What you need to do to become an Expert Content Writer or Marketer
Yesterday we spoke about the 5 trends that had changed the world of Content and promised to come back with tips to help you navigate these waters.
So here we are. If Content is what interests you, and you have a flair for it, then read on to know how you could brush up your skills.
How should you skill-up for a thriving career in Content
This week we are speaking largely about Content Strategists, Managers and Writers. We will come to Graphic and Video artists next week. So here are some simple ways to brush your skills if you want to work in the Content space -
Just Start Working: Nothing works in Content as much as on-the-job training, so just start. Even if it pays less to begin with, start and build your portfolio, a word of mouth, and you will be thankful for it as your reviews start improving, which will lead to better rates.
Aim for higher-order skills: If your ambition is to make a career in the field of Content complete with growth and hikes, even as a freelancer, then one way to do this is to keep elevating yourself from a writer to a strategist and marketer eventually. And how will you build these skills? Well, the best way is to always do more than what is needed at your current jobs. Are you a writer in-charge of writing a weekly blogspot for your client? Give them a proposal on how to make their strategy more brand aligned, offer to them to do their social media also for them - this kind of thing. Even if you are not getting paid for it to begin with, consider it your tuition fee. Of course as you build expertise, start charging for it.
Widen your areas of expertise: If your ambition is not to go higher but to keep getting steady and better paying work as a writer, then work on building your width i.e. your ability to write on various topics, for business audiences, for consumer audiences, for children, etc. Do a quick scan of the environment to see what kind of content is being most consumed, and teach yourself to write it ( Tip: today there are two kinds of writing that is most in demand - business writing across different areas such as Education, Health, Human Resources, Financial Products & Services, Parenting, etc where companies and startups in these spaces want to create awareness and education of their areas and products AND Technology writing which can cover new product launches, descriptions, benefits of new technologies, etc).
Create your portfolio: For writers especially, even if there is no immediate work, invest in creating a portfolio - it could be your own blog, your own social media page or your own website. Write content in the areas that you plan to work in and keep ready to present to any prospective clients. Hiring in the Content industry happens largely on the basis of samples, so having a current portfolio will not only help you hone your skills, but also land you work.
Transition yourself from old media to new media: If you are a career content writer, a journalist, a screenplay writer, etc but from the print or television media, then it is best to learn a bit about how digital content works and what the different formats are (blog posts, website writing, social media, researched articles, PR pieces, copywriting, etc). Having a basic knowledge of these combined with your stellar writing can be your ticket to getting good work
Read, read, read: And as for any writer, creative or otherwise, if you are to be good at your job, your reading needs to far surpass your writing. So read articles, opinion pieces, advertising content, even website content, etc to imbibe the approach, tonality, vocabulary. All of these will hold you in good stead.
So all the best for your returnship in the space of Content. It is a highly exciting and growing field where daily battles are fought for the consumer’s eyeballs and mindspace. Give a bit of a polish and shine to your armor and weapons, and you will be that dragon slayer everyone wants on their team!
But like we said earlier, don’t wait to reach perfection, but attain it on-the-job. So start applying today to get into the groove and back into the game.
**
We at FlexiBees have placed such talented career returners like you in content jobs across different specialisations like Content Strategy/Marketing, Management, Writing, etc. Go to https://jobseeker.flexibees.com/ and register with us, so we can reach out to you when we get any requirements that match your skills.
