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Looking to amp up your content marketing strategy? Here’s everything you need to know about hiring a content marketing strategist for a maximum ROI.
Content marketing is kind of a big deal.
What began as a simple exercise for boosting search engine visibility with a few 500-word keyword-packed blog posts has now ballooned into a full-blown industry unto itself.
The evolution of content marketing has forced brands to up their game in order to compete and maintain the same level of SEO results and online visibility. And more competition means better content for the reader and better results for the brands – it’s a win-win.
But with success comes growth, and with growth comes, well, growing pains.
A content marketing strategy which hits the ground running can give your business a big boost, but without a roadmap, it’s easy to veer off course.
That’s where a content marketing strategist steps in.
Let’s find out more about what a CMS is, what they could do for your business, and how best to work with one to maximize your return on investment.
Ready to hit the road?
The anatomy of a great content marketing strategist
Let’s start with the absolute basics: what is a content marketing strategist?
Put simply, a content marketing strategist, or CMS, is responsible for overseeing and managing a brand’s content marketing strategy. That might seem like it goes without saying, so let’s dig a little deeper.
Here are a few of the key areas a content marketing strategist would be responsible for managing as part of an overall content marketing strategy:
- Identifying business goals and developing content ideas to help achieve them. Your content marketing strategy won’t get you very far if it’s not aligned with your overall business goals. A CMS will help ensure that the content you create serves a long-term purpose which aligns to the larger business objectives.
- Managing teams of editors and copywriters for content creation. Of course, at the heart of any content marketing campaign are the people that make it all happen. A CMS will work alongside a team of editors and copywriters to ensure that their workload is balanced in a way which supports the goals and velocity of the overall campaign.
- Developing optimal means of delivery and distribution of content. Content marketing isn’t all about SEO. It’s one string to its bow, sure, but a content marketing strategist is also responsible for identifying other areas of opportunity to distribute content. This might be ebooks, sales letters, emails, landing pages – the sky’s the limit.
- Deciding on target demographics, keywords, and other SEO-driven goals. As we’ve talked about, every great venture requires a plan, and the same goes for content. Many brands use content to power their Search Engine Optimization efforts, so the CMS will need to decide who to target and how to target them with content.
- Regularly reviewing analytics systems to understand how content is performing.
What use is pumping out content if you’re not seeing any results? One of the tasks a CMS must tackle is regularly reviewing (and reporting on) the performance of key content marketing assets – and the overall strategy itself.
Making the most of your content marketing strategist – 5 key skills to maximize ROI
Because content marketing is a (relatively) new field, the role of content marketing strategist is likewise quite loose in terms of its definitions and responsibilities. This has the knock-on effect of brands not always knowing the optimal way to direct the energy of a CMS, which can negatively impact campaign performance.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry. At Scribly, content marketing really is our bread and butter, so we know exactly how to make the most of a content marketing strategist.
Here’s our list of the top 5 skills your content marketing strategist should have to ensure they bring home the bacon.
1. Content auditing
One of the most important – and first – jobs a content marketing strategist should take care of is a content audit.
As the name implies, this process will allow your CMS to create an up-to-date inventory of all of your existing content. For many brands – especially those new to content marketing – this might be just a handful of blog posts (or even nothing at all).
Being able to audit your existing content will give your CMS a solid foundation from which to design and develop your content strategy going forward.
2. Content gap analysis
Whether through skill or chance, one of the skills which drives real ROI is the ability to spot content gaps.
A good content marketing strategist will be able to carry out a content gap analysis in any niche, using a combination of research and SEO tools to identify areas where there is a user need going under-served by content.
It’s through this type of analysis that brands are able to locate areas of opportunity (read: keywords and phrases), then target content directly in those gaps to achieve two goals: answering user questions and boosting search rankings.
3. Search Engine Optimization
This one might seem like a given, but SEO skills are essential for a content marketing strategist to truly understand which content is working for you – and why.
Provided they have the requisite skills, they should be au-fait with tools like the Google Search Console, which provides detailed analytical data about the performance of your content in organic search.
Want to take this to the next level? Your CMS may have experience with third-party tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs, both of which deliver detailed analytics about content performance in search.
4. Content modelling
Another key skill for a content marketing strategist relates directly to the content itself.
Understanding what’s hot (and what’s not) when it comes to content marketing is absolutely essential. This is to make sure that a.) the readers enjoy the content, and b.) search engines like Google are able to parse and display the content in the right way.
So, what is content modelling, exactly?
In a nutshell, the term refers to a framework around which you base your on-site content structure. For example, you might choose the ‘cluster’ content model, which suggests having one incredibly detailed and lengthy article (the ‘pillar’) which then links out to other, smaller pieces of related content (the ‘clusters’).
5. Project management
Let’s face it: content marketing is a multi-faceted thing – and that’s putting it lightly.
A content marketing strategist worth their salt will also need to be a talented juggler of tasks. Keeping all those balls in the air – managing copywriters, editors, deadlines, audiences, keywords – is no small feat. That’s why project management skills are so essential for any content marketing strategist.
If you really want to realize the true value of your CMS, making sure they’re able to effortlessly manage multiple tasks at once is a great place to start. Because once the content machine starts really churning, there’s no stopping it – and you need someone on-side who’ll be able to take it all in stride.
Need help with your content marketing strategy? Say hello to Scribly
Whether you’re just taking your first steps with content marketing – or maybe you’re about to hire a content marketing strategist of your own – Scribly can help bring it all together.
With our bespoke content plans, you can fuel your content marketing campaigns with content of all shapes and sizes hand-crafted by a team of professional copywriters and content strategists who specialize in every niche under the sun.
Want to take Scribly for a spin? Get in touch today and see where we could take your business.
