Do you know a great novelist? A journalist? A playwright? Do they weave beautiful sentences together, provide in-depth reporting and set amazing scenes in their writing?
They’re probably still not quite what you’re looking for. The role of a content marketing manager involves a ton of writing, but it’s a different beast altogether.
When you enlist the services of a content marketer, they should provide useful content that is relevant to your target audience, all without being too salesy. A background in creative writing or journalism is a big plus, but to be a competent content marketer means to have an understanding of how people interact with content on the web.
Hiring the right content manager is like hiring for any other position at your company; you just have to know what to look for.
When vetting candidates, make sure they have these 6 qualities.
1. They Should Have Excellent Research Skills
Research is an integral part of the content creation process. Being a content marketer is a lot like being a journalist.
Every article, infographic, and video should be backed up by trusted sources, such as an authority in an industry or a reputable news organization.
Why? Consumers will listen to the voice that is trustworthy and knowledgeable. Having research-backed content builds credibility not just with consumers, but with your industry as a whole.
Research-backed content does everything good content should do:
- It attracts the right audience.
- It teaches readers new things.
- It educates them on the latest trends in their industry.
- It dispels rumors and myths.
- It stands up to counterclaims.
- It positions you as a thought leader.
When is the last time you read an article with dubious claims or without many sources and found it to be of value? Your readers don’t trust that type of content either.
2. They Understand How People Consume Content
How people read books and read online content are separate. You can’t expect people to read your content like they’re reading a novel.
When someone sits down to read a book, they expect long paragraphs and a complex narrative to immerse themselves in. When they read a piece of content, they expect to be able to skim it.
Most people don’t want to read an entire article at length. Keeping their attention throughout an entire piece is hard.
That’s why the best content marketers understand how people read online and how to keep their attention throughout a piece of text. When you review the portfolio examples of a candidate, does their work include best content practices?
- Do they use bulleted and numbered lists?
- Do they keep their paragraphs short?
- Do they use headers to divide content into multiple sections?
- Do they avoid using confusing words and jargon in their content?
3. They Know How SEO Is Incorporated Into Content
SEO helps people find your business online, but content is the fuel that propels SEO into action.
Great content will naturally rank well in search engines and help attract the target audience. That’s because great content also leverages SEO.
When examining a candidate’s content examples, make sure their content contains these SEO markers:
- Cross-linking
- Strong Calls to Action (CTA)
- Keywords
- Meta descriptions
- Imagery
Content marketers also avoid black hat SEO techniques, or tactics used to try to trick search engines into helping content rank better without providing any real value. Make sure their content doesn’t have these black hat techniques:
- Keyword stuffing
- Duplicate content
- Cloaking
- Invisible text
4. They Know How to Use Data to Make Decisions
Content creation is an ongoing process. How do you know which types of content to produce next?
These types of data can reveal a lot about your audience’s habits and preferences:
- Views and impressions
- Click
- Number of backlinks
- Shares
- Conversions
- Referrals
A good content marketer knows how to review this data and use it to shape an action plan going forward.
What content performs the best is the type of content you want more of. When content marketers put their best examples forward, they showcase the pieces that have garnered the most attention online.
5. They Understand Content Strategy
Content marketing involves a lot more than creating and promoting content; every piece of content needs to be part of a broader content marketing strategy.
Purely reactive content won’t produce favorable results. The best content marketers develop a plan well in advance before executing.
Ask your candidates about their experience with content strategy and the plan they envision when producing content for your business. A content strategy should comprise of these aspects:
- Marketing personas
- Goals
- Different types of content
- Different marketing channels (website, social platforms, email)
- The marketing funnel
- Landing pages
6. They Keep up With Trends in Content Marketing
Content marketing never stays stagnant. The type of content that people universally love will always be evolving.
The best content marketers know this, and they stay up to date with how the winds change.
Video, for example, is an extremely popular content format. That’s true across all industries, and it’s expected to grow in demand.
Marketing that incorporates augmented reality, a technology that uses computer-generated imagery to represent the physical world, is projected to be a trillion-dollar industry.
Good content marketers follow sources that stay on top of these emerging trends and offer tips for incorporating them into content marketing strategies. Here are some trusted content sources:
When you ask your candidates who they follow for content marketing tips and updates, who do they list off?
Content marketers are more than just great writers—they’re great researchers, scientists, and students. Don’t settle for less when choosing someone to manage content for your digital marketing strategy.
Read about how to create good content for SEO to learn more about proper content marketing tactics. Contact us today to learn how we can help you with your content marketing.
