For the Love of Content Marketing
Why content marketing is one of the best jobs in the world
“So what do you do?”
It’s such a simple question, but rarely does the response come easily. Most people dread having to oversimplify the intricacies of their job into a few concise sentences a stranger could understand.
But I find it to be a unique opportunity.
Do enough of anything and it becomes a grind. Even with jobs we love, the day-to-day can slowly wear away at the passion we have for a role.
The only way to reconnect with the parts of the job you love is to take a step back and analyze just want it is you are doing all day at the office, and I find the dreaded “So what do you do?” question the perfect opportunity to do that.
Don’t get me wrong, I usually handle the question just as poorly as everyone else. I’ll make a valiant attempt at explaining how I create and publish creative work on behalf of my company to build and strengthen relationships with customers.
But for those outside the content marketing bubble, this definition is a confusing snooze fest and I am often met with a vacant expression and a glazed-over look. At this point I usually revert to the layman description of my role as content marketing manager:
I get to make cool shit, with cool people, for a great company.
That almost always get’s a smile and a congenial “well alright then!” response, but the truth of that statement always sticks with me. Sure, there is a lot of strategy and bureaucracy to what we do. There are trials and tribulations, just like any other job. But at the end of the day, when you boil our jobs down to their simplest form, we really do have the best job in the world. I can’t be the only one that feels that way.
Content Marketing is the Best Job in the World
On our worst days, our jobs are still unbelievably awesome. We get to show up and create new things that will benefit real people. Our only limitations are our own creativity and how far we can bend company brand standards. We are full time artists under the patronage of our companies, and the better we are, the more we improve the lives of our co-workers and audience alike.
Few professionals wield the creative freedom and business impact of a content marketer in high gear.
We can lose sight of it in the day to day. When a report gets held up by legal. When somebody trolls the comments of your blog posts. When traffic falls short of what you expected. All of these things can build a wall between you and the parts of the job you love most.
But next time you’re feeling frustrated, try to think about what you would say if somebody asked you what you did for a living. Even on your worst day, it’s hard to hate making cool shit with cool people.
Matt Wesson is the content marketing manager at Salesforce. Follow him onTwitter or see more articles on his LinkedIn page.
