Why I Became a Content Marketer

8 Things to Look for When Hiring a Content Marketer

There was no major offered in content marketing where I went to school (when I went to school), so it never even crossed my mind as a career option. Not that all majors equal careers; case in point: I studied Hispanic Language & Literatures. In fact, I never figured myself as someone who would end up in digital marketing, or marketing in general. However, it turned out that content marketing and my skill set were kind of a perfect fit, and here’s why.

Growing up, I always wrote “Author & Illustrator” in the “what do you want to be when you grow up” blanks. I knew at a young age what I liked most: creating. Whether it was words on a page or brushstrokes on a canvas, I loved creating things that had previously never existed—or at least weren’t there before. I always considered myself a writer of some sort, whether I was contributing to the student newspaper or writing poetry in my journal. In fact, I’ve always felt it easier to express myself through the written word than by oral means. Written expression not only tends to be truer to myself, but more genuine.

In addition to my love of creativity, I am very logical and realistic. I knew that if I wanted to write, I would, alas, have to make money from it. I therefore considered and explored three options:

1. Journalism: I have always loved reporting, whether it be the news or bits about sneaker stores and music blogs. However, it’s incredibly hard to get a job in this field—especially since most of those with degrees in journalism are vying for spots.
2. Creative Writing: Always my number one choice, but not very practical. I could write poetry for days, but the audience that appreciates and therefore buys poetry is very small these days.
3. Content Marketing: I fell into content marketing while blog writing for a real estate lead generation company. They had no social media presence previously, so not only did I write all of the content, I marketed it on social media platforms. Since the demand for internet content marketing is only increasing, I figured this the best fit for my skill set and the best way to make money from doing what I loved: writing.

Seeing as I just kind of fell into content marketing (wasting a lot of time and internships along the way), I thought it might be useful to share what I’ve learned on my journey.

Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of eight things you should look for in an ideal content marketer—or signs you should be one yourself.

1. They love to write—and are good at it.

The written word comes easily to these people and they enjoy writing about a multitude of topics. They’re capable of churning out enough content to keep their audience attentive and engaged, and they insert personality in their writing while still being professional.

2. They’re internet savvy.

The ideal content marketer lives and breathes the internet. Okay not literally, but they do spend a considerable amount of time online and have more than the basics down. They’re knowledgeable about SEO and maybe even know some basic coding.

3. They have a copy editor’s eye.

They are grammarians and pick out typos and other small errors easily. They believe clean copy is the best copy, and won’t stand for silly mistakes in their content.

4. They have keen researching skills.

They went to college for a reason: to get good at researching things, right? They constantly pull from various and off-the-beaten-track sources to spice up their content and prove a point accurately and effectively.

5. They have an aptitude for design.

Even if they didn’t study graphic design, they have a working proficiency with Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and the like. If not, they’re ready and willing to learn. They enjoy creating graphics that take their content to the next level.

6. They’re creative.

They are idea machines. They constantly look at a topic from various angles and try to find that out-of-the-box idea no one has written about yet.

7. They’re social.

They enjoy engaging with other individuals on various social media outlets and not only share their own content, but promote others’ as well. They live for the next like and respond to comments quickly.

8. They’re results-driven.

Goals and details are important, but results are what you’re working for, right? The best content marketers are logical and analytical, testing out different posting times, platforms, and content to see what yields the best response.

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If you find someone with all of these skills, you’ve found a rare breed of content marketer indeed. And while there is a ton of content out there already, we’re in dire need of some well-written and well-researched pieces to block out the noise of those posting just to post, so please, choose your content marketer carefully.

Ready to find out if we’re a fit? Book some time with me below.

This post was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2021.