A content strategist is responsible for creating content action plans according to user receptivity and channel suitability. The role requires a deep comprehension of both the brand and consumer context. A content strategist can use conventional content marketing methods like magazines, brochures, flyers, banners, print media, etc. to modern online content marketing methods like informative blogs, educational videos, free ebooks, etc. to market their brand via quality content.
A content strategist designs the content plan and guides content creators to develop high-quality and relevant content that is sought after by consumers. When consumers looking for information or a solution to any problem discover the content that offers them the required information/solution, they are also impressed with the brand that has created the content. It creates a sense of trust among consumers for the brand and consumers perceive the brand to be an authority in the given field. From selecting the right type of content to apt channels, content strategist does it all.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Content Strategist
#1 Allocating Content Budgets
A content strategist recommends the required budget as per the industry in which his/her organization works. Finally, the content strategist allocates the budget approved for content creation, marketing and promotions. The content budget is allocated for in-house content writers, freelance content writers, sponsored posts, template purchases, social media content promotions, link building, SEO, and the purchase of software and applications like plagiarism detector tools, grammar checkers, and other content writing tools.
#2 Determining the Platforms for Content Dissemination:
You cannot target social media users by creating flyers that are distributed in seminars. Comprehending the right platforms for disseminating content is equally crucial as creating the content itself. Effective communication with your audience can only be accomplished when the medium and message complement each other. A content strategist evaluates the industry, its sub-segments, audience demographics and their core interests, product/service requirements, problems faced by them etc. and matches them with the platforms on which they are most likely to seek the solutions/data/products/services.
#3 Coordinating with Various Departments For Content Marketing
In an organization, various departments such as marketing, sales, customer support, corporate communications, human resources, and website administration are knowledgeable about the intricacies of specific processes within the business and the factors that affect consumers. Content strategists cannot design content plans without having a complete idea of the workflows, processes and approaches of all these departments and how they interact with consumers. The content should reflect the actual processes within the organization. Therefore, one role of a content strategist is to consult and coordinate with various departments to create a comprehensive and inclusive content strategy.
#4 Competitor Content Analysis
A content strategist identifies and classifies your rivals and assesses their content marketing efficiency. Based on the evaluation of peers, the content strategists decide on content promotion requirements, areas of improvement, voids in the existing content, etc. The key aspects analyzed by content strategists include competitor’s site traffic, ranking keywords, top-performing articles and webpages, authority backlinks and other SEO metrics. Content strategists also analyse the top platforms where their competitors are marketing and disseminating content.
#5 Employing Content to Meet Business Objectives
Content strategists have broader roles that include using ‘content’ as a means of achieving specified business objectives and visions laid down by the management. The content strategy should be designed keeping business goals in mind. For instance, if a brand aims to sell transparent solar glasses, then creating more content that justifies using transparent solar glasses over general solar glasses will be the correct strategy. This type of targeted and objective approach is another responsibility of the content strategist.
#6 Content Audit and Evaluation of Existing Content
Content strategists conduct content audits and evaluate the current position of their content for various niches and keywords. They also analyze current industry developments, trending topics, and new areas their competitors are focusing on. Content strategists also survey their audience for understanding the type of content their audience needs and are not able to get. This way content strategists find new content opportunities to fill the existing gaps.
#7 Establishing Content Guidelines for the Organization’s Content Writers
Content writers have to follow certain content writing guidelines that are specific to their organization. The guidelines include do’s and don’t for content writers, style guidelines, referencing guidelines, and others.
Check the below example for how a content strategist may lay down clear guidelines for content writers:
- Maintain the attention of your site visitors by crafting clear and pertinent headlines and navigation elements.
- Utilize suitable text styling, like bold and italics, to highlight key points.
- Condense the content of a full webpage into a handful of words.
- Segment lengthy pages into more digestible sections, each with its own subheading.
- Hyperlink to websites with strong domain authority and avoid hyperlinking to spammy websites, gambling websites, and competitor websites.
- Pen articles related to the problems your intended audience may be encountering.
- If your blog post discusses certain businesses or websites, ensure to include a hyperlink to them.
- Avoid capitalizing minor words such as ‘the’, ‘of’, ‘and’ etc. in headings, except if they’re the initial word.
- Kick off your content creation with SEO keyword research.
- Check the content for plagiarism and AI detection.
#8 Strategizing and Improving Content Delivery and Promotion
From utilizing content syndication practices to sending outreach emails for content guest posts, content strategists make clear plans to improve content delivery and promotion. Some of the techniques that content strategists use for better delivery and marketing of their content include:
- Guiding the graphic designers to improve visuals
- Making sure that all content is shared on relevant social media platforms
- Repurposing the content in the form of a video
- Reaching out to influencers in the field for content promotion
- Reaching out to communities in the field
- Creating a resource library with the content and sharing it with a relevant audience
#9 Analyzing Content Results and Outcomes
Content strategists assess the language employed in articles to detect any signs of bias or prejudice. The objective of this analysis is to understand the intent, conveyed messages, and the impact of the content on the audience. The assessment also covers the number of leads, website traffic, and high-quality links a particular content piece is generating for the company.
A content strategist might assess the effectiveness of their content strategy using the following metrics:
- The revenue that the content brings in from sales, subscriptions, or downloads.
- The role that the content plays in building brand awareness or recognition: Can be measured by the number of visitors, page views, videos watched, or activity on social platforms.
- The impact of the content on fostering loyalty and retention: Can be gauged by the rate of subscriptions and unsubscriptions to newsletters, time spent on a page, and bounce rate.
- The level of engagement that the content elicits: It is evidenced by social signals like Likes, Shares, retweets, and blog comments.
- The number of leads that the content generates, such as newsletter sign-ups, request forms or emails, and conversion rates.
#10 Content Repurposing
Content repurposing also known as content reutilization, content repackaging, or content recycling, involves taking existing content and presenting it in a different form to broaden its scope and longevity. (Source: Hubspot)
For instance:
- Circulating an earlier blog entry that has been enhanced with fresh, pertinent data and insightful quotes.
- Producing Instagram-worthy video snippets from podcast recording sessions to stir interest and anticipation for a forthcoming episode.
Content strategists repurpose content by instructing to create Youtube videos from blog content, create an infographic out of statistics mentioned in a research article, create a visually appealing ebook out of long-form content, etc.
Skill-Set Required For Content Strategist Job Profile
Research Skills: A content strategist is also a content researcher who has to conduct deep research about current content trends, hot topics in the business area, upcoming changes, consumer perception and interests, etc.
Thought-Leadership: Simply reworking existing content and serving the same ideas in other words or creating the same content that is already ranking will not differentiate a brand from others. A content strategist is a thought leader who knows how to weave new content plans with original concepts and innovative ideas.
Writing skills: Content strategists are powerful writers too. They know the content creation process in and out. They know how error-free and authentic content is developed.
Content Presentation Skills: A competent content strategist should have the ability to organize and structure information in a clear, concise, and captivating manner using visual aids and presentation tools like Microsoft Powerpoint, Prezy, etc.
SEO Knowledge: Content strategists should be well-versed in keyword research, on-page and off-page optimization, SEO analytics tools, Search Engine algorithms, and ranking factors.
Social Media Marketing Skills: Proficiency in social media marketing and promotion is another important skill for a content strategist. Content strategists should know how social media works, what trends are on social media, how to conduct social media demographic analysis, leverage influencers, and launch campaigns that resonate with the target audience.
Data Analytics Skills: A content strategist must know how to analyze and interpret data from various sources to gain insights into audience behavior, content performance, and market trends. They should be able to use these insights to optimize content strategy and drive better results.
Teamwork and Leadership: A content strategist must be able to work collaboratively with different teams, (content writing teams, SEO teams, Content Managers, etc.) and guide them towards the required goal. This includes managing resources, resolving conflicts, and ensuring the successful execution of content strategies.
Creativity: Content strategists should have the ability to think outside the box, come up with unique ideas, and competencies to experiment with different content formats and styles.
Salary of Content Strategists in 2023
As per PayScale, the average salary for a content strategist in the USA is $67,002 per annum or $29.26 per hour. The mean wage for a Content Strategist across India is INR 6,56,578. The salary can vary depending on the location in India. (Glassdoor).
Various Job Opportunities and Job Designations for Content Strategists
Content strategists can find opportunities in various industries and roles, including:
Content Marketing Strategist: Constructs and implements content marketing plans to increase brand recognition, generate leads, and enhance customer interaction.
Social Media Content Strategist: Concentrates on producing and disseminating engaging content on various social media channels to enhance brand exposure and audience interaction.
Brand Content Strategist: Creates and manages content strategies that bolster the brand’s image, principles, and communication.
SEO Content Strategist: Expert in tailoring content for search engines, ensuring high rankings on search engine result pages and boosting organic traffic.
UX Content Strategist: Collaborates closely with UX designers and analysts to generate content that improves user experience and stimulates user engagement.
SAAS Content Strategist: Expert in crafting and circulating content for software-as-a-service firms, promoting user onboarding and retention.
Website Content Strategist: Formulates and oversees website content, ensuring its alignment with the brand’s objectives and user requirements.
B2B Content Strategist: Concentrates on creating and spreading content specifically designed for business-to-business audiences, promoting lead generation and customer recruitment.
Video Marketing Strategist: Oversees and organizes video content creation and sharing, harnessing the strength of visual narratives to captivate viewers.
Digital Content Strategist: Supervises the formulation and execution of content strategies across digital platforms, including websites, blogs, emails, and social media.
FAQs
1. Do all Businesses Recruit an In-house Content Strategist?
It depends on the budget, nature of the business, scale of operations, and viewpoint of the management. While big organizations have resources and in-house content marketing departments with content strategists, content managers, content writers, editors, reviewers, etc., small organizations, startups, and some medium-scale businesses are more likely to outsource their content marketing needs.
Small businesses may hire a content writing service agency that has in-house content strategists and content writers. Businesses with little need for an online presence may also utilize the services of freelancers for basic content requirements.
Regardless of whether you outsource to a content writing firm or hire an in-house content strategist, the workflows should be structured to meet your strategic content marketing requirements.
2. What is the Difference Between Content Writer and Content Strategist?
Content creation is the main objective of both content strategists and content writers. However, while content writers focus on creating content that is required for publication and as instructed to them by their supervisors, content strategists plan and manage the overall content framework including key areas of focus, style, and keywords. The directions and guidance from content strategists are the base around which content writers develop their content.
3. What is the Difference Between Content Marketers and Content Strategists?
Content marketers are responsible for promoting content through various channels, such as social media, email, paid advertising, and more. While content strategists can set guidelines for such promotions and advise on the best promotional channels and themes, the actual work is carried out by content marketers. While both roles involve working with content, content marketers focus more on the distribution and promotion aspects, whereas content strategists focus on planning and execution of content initiatives including strategizing content marketing promotions.
4. What is the Difference Between Content Managers and Content Strategists?
Content managers are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day content creation and management tasks, such as editing, publishing, and updating content. They also ensure that content follows brand guidelines and adheres to SEO practices. In contrast, content strategists focus on the higher-level planning and execution of content initiatives, collaborating with various teams to develop and implement the overall content strategy.
5. What is the Difference between a Content Editor/Content Reviewer and Content Strategist?
A content reviewer is a content editor who takes care that the created content is error-free, content-free, follows brand guidelines, etc. Content strategists do not edit content line by line but advise on overall content forms.
Refer to the answer on Quora to understand the complete role of a Content Reviewer.
Conclusion
In today’s marketing realm, content marketing has become an essential component. With the growing challenge for businesses to distinguish themselves amid intense rivalry, the necessity for a tactical method to distribute valuable, pertinent, and steady content has become more crucial than ever. This is where content strategists come into the picture.
For hiring an experienced content strategist for your business, contact us on info@contentassistant.in
