Interested in a Career in Content Marketing? Find Out Which Job Is Best For You!

Content marketing is one of the most interesting sectors of the marketing field, as it allows you to develop content that adds value to a brand without explicitly selling something. The goal is to “pull” an audience toward your business and turn visitors into customers. HubSpot’s Flywheel model (See below) explains why engagement through organic search can create sustained success for a company. Content marketing is a critical component of inbound marketing since it focuses on valuable and personalized content for consumers. There is so much to discover in this realm of digital marketing. To learn more about the ins, outs, and everything in between, you can read Bridney Njomo’s blog post titled “The What, When, Why, and How of Content Marketing”.

The greatest part about content marketing is that the career opportunities are endless. Take it from Melanie Deziel, an award-winning author and content creator who has developed innovative content projects for companies like The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Time Inc. She has since created her own company, Storyfuel, and consults with many brands and companies such as Viacom and Discovery. Melanie is also a sought-after public speaker and trainer who leads workshops, classes, and seminars. Melanie recently spoke to Loyola students about the impact of a career in content marketing.

Whether it is Red Bull, Bank of America, or Audi, almost every brand in every industry you can think of needs to create content. Most companies hire in-house content creators and according to Melanie, they are probably the biggest employers of people who work in these fields. You can also explore agency work at creative, PR, or marketing agencies. Melanie says that the advantage to doing agency work is that “you get a diversity of clients depending on what the demand is”. No matter what you decide, a career in content marketing is well within reach for a marketing major. 

Melanie’s biggest piece of advice? “Keep an open mind in terms of what your title may be”. Because this work is so broad, many of the positions may sound similar but do different things so it can be hard to distinguish. With so many different titles used to describe each job, it can be confusing to know where to start? 

Here are some common job roles so you can decide based on your skills, experience, and personality. 

For the Problem Solvers: Content Strategists

Melanie describes someone who has this role as “the brain before the content comes to life”. Content strategists jumpstart the planning process to make sure all aspects of a campaign are cohesive. They analyze data and use this information to figure out what kind of content would be best to achieve the brand’s goal. 

Melanie says that this is a good fit for you if you’re a creative problem solver as you have to be able to see the “big picture” and then execute specific tasks to get there. On the job hunt, you may see titles like Content Strategist, Brand Strategist, Social Strategist, and Project Manager.

For the Detail-Oriented Scholars: Editors

Editors are needed for all aspects of content creation, not just for written projects. Besides copy, editors are needed for photography, video, and graphic design. You can be a Content Editor, Blog Editor, Social Media Editor, or Copyeditor - just to name a few job titles. Editors are vital to overseeing, reviewing, and perfecting those who create the initial content. There is no such thing as a perfect first draft so it is important for editors to approve and improve everything “before it goes out into the world”.

For the Creative Thinkers: Producers

Content Producer, Content Designer, Visual Producer, and Video Designer are just some of the positions that fall into this category. According to Melanie, “there’s room for you no matter what your creative skillset is”, as she’s worked with “folks from all walks of life”. Every brand needs a team to create different kinds of content, rather than sticking to just one medium. So, whether you’re a writer, designer, illustrator, photographer, or creative director, your talents are always needed in content marketing.

For the Organized Leaders: Managers

This position is for the most meticulous types of people. If you are able to keep track of dates, tasks, and deadlines without fail, leading a content team might be for you. Melanie says that managers are “usually the point of contact for the client, making sure that they take the messaging from the client and share it with the production side.” Someone in this job is good at communicating between channels, motivating, and collaborating with team members, and making sure that everything gets done properly and on time. Essentially, they hold everything together when developing and creating a campaign. If you have held any type of leadership in clubs or organizations, you could easily fit into a Project Manager, Content Manager, or Marketing Manager role.

One last tip; when looking at job boards, pay attention to keywords and modifiers such as “Branded”, “Sponsored”, "Visual”, and “Social”. These will help narrow down your search and give a clearer idea of what the position actually is. Still cannot figure out what category you fall into? Take our quiz! 

Here at Loyola, our Content Marketing course (MK*401) is a great way to get hands-on experience in the world of digital marketing and see if a career in content marketing is right for you. It is available to all majors and minors with the only pre-requisite being MK*240. If you have any questions about the class or content marketing here at Loyola, reach out to Dr. Marie Yeh.

References

Deziel, M. (2021, September). Content Marketing. Loyola University Maryland. https://www.dropbox.com/s/5p5s297ifz1ffzz/Melanie%20Deziel%20-%20Content%20Marketing.mp4?dl=0

Deziel, M. (n.d.). Storyfuel. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.storyfuel.co/

HubSpot. (n.d.). The Flywheel Model. HubSpot. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.hubspot.com/flywheel

What is Content Marketing? Essential SEO Handbook. OutReachFrog. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://outreachfrog.com/learn-seo/what-is-content-marketing

Yeh, M. (2023). MK 401 - Content and Inbound Marketing [PowerPoint slides]. Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola University Maryland.