04 || October || 2023
Brought to you by
Issue #42
Building a contentmarketing career
Greetings ET people
Today’s edition of #EnteringTech is brought to you by our sister publication Zikoko, specifically Boluwatife Oni who graciously licensed her content to me in exchange for just one litre of ice cream.Â
Side note: I would have done it for two.Â
Anyway, we’ve spent the past two editions of #EnteringTech talking about marketing talents and whether they should or shouldn’t be the generalists everyone wants them to be. If you missed those, find them here and here.Â
In today’s edition, we’ll focus on one of the marketing careers, content marketing, and how you can build a career in it too. Oh, and we’ve got a special gift for all student readers further on.Â
by Timi Odueso & Boluwatife Oni.
Tech trivia
Some tech trivia to get the brain juices flowing.
What is the name of the first person to ever post a video on YouTube?
What is the name of the most popular content marketing platform in the world?
Who is a content marketer?
Google will likely answer this question in a number of ways, but in summary, a content marketer is a storyteller. You remember that one kid in school who’d narrate movies and season films during break time to a crowd of attentive listeners? That’s kinda like what a content marketer does.
They identify, create and distribute engaging content to attract a target audience and get them to interact with the products or services that a business offers. Content marketers employ various processes like market research, content strategy, copywriting and search engine optimization to convert prospects into customers.
It’s a bit similar to copywriting, but they’re not exactly the same thing.Â
Copywriting is more direct and is written to persuade, sell or trigger immediate action. But content marketing involves content that provides long-term value and is a gradual attempt to build relationships with the target audience and generate leads for the business. A content marketer knows when to apply copywriting, but their entire content strategy isn’t designed to only produce short-term results.
Content marketing is also sometimes considered to be digital marketing, but while they work hand-in-hand, there are slight differences in the sense that while all content marketing is digital marketing, not all digital marketing can be said to be content marketing.
In content marketing, providing information to build trust is a major component of marketing. In digital marketing, online promotion is the main strategy. This involves pay-per-click advertising, like some of those (slightly annoying) unskippable ads on YouTube and other social media marketing efforts.Â
In summary, many of the strategies in digital marketing don’t include informational content, which is central to content marketing.Â
What skills do you need?
Writing is a key skill in content marketing. Remember, you’re telling a story, so you’ll need to know the most compelling and engaging way to tell it.Â
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is also necessary to help you push the content you create higher in search engine results pages. Other must-have skills include content strategy and management, social media content creation, analytics and social listening.
A degree in marketing is beneficial, but not a strict requirement. You can always take content marketing courses and explore freelance or entry-level content marking opportunities to build your skills and experience.
What kind of tasks do content marketers have?
The day to day of a content marketer’s life may contain any or all of the following—depending on whether their line manager believes they deserve rest or not.Â
Content Planning and Strategy:
Review content marketing strategy and goals.
Conduct keyword research to identify content opportunities.
Plan content topics and themes.
Content Creation:
Write blog posts, articles, social media updates, or other types of content.
Edit and proofread content for accuracy and quality.
Create visual content like infographics or images if necessary.
Collaborate with graphic designers, video producers, or other content creators.
SEO Optimisation:
Optimise content for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords.
Ensure proper meta tags, headers, and formatting are used.
Implement internal and external linking strategies.
Content Promotion:
Share content on social media platforms.
Schedule and manage content distribution using social media management tools.
Engage with the audience, respond to comments, and address questions.
Email Marketing:
Create and send email campaigns to subscribers.
Segment email lists for targeted messaging.
Analyze email campaign performance and make adjustments.
Analytics and Reporting:
Monitor website and content performance using analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics).
Track key metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Generate reports to assess the effectiveness of content efforts.
Content Optimization:
A/B test headlines, images, and calls to action to improve content performance.
Update and refresh evergreen content to keep it relevant.
Conduct content audits to identify areas for improvement.
Content Collaboration:
Coordinate with other team members, such as designers, SEO specialists, and social media managers.
Attend meetings to discuss content strategy and progress.
Research and Learning:
Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices.
Research competitors’ content strategies.
Attend webinars, read industry blogs, and participate in relevant courses.
Content Ideation and Brainstorming:
Brainstorm new content ideas and formats.
Collaborate with team members to generate fresh and innovative concepts.
Content Management:
Use content management systems (CMS) to upload, format, and publish content.
Ensure content is organized and tagged correctly for easy retrieval.
Attend the Moonshot Conference
Calling all students
Are you curious about how to enter tech, expand your professional network and push boundaries? Join us for a game-changing experience at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos from October 11 – 12.
Learn content marketing
If you’re interested in trying your hand at content marketing, here are a list of resources.
Price: Free
Duration: 1 hour
Tools Needed: Internet + phone
Level: Beginner
Price: Free
Duration: 6 hours
Tools Needed: Internet + phone or laptop
Level: Beginner and Intermediate
Price: Free
Duration: 3 hours
Tools Needed: Internet + phone or laptop
Level: Beginner
Price: $99
Duration: 3.5 hours
Tools Needed: Internet + phone or laptop
Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Price: $49
Duration: 19 hours
Tools Needed: Internet + phone or laptop
Level: Beginner
Ask a techie
Q. As an accountant, how can I stay relevant in the tech space? Are there courses I should take? What specialization do you think I should go for?
Here is some advice on how to transition to communications:
Identify your skills and interests. What aspects of communications do you find most interesting? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Once you have a better understanding of your skills and interests, you can start to focus your job search accordingly.
Network with people in the communications industry. Attend industry events, join online communities, and reach out to people you admire. Networking is a great way to learn about different job opportunities and get your foot in the door.
Build a portfolio of your work. This could include samples of your writing, editing, graphic design, or social media work. Even if you don’t have any professional experience in communications, you can create a portfolio by working on personal projects or volunteering with local organizations.
Apply for internships and jobs. Once you have a portfolio of your work, you can start applying for internships and jobs. Be sure to tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific job you apply for.
Branding and communications are two closely related concepts. Branding is the process of creating a unique identity for a company or product. Communications is the process of conveying that identity to the target audience.
In other words, branding is what a company is, and communications is how a company tells the world about it.
Effective branding and communications work hand-in-hand to create a strong and consistent message for the target audience. A company’s brand identity should be reflected in all of its communications materials, from its website and social media to its marketing materials and advertising campaigns.
So they all work together.
That’s all we can take this week. Have any questions about working in tech? Ask away and we’ll find answers for you.
Tech trivia answers
It’s Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, who posted “Me at the Zoo“, a 19-second video of him, well, at the zoo on April 24, 2005. The video has 288 million views, 14 million likes and 11 million comments.Â
It’s not any of your social media platforms. It’s WordPress which powers over 810 million websites, about 42% of all live websites.Â
Opportunities
Applications are open for the Aurora Tech Award 2024. The Award is an annual global prize for women founders of tech startups. Winners of the first prize get $30,000, the second prize gets $20,000 and the third prize gets $10,000. Apply by December 1.
Calling all emerging conservation photographers and storytellers! Applications are open for the Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant 2023($2,000 prize). Four successful grantees will receive a fully-funded assignment to choose a conservation photo story on location (including day rate and travel), under direct mentorship from the Ocean Storytelling Grant team. Apply by October 13.
Jobs
Carry1st – Technical Director – Nigeria (Remote)
NGX Group – Team lead- Technology Listings – Lagos, Nigeria (On-site)
RAD Resources – Project Manager – Cape Town, South Africa (Unspecified)
HyperionDev – Global Head of Marketing – Cape Town, South Africa (On-site)
Electrum – Project Manager – Cape Town, South Africa (On-site)
Jumia – Senior Engineering Manager – Nairobi, Kenya (On-site)
Sun King– Senior Graphics Designer – Lagos, Nigeria (Unspecified)
Media Trust Group – Digital Marketer – Abuja, Nigeria (Unspecified)
Gomoney– Software Engineer- Backend – Remote
There are more jobs on TechCabal’s job board.
Disclaimer: TechCabal is not affiliated with or associated with jobs and opportunities listed on all its job boards and newsletters. All applicants bear the responsibility of researching about the roles and companies they apply to.
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