The 23 Qualities of The Best Content Marketers
October 22, 2013
Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the best content content marketers in the country. These are the people like Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, Robert Rose, and Jay Baer, among others, who have built successful content marketing programs from the ground up and made it look easy in the process. They are innovative and think outside of the box. And, while they are all very different people, they seem to share some common qualities. For example, they are all:
Tenacious: They are determined and manage to persevere no matter how big the challenge is before them. Since there are so many moving parts in content marketing — and so many factors beyond their control — having the tenacity to consistently perform sets these content marketers apart.
Hardworking: They aren’t afraid of know how much effort it takes (and it really is a lot to do it well) to create and deliver great content. These folks regularly roll up their sleeves and invest the sweat equity necessary to be successful.
Eager: They often want to try new things and be on the cutting-edge of content marketing.
Brand conscious: They accurately represent their company’s brand aspirations through their content so that every article, blog post, and video reinforces the brand that their company is trying to promote.
Economical: They know how to get great results without having to spend big bucks. Great content marketers don’t always need deep pockets to create amazing content.
Strategic: They have a plan for their content marketing efforts that aligns everything they are doing to their company’s business objectives and to their deep understanding of their target audience.
Tactical: In addition to being strategic, they are also very hands-on and regularly utilize a wide range of tactics in their content marketing. For example, in addition to being great writers and editors, they know how to drive traffic through SEO and how to increase conversions by optimizing their landing pages.
Creative: They come up with new ideas and find interesting ways of presenting those ideas. In my opinion, being able to think outside of the box is critical if you want to be considered one of the best content marketers.
Organized: They keep all of the trains running on time, which requires tremendous organizational skills so that none of the details fall through the cracks.
Nuanced: They know the just the right ways to massage their content so that it resonates with their target audience.
Team players: They understand that content marketing is rarely a one-person operation and requires the cooperation of people across their organizations and beyond.
Efficient: They are able to produce a high volume of high-qaulity content without needing a huge staff because they know how to leverage their resources effectively.
Nimble: They are able to turn on a dime, adjusting their strategy as needed to adapt to what’s going on in their industry and with their customers.
Tactful: They have the diplomatic style necessary to deal with people and their egos as they collaborate with them on content creation.
Metrics-oriented: They know that the key to successful content marketing is being able to measure what they are doing and to focus on the metrics that really matter.
Attentive: They pay attention to what’s going on in their industry, what their customers are talking about, and what their competitors are doing.
Rational: They are reasonable and sensible people who can be trusted to make important decisions, handle confidential information, and to work with the highest levels of leadership.
Knowledgeable: While they may not always be experts about every subject, they understand their company, their industry, and their products and services.
Enthusiastic: They bring a true sense of excitement and enthusiasm to what they do that is so infectious that they can’t help but spread it to others.
Thoughtful: They know that great content marketing has to be thoughtful and always take their target audience into close consideration.
Edgy: They aren’t afraid of putting a little personality into their content to make it stand out from everyone else’s.
Resourceful: They are able to find solutions to problems and get things done, even when there are obstacles in their way.
Storytellers: Ok, this isn’t really a quality, but to be sure, the best content marketers are all storytellers who engage their audiences rather than talk at them.