Content marketing has become one of the most stable and lucrative industries in the past decade. In fact, it is now the top hiring priority for many marketing departments. It has surpassed the need for social media, lead generation, design, executive staff, and even outsourced CMO.
If you’re considering a career in content marketing, here are a few steps to help get you started in the right direction.
6 Steps to Get You Started in a Content Marketing Career
Step 1: Work on your writing skills.
If there is one primary skill you need to make it in the content marketing industry, it is writing. This is the cornerstone of all great content creators. While visual content is enticing, ultimately, it is the written content that will make your articles relevant to your audience.
So practice writing great content. If you have your personal blog, keep dishing out content until writing becomes second nature to you.
Step 2: Hold your work against high standards.
As a content marketer, you need to be able to hold your work to the highest standards. You need to make sure that you dish out only quality work. While you may have a certain set of standards, you might want to consider asking other people — who you know have high standards; about their thoughts on your work.
Ask them these two things:
- Is it helpful and practical?
- Is it interesting and engaging?
If the answer to these two questions is “yes,” then you most probably have a highly effective article in your hands.
Step 3: Work on being tech-savvy.
Content marketers typically use WordPress and other similar content management platforms. It also helps if you know a bit about graphics and layout, HTML, SEO optimization, Google Analytics, coding, and some more technical stuff needed in the industry.
However, if you don’t have extensive knowledge in these areas, most companies provide training for employees.
Step 4: Work on completing your LinkedIn profile as soon as possible.
LinkedIn is a great way of getting yourself out there for employers to find. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, we highly recommend you work on one immediately. There are a lot of potentially life-changing careers that you might miss out on just because you don’t have an account.
Step 5: Improve your research skills.
One of the most important aspects of content marketing is research. The ability to research topics and come up with authentic and legitimately valid material helps build trust in the brand you’re handling. In a world where fake news abounds, the legitimacy of your output helps put your brand as a reliable resource for your readers and target market.
Step 6: Learn to connect deeper with people, especially your target market.
Just because you have the freedom to write whatever you want, it doesn’t mean that you should. You need to keep in mind that your goal as a content marketer is to connect to your target market on a deeper level. You need to know what they’re interested in, what they find practical and helpful, and what they find valuable in life.
Getting started in content marketing is just the first step. You need to keep working on your skills to stay in the game, especially since we’re living in a world where everyone is a content creator. Stay on top of your game to stay in the game longer.