I have been working in the internet industry for the last 11 years. I have seen the great rise of the dotcom and also the recession that hit almost everybody so hard that they had to make drastic changes in their career and life. I have also seen black-hat SEO techniques giving rich dividends to small companies, and also how Google quickly killed them by introducing various changes to its algorithm.
I have worked in the print, startups, and also in the largest digital media companies of the world. I did more than 500 projects on a freelance basis through various marketplaces. So, here is what Gyan (the spellings are debatable) I could give to you if you are a startup and want to hire a content resource.
What is meant by a content resource
A lot of people are confused by what it means to be a content guy. Some of them feel that they are the most easily available chaps; randomly looking for a job (I myself am a mechanical engineer by studies), and in such a quantity that if you throw a brick anywhere, it hits a content writer. Well, the quality content resource is absolutely not that. More about it later.
Some people think that content guy is somebody who will write random blogs and will see that there is something textual on the web pages (When Google started as a Search Engine, such was the case).
In the recent times, a lot of people think that we need somebody who can post messages on social media.
Not really. Content resource is your key and face! Choose wisely, offer respect, and check the value addition. You will be amazed what a real champion of content can do to your business.
What ideally a content resource should be able to do
A quality content resource is something big and so instrumental in the success of any team that you can’t ignore the value. As a small business, you should look for a person who is capable in all of these things.
- Great writing skills in the language that you are targeting (Indispensable quality). Though this does not mean that the content needs to be mechanically boring and only sticking to the grammar rules only, yet creativity should be used for the wow factor and not as a compromise for quality.
- Knowledge of target audience (Content strategy). Without this, no content team can work.
- Knowledge of Google Analytics or any other metric tool that you employ (Very important for planning, forecasting)
- Knowledge of web, mobile, social, and importance of virality. If the person does not know the power of ‘what could click’ and what impact it can have on the overall performance of the product/service, there is hardly any future for that person in this domain
- Great networking skills are pretty much important. If the person is more of a recluse, things might not develop the way they should be. A content guy needs to be a good-networker, always looking out to learn and try out new things, and also to get the work done by using the available resource optimally.
- Though content writing is a highly creative work and Google has worked hard to erase the gratuitous use of keywords that used to be sprinkled here and there, a content resource should have a thorough knowledge of SEO and SEM. There is no short-cut or two-way around it.
The cliche goes that ‘content is the king’; but for me, a content resource is ‘the king’. If he is up to the mark, the success is guaranteed.
Startups, pay attention and diligence when you hire a content resource. Put maximum stakes in this field and reap rich dividends.
