Information for this blog was obtained from Influencer Marketing Hub, Hootsuite, and ahrefs
Creative Video made by mark0media of FHSU Football, Baseball, and Softball using Adobe Premiere Pro
Are you looking for a career in digital marketing, video production or content creation? Look no further - you came to the right place. This blog post will cover what being a digital content creator means as well as a step-by-step process on how to become one, including crafting your resume & portfolio, networking & hands-on experience, and all the tools you’ll need to get started.
It is important to note that content creation has been around way before the social and digital era. Journalists, painters, and sculptors all fall into the ‘content creator’ category. According to Hootsuite, the cavemen who made pictographs on the walls of their caves were, essentially, the world’s first content creators. You could call them Stone Age Influencers. But assuming you want to be a digital content creator, and not a stone age one, will go over some digital content creation practices.
What is a Content Creator
What does a content creator do? Well, as the name implies, they create content. In a nutshell, a content creator is someone who makes and publishes digital work; such as videos, podcasts, visuals, or blogs. Content creation is the cornerstone of marketing. It’s more than just a piece of audio, video, graphic or words; it's a way to get your message across and create a buzz about your brand, product, or service.
In today's heavy social age, you could argue that anyone with an Instagram or TikTok can technically be a creator, but professional content creators know that there is a big difference between just having a smartphone and posting on social apps. They use their digital platforms to build a following, connect with their audience, and generate revenue from their content. What distinguishes a great content creator from an average one, is the ability to keep up with trends, do research, and make content that resonates with their audience.
What does a Content Creator Do?
They create written, audio, video, or visual content for digital platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, blog, etc. According to ahrefs, they:
Create a content strategy.
Manage a content calendar.
Research content ideas.
Design and edit visuals.
Record and edit videos.
Produce podcasts.
Do basic SEO.
Have a deep understanding of the channels they produce content for, including the latest updates and changes; research and trends
Types of Content Creators
In today's digital marketing world, content creators manage different digital “departments”. According to ahrefs, some of the content creations skills include:
Copywriting/Writing
Graphic design
Photography
Video production
Podcasting
And more. Note that these content creator skills can, and often do, overlap. For example, you can be an influencer, a photographer, and a vlogger. Here are some of the most common types of content creators according to the Influencer Marketing Hub:
Content Writers
Content writing is essentially a more modern version of journalism and digital copy. It involves creating engaging and compelling written content for various digital platforms. They are typically also tasked with creating text for the organization's numerous marketing channels; website, socials, and email, as well as white paper and news pieces. Nevertheless, blogging is usually the most common channel used by content writers.
Photographers
Photographers are the creatives behind the cameras; While we smile and look at the camera, they are on the other end taking stellar pictures that we end up amazed with afterward. They use their creative skills to create compelling photos that tell stories or capture stunting ambiance around them with unreal detail and quality. Photographers range from different niches; such as portraits, weddings, professional headshots, food & travel, sports, fashion, and many others. However, they are also flexible to adapt to the client and can cater more toward their wants.
Videographers
Videographers are responsible for shooting footage, filming and editing video content. They use elements of pre-production, production and post-production to tell a story or send a strong message to their viewers, as well as ensure that the video content is up to the company's standards. YouTube has always been known as the preferred platform for video content creators, but with increasingly more video content getting shared on socials like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, there are now multiple channels where videographers can share their craft.
Graphic Designers and Artists
Artists and designers have always been visual innovators and had an eye for aesthetics. Those skills are even more important in creating content for the digital world. Successful graphic designers know how to tell a story through their work. They use elements like color, light, and composition to create visually appealing content.
Instagram is a natural place to flex your artistic muscles, according to Hootsuite. With a beautifully designed feed, you can reach a wide audience and generate some buzz for your brand. Many designers use the platform as an online portfolio to showcase their work.
Podcast Hosts
Podcasts have gained increasingly high popularity in recent years, due to their low-profile and convenient nature. They are very easy to listen to and enjoy; you can tune in whenever you want, whether that is on your way to work, at the gym, when traveling somewhere, or virtually any time that is convenient for you. Podcasts are a great way to share messages. The podcast host's primary role is to be the middle-man between the guest and the listeners. They are in charge of conducting interviews, providing comments, and ultimately providing an engaging experience for listeners. Podcast hosts usually have written scripts that guide them to generate content ideas which help them interview guests and ask relevant questions to keep the podcast engaging and interesting. Podcast hosts need to be personable - they meet all kinds of different people and learn more about the guests - and fast critical thinkers; they come up with questions on the spot and creatively improvise.
Social Media Influencers
These are the people who have a huge social media following, and who people look up to in some way. They might be coaches, mentors, public speakers, or any other kind of ambassadors. They use their loyal following to convey their message, promote their products or services, and monetize their personal brand. They are freelancers that most likely use a combination of all the other skills mentioned to an extent, and develop their own social media strategy.
How to Become A Successful Content Creator
Now that you know what a content creator is and what their roles are, we are going to talk about what you need to do to land a job as one. While it might be a bit different for each type, there is a general procedure you need to follow to become a successful digital content creator.
1. Develop your Craft and Skills
There’s no way around it. If you want to learn how to create content, you have to actually create the content. And I know this can be easier said than done, as I was in this boat too. However, as a content creator that I managed to become today (still far from perfect and improving every day), I went through all the phases and struggles of a new and aspiring content creator. One piece of advice I can give from my experience is to not overthink what you want to post and what people might think of it, but just post it! When you stop feeling insecure and worry if other people will like it, and just make the initiative to start posting something because you want to, you will realize that it is not that difficult. It is important to start doing it! Actually making something and putting it out there is the key. It will get easier over time and you will improve, but if you are scared to post anything, you won't get anywhere. If you are afraid of rejection or failure, you won't be successful at it. Like with anything else in life, failure is a part of success, and this applies to content creation too. It can get intimidating and the feedback might not always be positive - sometimes there is no feedback at all, and you feel as if your efforts are non-existent - but in order to become a successful content creator, you have to go through that phase.
2. Make a Content Marketing Plan
Once you start putting your content out there and are getting the swing of things, the next step is to make a good and strategic content marketing plan that serves as a guideline for your future posts and your business goals. You want to start by identifying your target audience; see what type of content they are looking for and what will catch their attention. Next, you want to choose the platform and social channels where you will post your content to. This aligns back to your target audience and business objectives, as you want to strategically chose platforms based on your content goals, not just copy and paste your post to all your channels. Finally, you want to set up a scheduling system and regularly post your content. Once you figured out how to do it, you need a set method in place so that your brand image will come across as consistent and professional. You can use social media content calendar templates for reminders, and Buffer, Meta Business Suite, and Twitter Deck to get the most out of your content.
3. Use industry Software and third-party tools
If you want to be considered as a professional in your craft, you have to use professional tools. Adobe Creative Suite has a majority of tools you will need as a content creator. If you want to be a photographer, knowledge of Photoshop and Lightroom is a must; If you want to be a videographer, use Premiere Pro; graphic designers utilize Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Now, as you're starting out and are new in the content creation game, you might not have the financials to invest in these software just yet. And that is ok! There are numerous free options online that can serve as substitute tools while you're in the beginning phase. Canva is one of the best free content creation tools out there. If you are not using Canva, I highly recommend to start taking advantage of it right away. While there is a paid version to it, the free one will get you pretty much everything you need to start crafting content for social media, make aesthetic presentations, create stylish text, infographics, logos, and even add animations and effects to your designs.
If you want to be a content writer, use Grammarly. For any content creator who’s looking to establish an online presence, SEMrush is a must-have tool. it provides valuable feedback that helps improve SEO, PPC, content management, marketing insights, keyword research and much more. Nowadays, there are tons of free options available that will help you get started on your content creation journey. Later on, when you get more experienced and start getting paid for your work, you can transition to the more advanced and paid options.
4. Create a Portfolio & Market Yourself
Once you’ve started building those skills, it is time to show off your work. Start an online portfolio to share some of your best samples with prospective clients or employers. If you are in the content creation industry, it’s even more important to take the time to create a nicely designed, project packed-portfolio that manages to communicate your expertise and unique selling points as well as show your brand voice and style. Wix is a great place to get a nice and professional portfolio for free. It is where I hosted my online creative portfolio.
5. Network
Lastly, you want to make sure you put yourself out there and network network network!
I can't stress enough the importance of networking. It can make a huge difference if you connect and make relationships with the right people. In my opinion, networking is making personal and professional relationships, and genuine bonds that are transformational. I have managed to get numerous jobs and positions just by making genuine relationships with the right people. According to Hootsuite, you should start by networking or reaching out to job postings or freelancer-needed ads.
Don’t overcomplicate this. If you’re learning from someone right now or admire them, make the initiative and reach out to kickstart a relationship with them.
Conclusion
As a content creator, you never stop learning. You always have to stay on top of trends and keep up with the changes in your niche, as well as the content creation platforms and channels for which you’re creating the content. You also need to stay current on what your audience wants to see and constantly continue to develop your skills. Finally, as you learn more and keep improving, you can start creating your style and put your own little spin on it. Through trial and error, you will see what works for you and where you might want to improve on and make some changes. Remember that the only way to start and be successful is to put yourself out there and just start posting. It might be intimidating at first, but I promise you will be grateful for it later. Don't forget to make a portfolio to better market yourself and go out there and network! Hopefully you found this information useful, and helpful to land a job as a digital content creator!
Resources
Christison, C. (2022, December 20). How to become a (well-paid) content creator in 2023. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/content-creator/
Molenaar, K. (2023, March 6). Steps and tips to becoming a content creator in 2023 . Influencer Marketing Hub. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://influencermarketinghub.com/content-creator/
Ong, S. Q. (2022, March 4). How to become a successful content creator. SEO Blog by Ahrefs. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://ahrefs.com/blog/content-creator/
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