BY CORALIE, MY JOB GLASSES MENTOR, CONSULTANT, ENTHUSIASTIC DIGITAL MARKETING TRAINER & CONTENT WRITER
Click here to contact her via My Job Glasses!
What should I be telling you first? This profession is so rich that it would take me more than a blog post to dig deep into it. My name is Coralie, I am a consultant and coach in digital marketing who also doubles as brand content manager from time to time. Today, I will be sharing with you my own experience by inviting you to join me for the day.
BRAND CONTENT MANAGER: WHAT IS THE REALITY BEHIND THIS JOB TITLE?
Being a brand content manager is first and foremost being a digital specialist, since this role involves designing and implementing the content strategy (also known as brand content strategy) for a brand on the Internet. The term brand content refers to any content (copy, visuals, videos, podcasts, etc.) that expresses the personality of a brand (its products, values, objectives, DNA, etc.) on one of its touch points (website, blog, email, social platforms, events, packaging, etc.) and aimed at different targets (BtoC, BtoB, institutional, etc.).
The content offered by the brand content manager must be unique, coherent and serve the brand’s awareness and performance.
Previously seen as a negligible part of companies’ investments, brand content is nevertheless one of the most important acquisition levers for them! Communication and brand content, when perfectly mastered, allow the company to differentiate itself, to assert its positioning and to encourage the public to identify with the brand and to recognise itself in the company’s values.
It is a profession that is perpetually evolving and has offers different perspectives depending on whether you work for an advertiser, an agency, a freelancer, a large or small company.
WHAT DIPLOMA IS NEEDED TO BECOME A BRAND CONTENT MANAGER?
Today, there are numerous higher education courses and diplomas that will prepare you for this profession. In brand content studies, you’ll have to deal with multiple subjects: marketing, storytelling, communication strategy, advertising, etc.
At the moment, there are many higher education courses and studies (Bac+4/5) that train for this profession. Nevertheless, I advise you to train on the side via online resources (on YouTube or online courses), with digital marketing trainers and especially to practice by doing internships and/or by creating a content strategy for your account (personal blog, social network account as an influencer/passionate)
Believe me when I say practice makes all the difference in the brand content business. It’s with experience that you can best understand and apply the knowledge you’ve gained in college. So go for it!
WHAT QUALITIES AND SKILLS ARE NEEDED FOR THE JOB OF BRAND CONTENT MANAGER?
Certain qualities are essential to be on top of your game: passion, curiosity, rigour, impeccable spelling, aesthetic taste, listening skills… Besides, you will also need to be constantly on the lookout for new web topics, have a keen and analytical mind, possess a solid digital culture, have an excellent capacity for analysis and strategic recommendations as well as being creative, extremely open-minded and able to tell beautiful and engaging stories.
This job also requires the ability to defend one’s ideas as well as to question oneself when necessary. To do this, you have to listen and know the psychology of the audience you are addressing. A brand content strategy will only be effective if you know by heart what stops your customers from using your product or service and what motivates them. This is essential if your communication is to achieve the objectives set beforehand.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BRAND CONTENT MANAGER
No two days are alike and that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy this job. Being self-employed, I am the master of my time. However, some tasks come up daily. I usually start the morning by doing what is known as monitoring: this involves keeping abreast of current events, what your competitors or your clients are doing, trends and latest developments in a given field. To do this, I visit digital marketing websites and follow trending topics on Twitter and elsewhere.
Then, it all depends on the assignment I have in hand. Audits regarding the digital strategy of brands, strategic recommendations, creation of visual and editorial content, recruitment of new talents for clients (motion designers, graphic designers, etc.), follow up on the implentation of the digital communication strategy, coordination of creative brainstorming, campaign results analysis and reports… These are all part of the main tasks of a brand content manager.
As I am self-employed and, therefore, an entrepreneur so prospecting, invoicing and all company duties are part of my life. Working on so many different subjects and issues means I am never bored and I approach my job with a growing enthusiasm every single day!
Would you like to talk to Coralie to find out more about her job? Click here to contact her via My Job Glasses!
