Why These 5 Unexpected Content Marketing Skills Are A Must To Build In 2021

You’ve heard that content is important in 2021, but do you know just HOW important it is? Content marketing forms only a small portion of a brand’s broader marketing mix, but its impact on conversion potential is greater than you could ever imagine. Content serves to answer consumer questions about a brand or industry. It serves to get people interested in what you do and why you do it. Content marketing skills are going to be extremely sought-after in 2021 and for years to come, so let’s have a look at five skills every content marketer must build this year:

1. Deeply Understand Brand Strategy

Content marketing isn’t a separate form of marketing to everything else you’re doing. It forms part of a broader marketing mix, which supports the broader brand strategy. When content marketers understand the direction in which the brand wants to go, they will better understand how to craft their content in support of those eventual outcomes.

2. Know What Great Content Looks Like

Anyone with Microsoft Word and a basic graphic design platform can create content marketing material. However, content merely for the sake of content is not going to hit hard enough to lead to a conversion. Content marketers need to follow other content marketers, see what the current society is engaging with, and shape their content accordingly.

3. Understand How SEO Factors In

A content marketer that understands and can write with SEO in mind is arguably the most valuable marketing employee you can have. With solid SEO on each piece of content, these have the opportunity to appear on search engines, creating more lead acquisition opportunities that are evergreen.

4. Get Used To Even More Research

One critical skill every content marketing professional must build in 2021 is the ability to conduct effective research. Data-driven decisions improve our skills and help us determine what is working and what isn’t as far as our content marketing goes. When we learn from our mistakes and listen to our customers, we can improve in all business areas.

5. Have The Gumption To See It Through

Finally, content marketers are going to need to grow thinker skin in 2021. Businesses have had to greatly reduce their expenses this year, and one of the first things to be chopped is usually the marketing budget. On top of this, brands are going to be way more involved in checking content for efficacy – so expect to get a slew of changes on many content development projects.

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