What does it take to land a job as a chief content officer (CCO) or head of content marketing? First, a content chief needs some of the skills of an editor; for example, understanding how to build an audience, tell a story, and manage editorial workflow. “But they also have to understand that this is marketing,” says Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi. “There are lots of people that understand good storytelling and how it moves people.”
Another essential area of expertise is technology: analytics, marketing automation systems, even HTML. “Become a technology junkie. If you’re a data person, you have a big leg up,” Pulizzi says. “Technology and content go hand-in-hand these days.”
A CCO needs effective people skills, too. “Content is the most political thing in an organization. Every division within an organization feels [it’s] responsible for content,” Pulizzi notes. “These are people that can help you market.”
Additionally, chief content marketers need to have a personal social-media presence. Marketers who don’t use social media won’t have a sufficient understanding of how consumers get, consume, and share information.
Marketers looking to get a top content job should do three things, Pulizzi asserts. First, have a blog and update it regularly. The blog must position the writer as an expert on a specific topic related to his business or personal life. Second, publish a print book. “Today it’s easy, because anybody can [self-]publish a book and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to do it,” Pulizzi notes. Third, take public speaking engagements.
“If you do these three things…you will never be out of a job, ever,” Pulizzi says.
