A couple months ago, we made a list of the 10 things we think content marketers should carry with them—things like a solid content strategy and a list of great contractors. But, as with most top-10 lists, we ended up leaving a couple important things out.
Which is why today we’re going to share five more things that will make you a better content marketer. Five more things you should always carry with you.
5 more things content marketers should carry:
1. An editorial calendar.
Just like you keep your happy hours, vacations, and dinner dates organized in a planner, your content should to be scheduled across your calendar so you can check up on deadlines, due dates, and campaigns. That way you can avoid awkward overlaps or empty days.
2. Recent data.
What were last month’s most popular content pieces? How many views did they get? How many shares? How much engagement did they generate? And which pieces drove real business goals—sales and solid leads?
Having recent data in hand will help you make smarter decisions about your upcoming content and campaigns.
3. Open lines of communication.
The best ideas and the most amazing campaigns often come from collaboration. Which is why we recommend cultivating good relationships with other business departments and inviting them to chime in when you’re strategizing and planning.
4. Empathy.
If you can put yourself into your users’ shoes, you’ll generate better ideas, more compelling campaigns, and happier users at the end of the day.
5. Context.
Content marketing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For each piece, you should understand the larger context of the campaigns, business goals, user goals, and connections with other pieces being created and distributed.
Did we miss anything else? What else is essential to your success?
Leave us a comment and let us know!