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How to Kickstart your Career in Content Marketing?
So, you have just heard that your friend has got a job in content marketing and perhaps you too are eager to kickstart your career in content marketing. But before you jump on to it, you need to understand what is content marketing, how you can become a content marketer, and most importantly if content marketing is for you.
As defined by Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
Content marketing is getting popular among start-ups and enterprises because it is a cost-effective marketing solution and when done right can help brands grow organically. In fact, 78% of CMOs see content marketing as the future of marketing.
What does a content marketer do?
It starts with planning and working on an overall content marketing strategy. They are responsible for creating various forms of content such as blog posts, social media posts, infographics, and videos among others and distributing them to maximize visibility.
They also have to monitor how the content is performing and optimize performance.
How to Become a Content Marketer?
Here’s how you can prepare to kickstart your career in content marketing.
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Build your writing skills
No points for guessing but to be a successful content marketer, you need to have strong creative writing skills.
Getting comfortable with words will give you a good foundation to build a career in this field. If you are just starting off, find out every opportunity to write.
It can be starting your own blog or you can work as an intern with a content marketing firm to understand the daily duties of a content marketer.
Apart from strong language and grammar skills, the ability to understand your target audience and putting yourself in their shoes is essential because, at the end of the day, you’re writing for them and your content needs to match their intent.
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Learn from experts
Content marketing is constantly evolving and you need to keep yourself updated on the latest trends in this dynamic field.
So, set aside a few minutes every day to read leading content marketing blogs and publications. Here are a few websites you can add to your reading list:
You should also consider following them on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Apart from reading, it’s also a good idea to listen to podcasts such as Marketing Over Coffee where the hosts engage in insightful discussions with renowned content marketing gurus of the world and HBR Idea Cast, Harvard Business Review’s show on marketing and business.
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Enrol in online courses and get certified
You can enrol in online courses and attain certifications to learn the basics of content marketing. This will prepare you well for your first job and ensure you don’t have to start from scratch.
You can find some helpful courses on HubSpot Academy, Lynda, and Udemy.
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Start guest posting
Guest posting refers to publishing articles on other websites. Not only does this help you build your writing profile but it also strengthens your personal brand and helps you make valuable connections.
So, find a niche you’d like to contribute to and start pitching to relevant websites.
When your work is published on a high authority site, it helps to build your credential (you’re seen as an expert in the field) and your work gets exposed to a wider audience base.
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Get familiar with tools
From keyword research and social media to content discovery and photo editing - content marketers have to use several tools in their line of work.
As a budding content marketer, it’s advisable to get familiar with these tools and see how to use them. Some of the most common content marketing tools are Ahrefs, Buzzstream, WordPress, and Moz. You can create a free account, take tutorials and explore how to use them.
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Adela Belin is a content marketer and blogger. She is passionate about sharing stories with the hope to make a difference in people's lives and contribute to their personal and professional growth. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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