Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Content Marketing Strategist
💰 $70,000 - $120,000
🎯 Role Definition
The Content Marketing Strategist is responsible for developing and executing a data-informed content strategy that drives awareness, generates marketing qualified leads (MQLs), and supports product and brand objectives. This role combines strategic planning, editorial leadership, SEO and content optimization, cross-functional coordination with product, sales, and design, and hands-on execution of high-value content programs across owned channels (blog, email, social, gated assets) and partner channels. The ideal candidate brings a mix of content strategy, SEO expertise, analytics fluency, and stakeholder management to scale content operations and demonstrate measurable impact on pipeline and revenue.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Content Marketing Specialist
- SEO/SEM Specialist
- Copywriter or Marketing Communications Specialist
Advancement To:
- Senior Content Marketing Strategist / Lead Content Strategist
- Content Marketing Manager / Head of Content
- Director of Content Marketing / VP of Marketing
Lateral Moves:
- Product Marketing Manager
- Growth Marketing Manager
- Brand & Communications Manager
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Develop and own a company-wide content strategy and editorial roadmap that aligns with product launches, demand generation goals, SEO goals, and the annual marketing plan, setting quarterly objectives and measurable KPIs (traffic, MQLs, engagement).
- Create, maintain, and optimize a prioritized editorial calendar that coordinates blog posts, whitepapers, eBooks, case studies, webinars, email campaigns, social content, and paid content programs to support the full marketing funnel.
- Lead keyword research and SEO strategy, including technical SEO coordination with engineering, on-page optimization, content gap analysis, and ongoing SERP performance tracking using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz.
- Produce and/or oversee high-quality long-form content (whitepapers, eBooks, research reports) and pillar pages that support thought leadership and lead-generation goals, ensuring content meets brand voice and conversion requirements.
- Build and execute content distribution and amplification plans (owned, earned, paid, and partner channels) to maximize reach, engagement, and pipeline contribution, working closely with paid media and social teams.
- Develop and A/B test content-driven conversion flows (gated assets, landing pages, CTAs, email nurture sequences) in collaboration with growth and UX teams to improve lead capture and conversion rates.
- Use Google Analytics, GA4, HubSpot, Adobe Analytics, and CRM reporting to measure content performance, generate actionable insights, and present monthly/quarterly reporting to stakeholders that ties content activity to funnel metrics and revenue.
- Perform content audits and competitive content gap analyses quarterly to identify opportunities to repurpose, consolidate, or retire content and to prioritize content investment for SEO and growth impact.
- Manage content production workflows and vendor relationships, including freelance writers, agencies, designers, and subject-matter experts to deliver scalable, on-brand content on time and within budget.
- Develop content briefs and creative direction for writers and designers, ensuring accuracy, SEO best practices, internal linking strategies, and alignment with buyer personas and journey stages.
- Partner with product marketing and sales enablement to create customer-facing materials (solution briefs, battlecards, case study templates) that drive sales conversations and reduce time-to-value for prospects.
- Translate customer and market research into content themes and messaging frameworks, author buyer persona documentation, and ensure content addresses pain points across buyer journeys.
- Establish and enforce editorial guidelines and brand voice documentation, including standards for style, tone, accessibility, SEO, and legal / compliance review for regulated content.
- Lead cross-functional content planning sessions and stakeholder interviews to ensure launch readiness, coordinated messaging across teams, and timely delivery of go-to-market materials.
- Drive topical authority and thought leadership programs, including guest posting, byline strategy, speaker placements, and original research initiatives to build brand credibility and secure inbound interest.
- Create and optimize email marketing content and nurture campaigns that leverage segmentation and personalization to move leads through the funnel and re-engage dormant prospects.
- Implement and maintain content tagging, taxonomy, and metadata strategies within the CMS to improve discoverability, internal search, and automated content personalization.
- Conduct ongoing competitor and industry analysis to inform content differentiators, headline testing, and position our product storytelling against market alternatives.
- Collaborate with design and UX to create content assets that are visually optimized, accessible, and conversion-focused, including interactive tools, infographics, and slide decks.
- Own content-related KPIs and quarterly OKRs; run retrospectives to surface process improvements, capacity planning needs, and skills gaps within the content team.
- Train internal teams (customer success, sales, product) on new content assets and messaging so they can amplify content through customer conversations, social channels, and events.
- Manage budget for content tools, freelance spend, and paid content amplification, optimizing ROI and reporting on spend vs. pipeline contribution.
- Stay current on content marketing trends, SEO algorithm updates, and content tech innovations (AI-assisted writing, personalization engines) and recommend pilot projects or platform upgrades.
Secondary Functions
- Conduct quarterly content performance deep-dives and exploratory data analysis to identify top-performing topics, formats, and channels for scaling.
- Support creation and maintenance of content templates, playbooks, and process documentation to accelerate content production and quality control.
- Collaborate with legal and compliance teams to review regulated content and ensure required disclosures and approvals are embedded in content workflows.
- Participate in agile planning ceremonies, sprint prioritization, and cross-team stand-ups to align content delivery with broader product and marketing sprints.
- Coordinate with events and demand-gen teams to supply event collateral, session copy, and post-event follow-up content that drives measurable engagement.
- Manage CRM and marketing automation integrations to ensure content-driven lead scoring and routing function correctly for sales follow-ups.
- Mentor junior content creators and coordinate editorial reviews to raise quality, consistency, and SEO best practices across all published materials.
- Lead small research pilots (surveys, user interviews) to gather voice-of-customer insights that inform content strategy and roadmap decisions.
- Maintain the content asset library and knowledge base for internal teams and customer self-service resources.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Content strategy development and editorial calendar management for B2B and/or B2C audiences.
- SEO and organic growth expertise: keyword research, on-page optimization, content clustering, and SERP performance tracking (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz).
- Content Management System (CMS) proficiency (WordPress, Contentful, HubSpot CMS) and experience publishing at scale.
- Marketing automation and email platforms (HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot) for building nurture flows and measuring engagement.
- Web analytics and reporting (Google Analytics / GA4, Adobe Analytics), setting up dashboards, UTM tracking, and conversion attribution.
- Experience with content optimization tools and on-page SEO tools (Surfer SEO, Clearscope) and A/B testing platforms (Optimizely, VWO).
- Strong copywriting and editorial skills for long-form, short-form, and conversion-focused content, with a portfolio of published work.
- Basic HTML/CSS familiarity to troubleshoot content rendering and collaborate with front-end teams.
- CRM familiarity (Salesforce, HubSpot CRM) to align content performance with pipeline and revenue metrics.
- Competency with collaborative productivity tools (Asana, Jira, Trello, Google Workspace, Notion) and content workflow management.
- Experience managing freelance talent and agencies, including RFPs, briefs, and quality control processes.
- Familiarity with design and multimedia production best practices for content (Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud) and brief creation.
- (Optional/Preferred) Experience with SQL or BigQuery for ad-hoc content performance queries and advanced analytics.
Soft Skills
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial orientation — able to connect content activities to demand generation and revenue outcomes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, editing, and storytelling abilities.
- Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills, able to influence product, sales, and executive teams.
- Project and time management skills with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines and scale content programs.
- Analytical mindset with experience turning data into actionable content decisions.
- Creative problem solver who can ideate formats, campaigns, and experiments to test hypotheses and drive growth.
- Attention to detail and commitment to editorial quality, accuracy, and brand consistency.
- Leadership and mentoring experience to grow junior writers and contractors.
- Adaptability and curiosity in fast-paced, changing product and market conditions.
- Results-driven with an emphasis on measurable outcomes, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, English, or related field (or equivalent experience).
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor's degree with coursework or certification in digital marketing, SEO, analytics, or content strategy; advanced degree (MBA or MA in Communications) a plus.
- Professional certifications (HubSpot Content Marketing, Google Analytics, SEMrush/Ahrefs certifications) preferred.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Marketing
- Communications / Journalism
- English / Creative Writing
- Business / Digital Media
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 3–7 years of professional content marketing experience, with 2+ years leading strategy or owning content programs end-to-end.
Preferred:
- 5+ years of content strategy experience with demonstrable impact on organic traffic, lead generation, and pipeline; direct experience in B2B SaaS, technology, or enterprise marketing preferred.