The importance of content in a marketing strategy really can’t be emphasized enough — and we’re not just talking about any old content here, but content that is consistent, high-quality and measurable when possible. Unfortunately, good content is something that often falls by the wayside in a marketing strategy, especially without proper planning and execution.
Content comes into play at each stage of the marketing funnel, and several different roles must be filled in order to execute an effective content marketing strategy.
Depending on the size of your business and your team, one person may fill more than one of these roles. Contrarily, if you have a heftier workload, you may have several people filling a single role.
In this article we will discuss some of the roles within an effective content marketing team, and how they work together to create amazing content marketing campaigns.
The visionary
Before coming up with a great content strategy, it’s important to have a thorough understanding of the company’s brand and goals. The brand developer will research the market, competition, company history and brand identity to come up with broad goals and guidelines for the rest of the team to follow.
You must have a solid grasp on who you are and what you do before you begin sharing it with the world. Having a strong brand identity will enable you to maintain a clear focus throughout your marketing efforts, which is why brand development and media planning are such important first steps in any marketing campaign.
The creative planner
The content strategist combines the information provided by the brand developer with their own content expertise to create a customized content strategy. They know which content channels reach different audiences, and which types of content work best for different brands or goals.
While an eNewsletter and social media ads may work great for one business, printed flyers and instructional videos may work best for another. The content strategist helps to determine these mediums and the main messages that should be conveyed.
A content strategist may execute some or all of the tasks that come from this plan, or they may delegate these tasks to others and oversee to make sure projects are being completed according to plan.
The organizer & communicator
A content marketing strategy often has several moving pieces, so it’s important to have someone overlooking the project as a whole to ensure that everything is getting done on time and on budget.
This role is often filled by the brand developer or content strategist, and if working for a marketing agency, they will typically handle client communications as well.
The word wizard
Written content is often one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about content marketing. Although it’s definitely not all there is to content marketing, it’s a very important piece of the puzzle.
The copywriter creates written content for websites, blogs, eNewsletters, articles, print materials and more. They act as a voice for a brand, and so it’s important that they receive direction from the content strategist and/or brand developer. If working at an agency, like Csek Creative, they will sometimes work directly with the client on certain projects.
The modern artist
Now that you’ve created a thoughtful strategy, written some great content, curated amazing visual assets and built reliable online platforms, it’s time to make it all pretty. As we mentioned before, humans are very visual, and so the right eye-catching design can make all the difference.
Designers collaborate with other members of the content team to create digital and print graphics that support the overall content strategy. From informative flyers and magazines, to intuitive web and app designs, to stunning digital graphics for eNewsletters and social media, a skilled graphic designer is indispensable.
The alchemist
Alchemy is described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as being “a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way.” To those of us who don’t know how to code, that pretty much seems to be what programmers do.
Programmers and developers bring websites, apps and other virtual platforms to life. They create essential channels for web copy, blogs, visual assets, branding, graphics and other content elements, making them an integral part of the content marketing process.
The connection between content marketing and programmers may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but without them, that awesome content you’ve created would be all dressed up with no place to go.
The attention grabber
Never underestimate the power of strong visual assets. Humans are visual by nature, and content marketers are placing more and more emphasis on the importance of high quality photos and videos.
Great photography and videography is very engaging, which is why having a skilled photographer / videographer on your team is extremely valuable. The photographer / videographer will usually receive direction from the content strategist to ensure that the assets they create align with the overall campaign.
These assets will then be used by programmers, designers and social strategists, adding significant value to the work that they complete. Ditch the cheesy stock photos and start curating your own portfolio of awesome visual content, and you’ll never go back.
The buzz creator
If you haven’t incorporated a social media strategy into your content marketing campaigns yet, it’s time to start. Social media is an excellent way to spread your content efforts to your desired audience, and is often either free or affordable compared to other marketing channels, with a promising ROI.
Social media can be used to expose the world to all of the amazing content that you’ve created. Post your own blogs and articles, captivating photos and videos, and useful web pages.
It’s often best to use a combination of organic posting and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, although this depends on the nature of your business and your target market. The social strategist knows which social channels will be most effective, how to create and monitor digital ads, and when to use social influencers. They’re experts at creating compelling captions, #hashtagging and capturing the attention of your ideal audience.
Social strategists typically receive direction from the content strategist in order to create posts and ads that support the overall campaign, and may work in collaboration with designers, copywriters, photographers and analysts when creating social campaigns.
The quality controller
No matter what type of content you’re creating, it’s important that someone is able to review your work. A proficient editor will not only catch those little mistakes that we all make from time to time, but will also review work to ensure that it’s aligned with the overall strategy and brand.
This role is often filled by the content strategist as they have a strong grasp on the content strategy and goals, as well as what quality content looks like.
The numbers guru
Once you’ve implemented your content strategy, an important question must be asked — is it working?
Content teams are typically filled with creative minds, so it’s crucial to have a ‘numbers person’ on the team who can utilize analytics and measure whether or not digital campaigns are accomplishing the set goals.
The analyst works with the content strategist to determine various goals and how to measure them, and reports back regularly with findings so that adjustments can be made if necessary.
How many of these content team roles have you filled?
There’s no doubt that it’s a lot of work, and sometimes it’s more than a business can handle on its own — especially smaller businesses. The good news is that if you need help filling one, two or all of the roles mentioned above, we can help!
Contact us to learn more about how Csek Creative can assist with your content marketing strategy.
And we will keep you connected to the latest marketing trends, new product offerings, offers, and learning sessions.