Content experts, who are they and do you need one? It is not easy to find the right content experts for your content team. That can be a big challenge.
Because who exactly do you need? And what job title do you give them?
Content specialists now have 101 different names for their expertise. All these job titles are filled in differently at every company. How do you know which content experts you need for your content team? With these three steps, you will certainly succeed.
here’s a step-by-step guide in table form on how to find the right content expert. Take notes! 📝
| Step | Actions & Strategies | Tools & Resources 🛠️ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify Needs 🎯 | – List topics and expertise needed – Define project scope – Determine budget | – Trello for brainstorming – Excel for budgeting |
| 2. Search & Vet Candidates 👀 | – Use freelance platforms – Check social media & forums – Review portfolios and ask for samples | – Upwork, LinkedIn – Twitter, Reddit – Portfolio websites |
| 3. Seal the Deal 📝 | – Conduct interviews – Compare rates – Check references – Finalize contract | – Zoom for interviews – Google Sheets for rate comparison – Legal templates for contracts |
Each step is crucial. Skip one and you might end up with someone who’s not quite the expert you were hoping for! 🤷♀️
Select by skills.
The answer is actually quite simple. Do you want to find the right content experts?
Then select your skills.
Think about the skills you need to achieve your content goals. By selecting this, you can be sure that you are hiring the right content experts. This way, you avoid hiring someone who has a lot of experience with copywriting while you are looking for someone with a lot of Photoshop skills. Achieving your goals becomes easier with these three steps:
- Set your goals.
- What does your content team look like?
- What expertise are you still missing?
Determine your objectives.
The first step is to map out your content goals. What goals do you have? Is that informing, inspiring, converting? Or all? Pay enough attention to formulating your goals. And the following applies better with too much attention than with too little. Your goals are the key to your company’s success (and, therefore profitability). So make your goals as specific as possible. Also, write down which tools and skills you will need.
A simple example: Eshop sells 500 telephone cables per month in November. The webshop wants to increase the number to 1000 telephone cables per month in January (target).
The website wants to A/B test the customer journey and call-to-actions (tool) to determine what works and doesn’t. Are they the right content experts for this website? An online marketer, an A/B tester, a customer experience expert, and a project leader (skills).
What does your current content team look like?
Have all objectives and associated skills been recorded? Then it’s time to take a look at the content specialists in your team:
- What does your team look like? How many people do you have on hand?
- How does your team work? For example, does your team work cross-functionally in an agile environment? Or else? How does your team do the best work with the best results?
- What skillset do your team members have? Grab your goals and see what skills you need to achieve them. Skills include content management, content web editing, analytics, and UX design.
Are there employees who want to develop their skills in other ways?
Perhaps you have a customer service employee as a coworker, but he doesn’t have the skills to help you achieve your goals. But what if this employee wants to gain experience in content management? There is a good chance that he knows your content management system better than you think and wants to develop further in content management.
So, always talk to your existing team.
You might just find the right content expert with the right skills there.
Also handy, you immediately have more insight into the qualities of the people who make up your team. Ensure a pleasant and open atmosphere during the conversation. After all, it is not an evaluation. It should give you insight into your employees’ ambitions and different skills.
What expertise are you still missing?
Now that you have clear goals and team skills, it is time to analyze all the data and look for the skills you are still missing. Are you still looking for a designer who has a lot of experience with brand identity? Or a copywriter with a sense of storytelling? List the required skills in your vacancies. That helps you find content specialists. Some examples of content skills are data analytics, storytelling, system management, branding, content creation, and digital marketing; these skills are called “content.”
No space or budget to hire someone?
Of course, it is possible that a new employee does not currently fit within your organization’s budget. First, find out why there is no room for this, where the budget should come from, and how important the expertise is.
Is there a budget missing, but do you want to get started with the expertise?
Think creatively: is it possible to hire a new employee with a skill set that spans multiple departments so that various budgets can be tapped?
Use skills as the basis for the growth of your content team.
You should now know exactly how to grow expertise within your content team. Everything starts with the basics: determining what you are looking for. First, look at what you have and determine where you want to go and what resources you will use. You’ll soon have a full content team if you take the right steps.
Conclusion
Finding the right content expert is a crucial step in any project. Luckily, there are three simple steps you can follow to ensure you find the perfect fit. First, start by conducting thorough research on potential candidates. This includes reviewing their qualifications, previous work, and reputation in the industry. Second, take the time to interview each candidate to gauge their expertise and communication skills. Ask them specific questions related to your project to determine if they have the necessary knowledge and experience. Lastly, don’t forget to check references and reach out to their past clients or colleagues to get a holistic view of their abilities and work ethic. By following these three steps, you’ll be well on your way to finding the right content expert that will help you achieve your project goals.