Marketing content writers are quickly becoming one of the most important roles in all of digital marketing. They’re the experts when it comes to SEO and have the ability to convey the heart of a brand directly to their dream demographic.

Content writing in digital marketing covers all things blog posts, product guides, and email campaigns and they make all the difference when it comes to site traffic and sales conversions. This guide dives deep into exactly what a marketing content writer is and how to become one.

• What is a Marketing Content Writer?
• Types of Marketing Content Writers
• Responsibilities of a Marketing Content Writer
• Marketing Content Writer Services
• How to Hire a Marketing Content Writer?
• How to Become a Marketing Content Writer?

What is a Marketing Content Writer?

A marketing content writer is the person responsible for written content like blog posts, email campaigns, and web articles used for marketing purposes. In other words, they use writing to sell a product, service, or brand for a company.

Content writers in digital marketing also come in many different shapes and sizes e.g. they can freelance, work in-house at a marketing firm, or be employed by one company directly. Their job is all about using marketing strategy to hit KPIs like engagement or sales with other elements like SEO and brand identity also playing a major role.

Types of Marketing Content Writers

Marketing content writers can fit into a bunch of different niches but here are some of the most common:

SAAS Content Writers:

Software as a Service (SAAS) content writers specialise in creating blog posts, case studies, product guides, and website copy that explain often complex software solutions in a clear, engaging way. Their focus is usually on demonstrating value, onboarding users, and maintaining customers.

B2B Content Writers

Business-to-business (B2B) content writers work for companies selling products to other companies (instead of individual consumers). They’ll work on projects like whitepapers, reports, LinkedIn articles, and industry-specific blog content that speaks to decision-makers, helping brands establish authority and drive leads.

B2C Content Writers

Business-to-consumer (B2C) content writers are working on content that goes straight to existing or potential consumers. They write product descriptions, social media posts, email campaigns, and blog articles designed to entertain, inform, and drive sales. B2C work has to be specialised for a company’s target market and written in line with the brand identity.

Responsibilities of a Marketing Content Writer

A marketing content writer’s primary responsibility is to produce the longer-form written content used to sell a brand. These days, that usually means online content although not always in the cases of things like sales pitches and user guides.

Surprisingly (or not) being a marketing content writer involves a lot more than just writing. Here are some of the other responsibilities they undertake:

Research

• Looking into the target demographic’s purchasing and engagement habi
• Researching particular topics for online content
• Gathering data and fact-checking information

Pitching

• Proposing ideas for written content
• Writing compelling blog post pitches
• Projecting industry trends

SEO

• Conducting keyword research
• Employing SEO formatting
• Interlinking and topic cluster strategy

Brand Identity

• Emulating the voice of a brand
• Following the client’s style guide
• Use writing to convey the brand’s mission and values

Content Management System (CMS)

• Scheduling and uploading digital content
• Adding metadata like title, description, and tags
• Embedding images, video clips, and links

Marketing Content Writer Services

Freelance content writers in digital marketing will offer a selection of services to fit a variety of customer needs. Typically, these will be displayed via their website with prices depending on factors such as location, project length, and company size.

Here are some of the most common marketing content writer services:

SEO Blog Post and Web Article Writing

Producing a stand-alone or series of blog posts and web articles designed to increase traffic to a website. These posts should be SEO keyword-targeted and generally between 1,000 and 1,500 words.

Website Copy

This covers things like product descriptions, ‘about’ pages, and FAQs. Website copy tends to be rich in SEO keywords but much shorter than other forms of content writing. Website copy is incredibly important for digital marketing as it’s often a customer’s first impression of a brand and can majorly impact the sales conversion rates.

Email Campaigns

Email campaigns can highlight a particular product or project, or take the form of a weekly/monthly newsletter. They’re highly personalised to a company’s customer base and are one of the most critical strategies when it comes to digital marketing sales.

Content Audits

A content audit is when a marketing content writer takes stock of all the content a website already has in order to figure out what’s missing. As part of the content audit, the marketing content writer will also conduct in-depth SEO keyword research, finishing the process by delivering a content strategy plan for new content and old content.

Updating Old Content

Sometimes done in partnership with a content audit, a marketing content writer can rework existing content to be better search-engine-optimised as well as improve the site’s interlinking and topic cluster strategy.

How to Hire a Marketing Content Writer?

Finding a marketing content writer able to actually deliver the kind of targeted content you need can be tough. Here are the Dos and Don’ts of contracting a freelance content writer to guarantee hiring the right person for the job:

Hiring Dos

1. Look for specific content writing experience within your niche
2. Request a writing portfolio upfront
3. Use LinkedIn to find freelance content writers
4. Start with commissioning a paid trial piece
5. Pay attention to how the candidate responds to feedback and critique

Hiring Don’ts

1. Get quotes from just one freelancer
2. Expect the candidate to do unpaid writing trials
3. Ignore SEO knowledge
4. Hire based on the lowest price
5. Expect one writer to do everything

How to Become a Marketing Content Writer?

If the life of a content writer in digital marketing is appealing to you then you’ve come to the right place! This blog is filled with useful guides, tips, and tricks for new freelance writers looking to break into the content writing space.

Check out my guide to becoming a content writer and don’t forget to input your email address in the box below to receive these posts straight to your inbox.