How to be an Effective Content Marketing Producer

You know you need to be writing. You feel guilty that you aren’t putting words on the screen. But you do some research, check social media, organize your schedule, then clean your office. Ah… it’s time for lunch. You call it “writer’s block,” but it’s really just you procrastinating. 

It takes two to five hours to write a blog post, and that’s not counting the time you spend procrastinating. It could take most of your workday to draft one post when you add that in. And that doesn’t account for the other types of content marketing you’re responsible for creating. That’s why learning how to be an effective content marketing producer is critical.

What is an Effective Content Marketing Producer?

A content marketing producer generates ideas, implements that content, and distributes it through the most beneficial channels. So, what makes someone an effective content marketing producer? It’s completing those job duties efficiently and effectively without wasting time or introducing errors. 

An effective content marketing producer:

• Understands clients, including their needs, desires, and pain points
• Helps set digital marketing goals based on client goals, audience needs, and keyword research
• Generates creative ideas for all content platforms
• Implements content marketing efforts, either themselves or with a team
• Distributes content through the appropriate channels
• Measures and reports progress toward goals
• Adjusts tactics to reach goals

How to be an Effective Content Marketing Producer

Content marketing producers take content from idea to successful implementation that serves the client, and they do it multiple times a day, every day. The job attracts a person with certain traits like a natural curiosity and willingness to learn. They also need specific skills, like strong writing ability and tech savviness. In addition, knowing how to be an effective content marketing producer means always being prepared for your role. Here’s how.

Learn Nonstop

Viewing other people’s work and studying your craft help you improve your content marketing skills. Get in the habit of reading everything from books to blogs and social media posts. Learn best practices for each social media outlet and try them out. Subscribe to and read a ton of email newsletters. Attend webinars, both in your industry and in your clients’ industries. Read everything and anything you can get your hands on, and never stop learning.

Scrutinize Competitors

Watch your competitors and your clients’ competitors. What are they doing that you can do better? Where is a hole in the products or services they provide that you can capitalize on? What part of the audience are they failing to serve? You certainly don’t want to copy competitors, but you should know their business well and be able to fill the gaps they’re leaving.

Keep a File of Ideas

Content producers seem to fall into one category or the other: too many ideas and not enough time or no ideas. Keep an idea file when you’re doing all of that consumption we discussed above. Share what you learn with your team. Take screenshots of things you like or write down post ideas. Store them all in one place. That way, when it’s time to make your content map, you have plenty of inspiration. 

Understand Your Audience

Who are you talking to? Who will view what you’re creating? Why do they want or need the information you provide? These are questions you answer before you begin planning or creating any content. Understanding your audience and their needs will help you hit the target. You’ll start to feel like you’re talking to a friend, making the entire content creation process easier.

Create a Block Schedule

Block scheduling means you have certain times blocked off on your calendar to do specific items in batches. For example, perhaps you’re more creative in the morning, so you do meetings or content scheduling and promotion in the afternoons and save your mornings for creating content. 

Once you block time for individual activities, guard that time and don’t schedule over it. Consider that time an appointment with yourself. Don’t let anyone else have it. Then, when it’s time to do that thing, sit down at your computer and do it, even if you don’t feel motivated to schedule social media posts or write blog content.

Create First, Edit Later

You will stunt your progress if you create and edit simultaneously. Do not write seven words and delete three. Instead, type out everything first, then go back and remove, add, rearrange, and alter. It’s easy to get caught up in the desire for flawless copy. But there’s no such thing as perfect writing. It’s better to write and publish than to strive for perfection. 

Study SEO Best Practices

Something about SEO makes people nervous. Maybe it’s the name, the numbers involved, or just that it’s research. It could be that so many people pretended for so long that it was scary and difficult. It’s not, and you can’t be an effective content marketing producer without studying and understanding simple SEO solutions and SEO content marketing best practices. And here’s a fun little bonus — SEO changes. So, this is an area where you want to always be learning.

Mute Distractions

Turn off the TV, set aside your phone, close Spotify, and create a quiet environment to think in. Limiting distractions in your workspace will improve your content creation and your focus. It will also help you work more quickly, so you can get more done.

Know When to Submit

You can stare at your screen for hours, judging every sentence you’ve written or graphic you created. Or you can pass it off to another set of eyes that could bring a fresh perspective to your work. Send it to your editor! Sometimes you have to stop mulling and just turn it in. The more you tweak, the more damage you could be doing. The best content is done content. You can’t help your audience if you never publish.

Protip: Set a deadline for every task you perform, then stick to it. Deadlines are procrastination killers and wonderful motivators.

No Time to Produce Content?

We get that some of you don’t have time to be effective content marketing producers. Who has time to do all of that and run a business? That’s why Content Journey exists. We specialize in planning, implementing, and distributing all types of content marketing efforts, so you don’t have to. Schedule a call today, and let’s discuss how we can partner.