Essential roles of a good content marketing team

SME owners must look to have a well-structured content marketing team with well-defined roles to reach the target audience.

Content marketing has become a crucial aspect of the digital marketing strategy for businesses across the globe, including India. A well-organised content marketing team plays a vital role in creating, distributing, and promoting content that engages, informs, and converts prospects.

Here are some of the essential roles of a content marketing team:

Chief Content Officer: The fancy title doesn’t mean this is a C-Suite role. He or she will lead content marketing initiatives for the business.

This is the pradhan storyteller. This role is responsible for setting the overall content marketing mission statement and integrating all the content. When different functions within marketing, such as PR, email, social and SEO and others create content, the final responsibility to ensure alignment lies with the chief content officer.

Another point is that he or she must understand how the stories translate into results that the business is addressing. This may include driving sales, increasing footfalls, reducing costs, or creating and building loyal customers. This role will always have to be the critical liaison between the content marketing strategy and executive management team.

Content Strategist: The content strategist is responsible for developing a content strategy aligned with the company's goals and target customers. They determine what type of content to produce, where to distribute it, and when to publish it. For instance, Zomato, a popular food delivery and restaurant discovery platform, launched a blog called ‘Zomato Stories’. It hired a content strategist to create content that focussed on food, lifestyles, and local experiences, aligning with audience interests. The blog's success helped Zomato establish itself as more than just a food delivery service and build a stronger brand presence.

Content Creators: Content creators include writers, editors, videographers, and graphic designers. They produce various forms of content, such as blog articles, video blogs, infographics, and social media posts. Swiggy, another prominent food delivery service in India, employs a team of content creators to develop engaging content on its blog, called ‘Swiggy Stories’. They produce articles, videos, and social media content that revolve around food trends, local cuisine, and culinary experiences. This content not only attracts users but also encourages them to order from Swiggy.

SEO Specialist: Search engine optimisation (SEO) specialists ensure that content is optimised for search engines. They research keywords, improve website structure, and work on on-page and off-page SEO to increase organic visibility. Cleartrip, a travel booking platform, has a dedicated SEO team to optimise its blog content. By targeting keywords related to travel and tourism, Cleartrip has improved

its website’s search engine rankings, which has led to increased organic traffic and conversions, despite being a laggard in the industry, behind Makemytrip and others.

Social Media Manager: Social media managers are responsible for creating and managing content on various social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They engage with the audience, respond to comments, and run paid advertising campaigns. Lenskart, an eyewear and eyecare brand, employs a social media manager to maintain a strong presence on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

Through engaging content and influencer collaborations, Lenskart has successfully built a loyal social media following, leading to increased brand awareness and customer engagement. The feedback from their audience has also led the company to open physical stores in major towns to include those who do not have a social media presence.

Analytics Expert: Analytics experts monitor the performance of content marketing efforts. They use data and analytics tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, conversion rates, and content engagement. Flipkart, one of India's leading e-commerce platforms, utilises analytics experts to measure the impact of its content marketing campaigns. By analysing user behaviour and tracking conversion metrics, the company has been able to finetune its content strategy for better results and higher sales.

Email Marketer: Email marketers design and execute email campaigns to nurture leads and maintain relationships with customers. They create engaging email content, segment the audience, and analyse campaign results.  Amazon India employs email marketers to send personalised product recommendations and exclusive offers to its Prime customers. These targeted emails enhance customer loyalty and boost sales.

Community Manager: Community managers engage with the audience on various platforms, responding to comments and feedback, and nurturing a sense of community around the brand. OYO, a hotel and hospitality aggregator modelled on similar lines as Airbnb, has community managers to interact with customers on review sites, social media, and through customer support channels. This level of engagement helps them build trust and loyalty among customers in a competitive market.

A well-structured content marketing team plays a pivotal role in driving brand awareness, audience engagement, and ultimately, business growth for SMEs. Each role within the team contributes to a different aspect of content creation, promotion, and analysis, working in tandem with others to achieve the company's marketing objectives. SME owners must understand these roles and incorporate them effectively to excel in digital marketing and reach target audiences with compelling content.