awareness, build brand loyalty, and, ultimately, sell products and services.
The revolution is already well under way. Studies show 44.9 percent of B2B companies plan to hire for content marketing in the next year. Of the companies that already have a content marketing team in place, 98 percent expect to grow in the next year.
Meanwhile, more than 9 out of 10 companies report that writing and editing skills are the most important qualities in a content marketer. In fact, two-thirds of businesses hire a writer or editor as the first person on their content marketing team.
Yet the skills of a proficient content marketer extend to other valued capabilities as well. Adecco recently highlighted the digital marketing skills that in are high demand. Here now are the seven most important skills for content marketers:
Writing and editing
As mentioned, sound writing and editing skills are a must. Content marketing, while often persuasive, is not advertising copy or fluff. The best content marketers draw more from a journalistic approach, using facts, information and insights from experts to raise awareness or provide useful information.
Graphic design
A good graphic designer blends words, pictures, graphics and attractive design to attract and engage readers. When it comes to content presentation, it is also important to provide information in the most accessible and useful way possible. An experienced graphic designer can make that happen.
Web development
One of the more specialized skills in the content marketing space, web developers specialize in developing applications as well as website design and enhancement. Effective Web development is key to creating good functionality for readers wanting to easily access and interact with content.
SEO expertise
The driver of content marketing is search engine optimization – and SEO specialists are a hot commodity in today’s market. Mastering SEO goes beyond strategically placing keywords in content. It requires an ongoing understanding of how Google and others are ranking and assessing content, and then making strategic recommendations to assure your company consistently gets high page placement through search.
Social media expertise
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media apps are all essential conduits and channels for gaining exposure for content and broadening the audience. Understanding the ever-changing rules of social media will help you stay ahead in the job market.
Sales
Content marketing is the opposite of the hard sell, but make no mistake – it is in many ways a sales job. It is not pushy, but rather persuasive in terms of providing information and awareness aimed at influencing the reader to take action. Mastering this soft-sell will make you marketable to a wide range of employers.
Video production
We live in a multimedia world in which consumers have come to expect written content blended with video support. Whether it’s shooting on the fly with a smart phone or using more sophisticated equipment, video production skills are highly marketable for the foreseeable future.
With consumers’ insatiable appetite for information, content will likely remain king for the foreseeable future. Those professionals who have expertise in content marketing can expect significant opportunities and growth in the years to come.
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