Content Marketing
We can trace the origins of content marketing back to 1895, with a magazine published by John Deere called The Furrow. It served to educate farmers on how to increase profits, and threw in some nice pictures of the latest in farming machinery for good measure. It’ s still in publication today, which speaks to the staying power of this particular skill set.
Using content as a digital marketing strategy is a deep well of career development. Not only are skills needed to create and distribute engaging content across a variety of platforms, but that content must be designed to attract a specific target audience and drive people to take a measurable action( like buying a tractor, for example). The digital marketing space hosts a wide variety of content types: blog posts that serve to segment potential audiences; podcasts that educate and create brand awareness; social media updates; infographics; and even e-books that introduce people to your company and offers. It doesn’ t stop there, either. Content creators also create educational resources, surveys, and webinars that help prospects evaluate their choices. Content creators identify and broadcast customer stories and put together spec sheets that push prospects over the edge and help them decide to purchase.
Now imagine all those different pieces of content working together to guide someone from introduction to sale. These efforts all fall within the realm of content marketing, which amounts to strategically creating stellar resources that turn someone who has never heard of your company or products into a buyer and brand evangelist. If you can grab hold of content marketing as a skill set, you have a growing opportunity to apply yourself in any number of opportunities in the digital marketing space.
Brand journalist
Brand journalists, sometimes referred to as corporate reporters, specialize in producing a variety of multimedia that communicates brand value to a company’ s customers. Think of it as an in-house news operation— but that news is used as another way to generate leads and sales. For example, brand journalists often look for stories on how customers use a company’ s products and tell that story in engaging ways to convert leads into buyers.
A few personal attributes are specific to successful brand journalists. They are typically highly strategic in their approach, capitalizing on their ability to align content with the overall content strategy of the company. They must also be able to tell a variety of stories in new and engaging ways across a variety of platforms: blogs, video, podcasts, and the like. Because assignments are often deadline-driven, brand journalists tend to be highly organized. A typical brand journalist salary ranges from $ 50,000 to $ 70,000 per year.
Managing editor
Managing editor is another trending career option for the aspiring content marketer. As with brand journalists, managing editors handle the day-to-day storytelling of a company.