Singapore 
Singapore
Malaysia
Did you know?
As an inbound marketing tactic, content marketing is a budget-friendly method which will bring immense benefits for your business both in the short term and long run. It’s a strategy which is particularly effective for educating and nurturing existing as well as potential customers, targeting ToFu, MoFu and BoFu stages of customers. This is why content marketing is one of the core digital marketing strategies for bringing in traffic and encouraging conversions for any brand.
But what exactly is content marketing? And what does a content marketer do in order to reap these benefits?
Read on to find more about the job of Social Media and Content Executive Emily Ng, and discover what goes on behind the scene in an agency’s day of work.
Meet Emily- Social Media and Content Executive at 2Stallions!
Fresh out of university in 2019, Emily joined 2Stallions for her first full-time job as a Social Media and Content Executive. Since then, she has been with our agency for 1.5 years, specialising in copywriting and content creation for clients.
She discovered her passion for copywriting when she started an internship as a copywriter at a local start-up and has never looked back since. Over the years, she has written a variety of social media posts for different categories, from homeware, a fitness gym for little kids to insurance and healthcare.
A complete homebody, you will find her at home during the weekends picking up new skills such as video editing or baking. Currently, she is working on mastering a new language!
What goes on in the day to day job as a Social Media and Content Executive?
Well, as my job title suggests, I create content on a daily basis! The content I create ranges from blog articles, newsletters, copywriting (social media posts and ads), scripts for animated videos to infographics.
However, other than creating the content, there’s actually a lot of preparation work to be done. This includes content research, planning, conceptualising content and social media calendar (up to months in advance), and keyword research. It’s also essential that I keep myself updated about the industry’s latest trends by reading up various marketing magazines and data reports such as Think with Google.
These are the foundational work needed to be done, to ensure I’m aware of the current trends to produce content that is engaging, interesting and relevant for our clients’ targeted audience.
As a content creator, I also get to work with other teams in the agency. Two teams that I work closely with include the SEO and Creative team. The SEO team ensures that my content has higher visibility in Google’s search engine. I also work with the Creative team to discuss and align the art direction for a particular project.
Another important aspect of my work includes conducting weekly brainstorming or meetings to refresh the existing content plan. All of these are essential to help our content remain timely and updated.
These weekly meetings also help us to review and incorporate clients’ feedback into our work. Our agency believes in putting the needs of our clients first. Therefore, I always ensure transparent communication and regular updates with the clients about our work.
Why do you think content marketing is important and relevant for businesses these days?
In my opinion, content marketing is extremely relevant these days.
Think about all the times we want to make a purchase or find a restaurant “near me” whenever I’m on the go. What is the first step we’ll do before making a decision?
We’ll almost subconsciously whip out our devices to do a quick search on the product or place that we are interested in. We’ll look up reviews, listicles and take a deeper dive into a particular company’s website. As a habitual instinct, conducting research is the first step we make before any purchase decision these days.
We’re so reliant on search engines that brands need to produce content around what people are searching for, such that you can increase awareness and generate leads for your product or service.
Was it difficult for you to work in a field that was outside of your degree specialization? Any advice for fresh graduates who’re open to exploring different career paths just like you did?
After my short stint in a copywriting internship, I knew marketing was a field I was passionate about. However, finding a full-time job in the marketing industry was a little challenging as my degree was not in communications or marketing.
Fortunately, I took on several internships and part-time jobs during my university days in copywriting. This proved to be beneficial as the internships helped me gained the experience that most marketing employers are looking for.
For those who are open to exploring different career paths, I definitely recommend going for internships to obtain the experience first. Make sure you do your research and find a company in the industry you’re interested in. Before choosing a company, it’s important to understand the company’s culture and work environment. The ideal internship should provide you with ample learning opportunities and good mentoring. Otherwise, it would be a wasted internship as you’ll obtain little value that could benefit your career pathway.
Other than internships, do also consider self-learning and upskilling. There are also many learning tools out there such as Google Skillshop or Udemy that can help you gain relevant and important skills. At the same time, you will also learn and understand the industry better.
You must equip yourself with the knowledge and skills as this will give you an edge during your interview process. Most importantly, don’t feel disheartened when you get rejected by a company. Take it as a learning process and never give up! (I also faced several rejections myself!)
As a writer and content creator, were there times when you experience content fatigue or faced writer’ block? What do you do to help yourself get out of the rut?
Definitely. During such times, I would remind myself to take a short break, walk around a little and try to stop thinking about that particular project. Alternatively, I would also browse through social media to take my mind off the project. Doing so helps me to refresh my mind which is great when you’re feeling overwhelmed or uninspired.
During the Circuit breaker period (working from home), I’ve also come to learn that taking timely breaks is extremely important. If you overwork by forcing yourself to produce content for… let’s say 5 hours straight, you are not going to produce quality work that you or your clients want. In fact, if you take small breaks in between the day to recharge yourself, you can produce better work as your mind is in an optimal state to think creatively and write effectively.
Is it true that an agency life is work without play?
Sometimes when you are handling multiple projects, it can get pretty time-consuming. However, agency life is really not work without play. At 2Stallions, we encourage everyone to work hard and play hard! We have a relatively young team, so it can be pretty fun in the office at times!
Our agency also emphasises on the well-being of its employees. That is why we have regular video calls to catch up with one another, to ensure everyone is coping well with the current situation. I’m grateful for my supportive colleagues who’re always ready to help whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed at work. When things get tough, I know that I will always have my team to fall back on.
Wrapping Up
Contrary to common belief, the job of a Content Creator goes beyond writing articles. Content marketing has moved past blogs and now encompasses so much more. With this article, we hope that you have a better understanding of what it’s like to work as a content creator . Feel free to connect with Emily if you’re curious to learn more the work we do!
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