Essential Content Marketing Skills

Written by: Gary Horsman

Essential Content Marketing Skills

Here are some ideas on how to develop your content marketing team. The skills presented here are essential skills. You need to have the proper skill set and this will help you to define the skills which can help you to identify the people.

If you are a marketer using content marketing and looking to move up in search position or need to find and engage clients then this post will give you ideas on what kind of skills are needed.

Writing

The ability to write is the #1 most important skill. It comes into play for all forms of content marketing. Bogging requires excellent writing skills but a video needs a script and this needs to be thought out and written. A podcast needs to be implemented properly and this can benefit from talented writing.

Good writing also means good storytelling. To take the mundane (but valuable) and convert it into an interesting story that leads people to take action can have a very positive impact on your business.

Editing

The ability to edit is very important as good work in this area makes sure that there are no errors, that the meaning is clear and that the sentences and paragraphs flow together nicely. Also, sometimes the original writer is not a good editor. Good copywriter with strong editing skills can be invaluable to your content marketing efforts.

Research Skills

Good content means good research. To be good at content marketing requires skill at conducting research.

Business Judgment

Understanding the needs of the business and what types of content drives business value is one of the keys to developing relevant customer-oriented B2B content.

Digital Technology Skills

Good content marketing requires a mix of skills from writing to graphics to publishing platform technologies. To be good at creating and distributing your content you need to have an awareness of these technology skills. It is nice if you can be good at some of them. For other skills you need to define and develop resources so that your content delights your audience and gets to them without getting bogged down by a lack of technical skill.

Search Engine Optimization Skills

Most online content can benefit your audience if it is search engine optimized. There is significant value to the seeker when they find what they are looking for. Search engines deliver a great deal of valuable content – it’s their job! Let the search engines help you deliver your content to people searching for it. You need to have a solid foundation in how to optimize your content for search.

Organizational Skills

Content marketing requires consistent, continuous and committed production. It’s rewarding but the work never ends. Your content marketing needs to be organized to be consistent and efficiently delivered.

Idea Generation

New topics and approaches will be needed constantly. You need to have the skill on your team to be able to come up with new ideas and approaches.

Big-Picture Thinking Skills

A single content asset is not that important in the big picture. However, creating connected distribution pathways for your content is critical. You need someone who can “see” how all of your content will work together and help create the vision to make that happen in a way that benefits prospects and customers.

Here is a presentation on Social Media Marketing in 2015. This will show you cannot assign your social media marketing to your intern – you need a plan and a skill set to be successful.