Content and marketing go hand in hand! For marketers, it's a sweet couple.
91% of B2B professionals use content marketing as part of their strategy. However, this does not mean that all the content they create is top-notch, attractive or valuable content.
But what does it take to become a good content creator? How to become a leader of opinions?
Content manager
The content manager creates entertainment or educational materials that meet the interests and objectives of the target audience. The content that he / she produces can take various forms, including blog posts, videos, e-books, photographs, and infographics. Today, companies hire content creators to attract new and existing customers on behalf of the brand.
It doesn't matter if you work for a content marketing team in a company or a freelancer, you can take advantage of some proven tips to help you become a truly successful content creator.
A fair warning: like all good things, success will not come overnight. But the sooner you start developing these 9 skills, the faster you will become a good content creator.
So, 9 skills of a successful contact manager
1. Read news about your industry every day
Creating great content that truly resonates with your target audience requires you to know what is happening in your industry. And the best content creators are constantly searching the Internet, monitoring the latest news and trends in their field. This allows them to understand the context that has historically evolved in their industry, and how it shapes the thinking of their target audience in the present.
Get used to reading, putting everything you read in one place. You can set up an RSS feed for blogs you know that contain relevant industry news. Also, ask a few colleagues what they read and follow their lead. Find out where your shopper spends time online and get blogs there.
2. Write regularly
If you have not developed this habit, then the rest will go to ashes. Successful content creators understand the importance of constant brain exercises in the form of working out new content ideas. This helps them to identify "nuggets" that can later turn into fully realized ideas. That is what inspires them to new articles.
Make a habit of writing, doing it daily or every other day. This does not mean that you need to write a daily essay of 1,500 words on a topic that is relevant to the industry. Just set aside 10 or 15 minutes to write down some thoughts and ideas. Find out when your mind is clear and your head is filled with ideas - and just write at this time in a free form.
3. Examine your industry audience
One of the pills that you find it hard to swallow as a creative person is that you are at the mercy of your target audience, and the needs of this audience can undermine your creativity.
But in the end, it is CA that pays your bills. And if you study your audience deep enough, you will discover creative opportunities that you would not have found without it.
The third quality of all successful content creators: they know their audience from and to. Examine your readers and viewers: what do they want you not to give them yet? What problems do they have that you can solve for them? Here are some characteristics of your audience that you must define for yourself or for your employer:
• Age
• Paul
• Location
• Family status
• Position
• Salary
• Having children
4. Personal experience
Quick reality check: you're not the only content creator in your industry! This means that you are not the only one offering the advice, observation and intellectual leadership that your industry requires. There are many things you can do to stand out among other content creators in your field: diversifying content into new environments, promoting your content through different channels, and naturally gaining experience and trust over time. But even then, content producers who are fighting for attention do the same.
So, what can you bring such that others can not? This is your personal experience.
Readers click on your content for information, but come back for you as an individual. Write about cyber security? Do not just offer up-to-date information on modern malware, but write personal stories about data integrity breaches. The brand you are writing for may restrict you from self-confident or overly informal content, but this does not mean that you cannot afford to describe your experience that inspired you to join this business in the first place.
Learn how to combine content creation guidelines for your employer with your own creative potential, and eventually you will become a much more valuable content creator.
5. Oversee other people's content.
Nowadays, there is no shortage of people who share content. In fact, any person on the Internet can take someone else's content and repost it on social networks. But successful content creators know that it is not enough just to get the latest news and distribute it among its subscribers.
“You must also position yourself as an expert and sincerely engage with your communities,” said Guy Kawasaki, best-selling author for the New York Times.
Get used to davt to any content on the Internet for more information from yourself. This could be an expert assessment, review, opinion on any event in your industry. Thus, even if you share someone else's content, it helps to promote yours! Your social networks will appreciate it, and the author will probably also appreciate it (and if discussion develops, it will be an additional bonus!).
6. Understand your KPI
The Internet is huge, it is obvious. It is safe to say that it is too large for your content to be discovered by the entire audience. In 2018, 61% of professionals said that the generation of traffic and potential customers was their main marketing task.
The fact that you publish content on the Internet does not mean that you get the traffic you deserve. First you need to focus on the key performance indicator (KPI) and optimize it. KPI is a specific indicator that you have chosen to assess how well your content and your expectations. Modern KPIs include:
• Traffic in social networks - the number of visitors who came to your content from posts in social networks.
• Direct traffic - the number of visitors who come to your content by entering the URL of your site directly into the address bar of the browser.
• Organic traffic - the number of visitors who came to your content by the link from the search results.
• Number of submissions - the number of people who visit your website and leave it, providing their contact information in exchange for the resource that you offered them (a form of attracting potential customers).
For example, if you or your employer decided to focus on organic traffic, it would be a good idea to study Google’s search algorithm to find out how it ranks content. Then optimize your content so that it works well within the framework of normal KPI traffic. The more knowledge you have about the KPIs available to content creators, the more successful you will be as a marketer.
7. Networking and social networks at every opportunity
Successful content creators know that their success is due not only to their passion for their work, but also to those who taught them, inspired them and made them think differently.
This is one of the ways content creators become successful content creators. They accepted the fact that there is always something to learn from others. Networking makes you do exactly that. It is time to listen to the ideas of others and take them into account along with their own.
Get used to communication, using the countless opportunities that you have. They are not for nothing called social networks! Spend some time on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to find out who are the leaders in your industry.
8. Offer solutions, not just comments
For successful content creators, experience is not everything.
Want your audience to remember your content? Don't just say things you know about — explain why they are important and what your audience can learn from this.
9. Ask questions
The creators of polished content are curious by nature.
“You need to show curiosity to identify problems that need to be resolved,” said Lorraine Tuilhill, head of marketing at Google, “and then find new solutions.” These proposed solutions to old problems attract content creators.
Getting used to questioning the status quo by constantly playing devil's advocate is an important trait of content marketers. Critical thinking is the basis for great content creators.
Remember that everything begins with habits, and they are formed over time. Hone your skills, develop skills and success will not keep you waiting!
Futureinapps company is engaged in business promotion in social and search networks.
