Keyword: job roles in content marketing
Meta: If you’re interested in a content marketing career, read our post on job roles in content marketing to learn about the opportunities in the field.
The field of content marketing has been steadily growing for years. Enterprises realize the value of content marketing to attract, convert, and retain customers. With such value comes opportunities. But what job roles in content marketing exist today? And how can you begin a career in the industry?
The Growth of Content Marketing Job Roles
According to market research, the content marketing market will hit $107,540.6 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 14.3 percent. The adoption of content marketing is accelerating, with companies big and small using it strategically. While 2020 represented huge disruptions in the business world, including job losses and budget cuts, content marketing teams are still growing. According to the CMI (Content Marketing Institute) annual content marketing survey, many teams grew, with 31 percent of respondents reporting an increase in employees.
Image: CMI
Many organizations are committed to content marketing, which means that opportunities will continue to grow as well. Next, we’ll look at the job roles that make up the typical content marketing team.
Most Common Content Marketing Job Roles
There is no ideal structure for a content marketing team. What’s best depends on the goals, budget, and maturity of the content marketing operations. There are, however, fundamental roles that are the most common across industries. Let’s look at these roles.
Content Writer
Content marketing, at its core, is about crafting compelling, relevant content. That requires a writer. But content writers aren’t simply good with words. Being an eloquent writer is the basis of the role. It also requires understanding the technical aspects of content marketing like SEO. A blog, even if written well, needs optimization.
Additionally, content writers need to have expertise in the subject. They can’t simply copy a template. Thus, they need research skills and the ability to collaborate with SMEs (subject matter experts) until they become one.
Further, content writers need a strategic mindset. They may not set the strategy (that’s a unique role), but they should participate in content idea generation exercises. Often journalists will transition to content marketing because they have excellent writing skills and experience in research. Some content writers have a natural gift, which they hone through education and experience.
SEO Specialist
SEO is critical to content marketing. To rank well organically for valuable keywords, you must optimize your content to fit the quality and technical aspects. The SEO strategist is part researcher, part executor. They monitor a brand’s ranking for keywords, ensure that content follows technical best practices (metadata, use of headers, etc.), and find opportunities for new keywords. They also often lead efforts for backlinking.
Social Media Manager
Without distribution, your content efforts won’t go far. According to the CMI survey mentioned above, social media is the top distribution channel at 89 percent. Social media marketing provides your organization with a distribution method and creates a space for engagement, conversation, and building trust.
Thus, a well-rounded content team has at least one social media expert. That role defines the social media marketing strategy. They set the specifics for how the company will use social media, what platforms to use, how frequently to post, what to post, and what to measure.
A successful social media manager will understand their audience, know how to boost the visibility of profiles, and be savvy about what to post and when. They’ll look at content analytics relating to performance and continue to make adjustments to increase engagement and reach.
Content Operations Manager
The content operations manager is a newer role, and its development comes from implementing more technology. Enterprise teams realize that technology enables consistency, streamlines workflows, boosts production, and offers transparency.
This position is a master at marketing automation platforms, content marketing software, content management systems (CMS), and more. They likely make the recommendations for technology, maintain them, and train others. Additionally, this role works to improve processes so there are no silos across teams and throughput doesn’t lag. Consider them, in some ways, the new traffic manager.
Content Marketing Strategist
The content marketing strategist is the developer and final say on the content strategy. They don’t create this in a vacuum. Rather, they are the lead strategist, defining the goals, objectives, tactics, and more for content marketing efforts. In some cases, the strategist is also a content writer (or at least has a high proficiency in the area).
The strategist is often a leader on the team. They help nurture the vision and ensure that all roles are on the same page and have the tools they need to execute. The person in this job typically has a long tenure in the space and can think big picture. They’ll be quick to identify roadblocks and challenges and work to remove them.
Content Analytics Expert
Data is a powerful tool in content marketing. You can understand performance, your audience behaviors, and brand equity. Content teams should include analytics experts that can analyze data and deliver actionable insights to the strategist that will inform topics, formats, channels, and more.
Digital Designers
The last role of the content team is that of a designer. In this context, designers would have skillsets in graphic, website, and digital design, including video. Your enterprise team likely has several designers that specialize in certain areas.
Design is imperative to content marketing. The look and experience of digital content are just as important as the message. With the importance of video and other visual, interactive components to engagement, content marketing teams must prioritize design. Having design talent on staff can amplify your efforts.
Is a Role in Content Marketing Right for You?
In looking at these roles in content marketing, do they match your talent and expertise? A career in content marketing can be very rewarding. Some positions are creative, technical, or both. If you’re building a career in content marketing, then you’ll want to subscribe to our blog—written by and for content marketers!