What does a content strategist do? So, you’ve decided you need a content strategist. Maybe your website is starting to look a little dated, or you’re not getting the web traffic you’d like. Maybe you’ve heard that content is king, and you’re ready to make your mark. Good for you! But before you can start reaping the benefits of stellar content, you need to know what a content strategist actually does. In this article, we’ll break down the responsibilities of a content strategist and show you how they can help your business grow.
What is a Content Strategist and What Do They Do?
As a content strategist, your role is to develop and oversee the creation and publication of content that aligns with your company’s overall marketing and business goals. You’ll work with other members of the marketing team, as well as with writers, editors, designers, and web developers, to create a content plan that is both effective and efficient. Your goal is to produce content that will engage and inform your audience while also promoting your brand. You’ll develop a content strategy, create editorial calendars, and manage the production process from start (creating to content) to finish (treating the expired content appropriately).
Crafting a Strategic Narrative
You might be wondering: What does a content strategist do?
A content strategist crafts a strategic narrative for a brand. They develop a content plan that aligns with the overall business goals, and create a roadmap for how to produce that content and distribute it. But it’s not just about creating pretty, on-brand content. A content strategist also analyzes digital data to see what’s working and what’s not, then adjusts their strategy accordingly. They make sure that the right pieces of content are reaching the right people at the right time. It’s a lot of work, but it’s essential for creating a successful online presence.
Strengthening Your Brand’s Voice
Think of a content strategist as the guardian of your brand’s voice. They make sure that all the content that goes out—from blog posts to social media updates—is on-brand and in line with your company’s values. Done by developing a content strategy that defines who you are as a brand, what you stand for, and how you want the audience to perceive you.
A good content strategist will also make sure that all your content is of the highest quality, and they’ll work with you to come up with ideas and topics that will engage your audience. They’ll also help make sure that your content is distributed in the most effective way possible, so you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Creating an Ongoing Content Plan
Creating an ongoing content plan is a big part of what a content strategist does. Think of it as the framework for all the different pieces that make up the overall strategy. It involves looking at short-term and long-term goals, and then creating a plan to achieve those goals.
A content strategist will start by looking at the bigger picture—the industry, trends, competitors—and then they’ll dig into analytics to get a better understanding of what’s working, and what isn’t. Then they’ll create an action plan based on what they’ve learned and present it to the team.
The plan will take into account things like budgets and timelines, as well as audience needs and expectations. They’ll also determine which forms of content work best for the project—blog posts, videos, podcasts etc.—and figure out how to optimize those pieces using SEO keyword research, A/B testing and other tactics. At the end of it all, they’ll have created an outline for success that everyone can follow.
Analyzing Performance and Making Adjustments
Once all of the content published and active, the content strategist plays a vital role in analyzing how it’s performing. This is essential for content strategists to stay up-to-date with trends and adjust their strategy accordingly. To make sure the plan aligns with the brand’s overall objectives, the strategist will need to look at metrics such as impressions, engagement, and conversions. They’ll need to draw conclusions from these data points in order to make any necessary adjustments.
For example, if a piece of content isn’t performing well, they may need to tweak or re-write it in order to drive better engagement. Or if an experiment isn’t successful, they might decide to scrap that idea and try something new. A good strategist will have an eye for these opportunities where small changes can have a big impact on results.
Collaborating With Stakeholders and Teammates
As a content strategist, collaborating with stakeholders and teammates is a key part of the job. Content strategists need to be able to understand their team’s objectives, coordinate with other team members, and communicate effectively. Part of collaboration is understanding the key players in your company or project. The who and why of the behind decisions. You’ll need to stay abreast of changes in the market and industry, new trends, and customer needs. This will help you craft collaborative strategies that support everyone’s goals, from marketing professionals to product engineers.
It’s also important for content strategists to be able to visualize complex ideas in order to create project plans, timelines and roadmaps. You should have an open mind when it comes to exploring new tactics and strategies that could be beneficial for the project in question. By understanding the company’s needs and staying up-to-date on industry trends, you can ensure that your content strategy is effective and contributes meaningfully to the project’s success.
How To Become a Content Strategist
Understand the components of content strategy.
Content strategy is the process of designing and creating content that supports a company’s mission, vision, goals and objectives. It involves determining what audiences want to read/watch/listen to; how much time they’ll spend reading/watching/listening; where they are located geographically (i.e., in which country); what type of information they need more than others—and so on.
In order to understand the components of content strategy better, break down each one into two parts: What do we want people to know about our brand? Usually referred as messaging or positioning. It describes why someone should care about something from our organization or business idea. For example: Our brand is an innovative technology firm that helps small businesses succeed with social media marketing strategies!
Determine your skills gaps.
As you begin to think about the skills you need to acquire, it’s important to take a step back and look at your current abilities. What are some of the areas where you could use improvement? Are there any specific areas that come up often in an interview or on a resume?
Once these questions have been answered, set aside some time so that they can be explored further. The next step is identifying which areas are most important for this role. This can be done by asking yourself: “What do I consider myself good at?” Or simply looking at what’s currently being asked of content strategists in practice and thinking about how it might apply here—and whether or not those needs match up with yours!
Develop a content strategy plan.
- Develop a content strategy plan. This document is the heart of your content strategy, and it outlines what you want to accomplish with your content by when. The goal is to ensure that all of your efforts are aligned with one another and that they’re being executed at the highest level possible for each piece of content (e.g., blogging posts vs articles).
- Review this plan regularly. It’s important that you review this document regularly if you want to stay on track with your goals and objectives as they evolve over time; otherwise, you may find yourself forgetting why certain pieces were created in the first place!
Make connections with people in the content strategy community.
- Connect with people who are already in the content strategy community.
- Join a professional association or organization that’s related to your field of expertise, such as an association for writers or editors and publishers. This can help you network with other professionals, build relationships, and learn from others’ experiences as you grow in your field of interest.
- Attend conferences and events throughout the year so that you stay updated on what’s happening in digital marketing and content strategy fields.
Learn specific skills related to content strategy.
The first step to becoming a content strategist is learning how to research and analyze content. You’ll have to be able to understand what you’re looking at, whether it’s an article or a blog post. You’ll also need to know how to create effective content that will attract readers’ attention and keep them reading until the end of your piece.
Next, you need knowledge about managing content—from getting started on writing in the first place all the way through publishing final drafts as well as tracking who reads what parts of your work so that you can improve future pieces accordingly (or at least not write anything worse). Finally, if you want any hope of success in this field with clients, then learning how best use tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights beforehand might be helpful too!
Get hands-on experience with content strategy projects.
If you want to become a content strategist, the best way is to get hands-on experience. A great way to do this is by getting involved with projects in your organization or another organization and seeing how they work. You can also take on more than one project at once and see how they fit together. You could also try finding ways that you can help out your local community through writing, editing, or even creating new content types like infographics or podcasts!
Build up a strong portfolio of examples.
The first step to becoming a content strategist is building up a strong portfolio of examples. This can be anything from blog posts or social media posts, to video pitches or print ads. The more examples you have, the greater your chances of landing the job at hand. You should include in your portfolio:
- A variety of content types (blog posts, case studies, infographics)
- Clear descriptions about how each piece was created and what it achieved for its audience/client
Take advantage of opportunities to speak or write about content strategy.
One of the best ways to get your name out there is by speaking or writing about content strategy. If you are a content strategist, it is important that you take advantage of opportunities to speak or write about content strategy. If you don’t know what to write about, ask for help from your peers and/or colleagues in the field. Your boss may also be able to provide some guidance on this topic as well!
Stay current with new trends and developments in content strategy.
- Keep up to date with the latest industry news.
- Follow influencers and experts in the field, who can help you stay on top of what’s happening in your niche or industry.
- Read blogs and articles about content strategy so that you can stay up-to-date on how best practices are evolving, as well as learn from others’ mistakes when choosing a specific approach for your own projects (and avoid repeating them!).
Go beyond the basics and become an expert with industry certifications.
Certifications are a great way to show your skills. They’re not required, but they can help you stand out from the crowd and make yourself more attractive to employers and recruiters. Certifications may also give you an edge when it comes time for pay raises or promotions because they indicate that you have specialized knowledge in one area of content strategy or another. Certification programs vary depending on what industry or job function they cover, so be sure to read up on each one before applying for one—and remember: it’s not just about getting hired; there are other benefits of obtaining these credentials as well!
Anyone can become a content strategist, but it takes both time and effort to learn the required skills.
You don’t need a degree in content strategy to become a content strategist. You can learn the skills through self-study, by working on projects with other people, and by taking classes and reading books. In fact, many of the best content strategists have no formal education in the field! The most important thing is that you’re passionate about creating great content for your clients or customers—and then showing them how to do it themselves.
If you’re interested in becoming a professional writer but aren’t sure where to begin (or even if it’s possible), here are some suggestions:
- Read books about writing for your industry (e.g., “How To Write Better Content” by Noah Kagan)
- Take classes from universities like Stanford or Princeton’s Journalism School (both offer free online courses)
Conclusion
So, what does a content strategist do? In short, they develop a plan that will produce content that will help you reach your business goals. They do this by understanding your target audience and developing a content calendar that will engage them. They also create content that is optimized for search engines, so that you can reach more people. A digital content strategist is an important part of any business, and if you’re looking to improve your content, you should consider hiring one. They can help you create content that is both engaging and effective.
