What Is a Content Strategist

A content strategist plays an important role in developing and overseeing online marketing campaigns. Instead of looking at individual content components, they take a holistic approach by overseeing the entire marketing campaign, ensuring that goals and targets are successfully achieved.

Without a well-defined strategy, marketing efforts can be expensive and disappointing. A skilled content strategist can assist in identifying the precise areas where your efforts should be focused to maximise your return on investment.

What are the responsibilities of a content strategist?

• Conducting market research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the brand, the product and/or the service.
• Identifying the target audience and gathering relevant data about them.
• Formulating effective content strategies to achieve specific goals and targets.
• Planning content ideas and crafting engaging written content tailored to the target audience.
• Staying updated on industry best practices and compliance requirements.
• Analysing existing content and data to identify areas for improvement.
• Developing style guides and templates to ensure consistency and coherence across the brand’s content, including tone, style, and voice.
• Repurposing and updating content in alignment with the brand’s messaging.
• Establishing and maintaining a streamlined content workflow to enhance production efficiency.
• Reporting on content data metrics to demonstrate improvements and progress.

Why do you need a content strategist?

A successful brand relies on a strong marketing team, including a skilled content strategist who not only identifies challenges but also provides effective solutions. Having a great brand and quality content alone won’t yield results if you’re targeting the wrong audience or using ineffective methods. A content strategist is adept at leveraging your existing assets and devising a comprehensive plan. Their role goes beyond simply writing content; they possess the expertise to pinpoint the optimal areas to concentrate that content, with the end result being better engagement and conversion rates.

What does a good strategy look like?

Every content strategy will look different for each client, but for the most part, a good strategy will include the following elements:

1.  Determine the goal – A content strategist will help you define your goals, starting from the highest priority, down to some of the smaller goals you might have.

2.  Figure out your target audience – Good content is pointless without the proper audience. A strategist will help to determine your target audience so that you know exactly who you are targeting and where to find them.

3.  Understand your current content – Now that you have your goal and your target audience, they’ll do an audit on your current content. From there they can determine what content is working for you, and what isn’t.

4.  Create a content plan – Here they’ll brainstorm ideas, repurpose current content, update and refresh outdated work, and put together a marketing plan.

5.  Create content – Based on all the knowledge above, content that is rich in SEO will be created and then scheduled through a content management system that suits both parties.

6.  Revision – Content and data will be analysed and revised until a solid content strategy is in place.

A content strategist possesses a deep understanding of the system and approaches your brand and content from a fresh perspective, uncovering aspects you might have overlooked. They excel in storytelling, possess exceptional copywriting skills, and prioritise data-driven outcomes. If you’re looking for a highly targeted marketing approach, then a content strategist might be for you. 

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