You want to hire the best full-time content marketer for your company. Or maybe deep down, your real priority is to avoid hiring a dud that could put your own job at risk. And in this economy? The stakes are twice as high. I get it.
I'm not just looking for any job either. I want to find a mid-seniority content marketing role at a B2B SaaS company where my skills and personality would make an impact. That's why I wrote this article — so you can decide if I'm a good fit for you. Whether you hire me or close this tab and walk away, this article make your decision clear in one way or another.
This is the closest you'll get to working with me, without actually working with me. No ATS is weighing me down, so I'll be specific instead of giving you resume-speak buzzwords like "dynamic team player" (whatever the hell that means). And instead of making grand but unverifiable claims about myself, I’ll share real stories from my past roles to show you what I can do.
Before you dive into this article, follow this link to see what my ideal role looks like.
NOTE: This article isn't meant to be a resume. If that's what you're interested in, click here.
You're in for a long read. Click to skip to what interests you most.
Work style
Deep focus
Superman has kryptonite. For me, it's context-switching. You will get my best work when you focus me on 1-2 major projects at a time with a clear purpose and structure. Throwing me around 6+ different tasks in a day drains me. This isn't to say I'm a luxury employee who can't put out fires when needed — but focus makes me infinitely more efficient and effective. Put it another way, I'm like an elephant. I take some time to gain momentum, but boy when I do, I trample every challenge in my way. In an ideal world, you'd hire me to do focused, campaign-based content like original research reports for the most part.
On a side note, I’d argue that focus should be a given. A well-run marketing organization with good people management and a solid strategy shouldn’t have any fires to put out in the first place. If they do, then the company is either directionless or the management manufactures stress to inspire urgency. This would have the opposite effect on me.
*If you believe in internet personality test horoscopes, I'm an INTJ. Make of that as you will.
Prioritization and workload management
At BrandOps, I prioritized my work by splitting it into 3 categories:
Daily routine (like engaging our ICPs in LinkedIn comment sections)
Temporary campaign work (like preparing a webinar)
Long-term compounding work (like educating the market about our category with articles)
I spent about 10% of my time on routine work and automated it as much as possible. I balanced the campaign and long-term work based on deadlines and expected impact. This wasn't just my call. The CEO/Founder and CCO had a bigger say. Since I was a one-person marketing team, I pushed to focus on one or two major projects at a time. For example, if we were planning a webinar that would take us four weeks from start to finish, that would be the only campaign we worked on during that period.
Whenever we planned campaigns, I broke them down into key phases and milestones, with deadlines and objectives. I also kept a backlog of current and potential future projects and had weekly meetings with my manager/CCO, Alex, to review progress and decide what to prioritize next. As a very small startup, planning for the quarter didn't make sense. Our positioning changed every few weeks, so whatever we planned months in advance would become irrelevant by the time we got to it. Instead, we used our top business priorities as a north star.
As far as managing my daily tasks goes, I focused on the priorities I mentioned above, considered my energy levels throughout the day, and then planned around that. I always attack the most mentally demanding tasks first thing in the morning. Limiting myself to two big tasks each day also helps a lot. I switch to smaller and easier tasks later in the day when my energy dips.
My processes
This is a broad topic, so I'll break my processes down by the typical tasks you'd expect from a Brand and Content Marketing Manager (or a Specialist).
Preparing content briefs
When I was a freelance writer, I had my clients fill out this content writing brief template. I love it because it gives me specific guidance. I haven't managed freelance writers yet, but when I do, I'll use the same template for them.
*NOTE: This template is for "everyday" articles, not major content like original research reports.
Sourcing subject-matter expert insights
I proactively build a network of experts long before I need them. I connect with them on LinkedIn and join their Slack and Facebook groups. (If I were to join your company, I would do this in my first 60 days.)
Whenever I need an expert outside my network, I reach out to them and offer to pay for 30 minutes of their time. Some experts charge a reasonable fee (around $100), but most of them charge nothing at all. The fact that I even offer to pay flatters them, so they're happy to help for free.
If the topic I'm writing about is open-ended (e.g. based on lived stories), I ask my experts open-ended questions and let them lead the conversation. For more specific topics, I prepare questions upfront. I use tools like Fireflies.ai to record the interviews. They use AI to generate meeting notes and transcripts, so I don't have to replay the interviews for insights. But before I start writing content, I double-check my insights with another expert. I can't always tell valuable insight apart from nonsense, but they can.
Planning and creating content
Most content marketers start planning from the content itself — picking keywords, topics, formats, and so on. This gets them engaging, but random content with little business impact. Others get stuck on a campaign management hamster wheel. Everything they do is reactive. Their bosses ask them to write 3 LinkedIn posts about a webinar, prepare a video for a new feature launch, etc. The list never ends.
I start with the content purpose. I zoom out to our marketing strategy to figure out what we need to achieve next; then I plan a content piece around it. Here's an example of my planning process behind this very article: from defining the purpose, objectives, measurable outcomes, and down to action. When I start from the purpose, deciding on the content details becomes very easy.
Another method I use is conducting funnel analyses and creating content to address the biggest leaks. I'm not going to go into the specifics of my funnel analysis, but my approach is similar to what Userpilot promotes in this article. With full transparency, this article is a living example. My website analytics showed that most visitors go to my "About Me" page, but leave without booking a meeting. If potential employers wonder: "Is Haris a good fit for our company?" but can't find content that answers it, that’s a problem. That's why I wrote this article. It should fix my own leaky funnel.
Performance reporting
I can adapt to any reporting style you use. Here’s how I tracked and reported on my performance at BrandOps (which is a high ACV product with long sales cycles).
Long-term reporting
The CEO/Founder requested I use BrandOps, our product, to report on our brand marketing performance every month. The platform automatically pulled data from all digital channels and generated a slideshow report with performance graphs. I made sure to only cover the channels we were active on. Each channel had predetermined KPIs. For example, social had engagement and followers, search had ranking and traffic, and so on.
Once the report was ready, I’d put on my analyst hat. I'd add my notes to each slide and explain what we needed to do to improve, why we were seeing certain results, and what the trends were telling us. I would then email the reports to the CEO and share them in Slack — along with a proposed action plan.
2. Near-term reporting
We used HubSpot to track near-term programs like webinars, email campaigns, and BOFU articles. Since we mainly used last-touch attribution, I was incentivized to drive MQLs and SQLs. To make reporting easier, I integrated HubSpot with Slack. We'd get an automated message whenever we got a new lead. I also built a custom dashboard to show the CPA for each channel, as well as the impact on MQLs, SQLs, pipeline, and won deals. Every other month, I’d sit down with our CCO (who was also our SDR) to go over the numbers. We also compared the accounts we won to the ones we lost. Based on that, we decided where to keep investing and where to cut back.
Getting buy-in
If you're reading this, you already know the value of good content. I can skip the "Educate your stakeholders!" stuff with you. Instead, I’d start by connecting your content with business outcomes. For example, if your priority is growing your user base in a new segment, I’d diagnose what’s standing in your way. Maybe these prospects don’t think you understand their industry.
Next, I’d look at your metrics to see if they support my diagnosis. Things like high bounce rates, short reading times, or no conversions could be red flags but ideally, I would do qualitative research to get a clearer picture. Before suggesting any changes, I’d set objectives against these same metrics.
You can expect me to put together a plan with clear goals, tactics, required resources and budget, timeline, and milestones (like boosting Metric X from 20 to 60 by a specific date). I would listen to any concerns you have, and tweak the plan as needed so we’re both on the same page.
If you’re not ready to commit to the full plan, I’d pitch you a pilot program. This smaller version would test the plan with fewer resources and a shorter timeline. We’d set specific goals to see if the pilot meets them. If it works, we’d move forward because the plan is validated; if not, we’d ditch it.
When I was at BrandOps, I did this with 2-page Google Docs.
Problem-solving skills
At BrandOps, we used our LinkedIn company page primarily for lead-gen. But when we were about to switch to a brand marketing approach, we had to start from scratch. Our posts so far would get between 4 to 8 reactions per post — lower than our competitors and horrid performance overall. Normally I would research the root cause, but not this time. The root cause was obvious even to a layperson: our content was self-serving, dry, and too academic.
Our CEO insisted we switch from text posts to videos with human faces in them. While that made sense, simply changing the format wouldn’t fix our root cause. We’d still have the same dull and salesy content, just in a video form. Instead, I went back to the drawing board to make our content genuinely interesting to our ICP. I proposed topics that had universal relevance with the things our ICP thought about and dealt with with every day. Then, I suggested ways to tie it to our product without directly pushing it.
Only then did we start transitioning to video. The founding team agreed that I don't have the charisma or energy to be the star of our videos, so I proposed hiring someone who does for a pilot project. I spent two days researching and shortlisting video creators who specialized in TikTok-style videos for LinkedIn. After thorough interviews along with our CCO Alex, we hired one for a 4-video contract. I then briefed the creator on the topics, key messages, and things to avoid.
The results were fantastic. Those 4 videos turned out to be our most engaging LinkedIn content ever, with each getting around 40 reactions. This also gave our team a formula to follow, which was great since I was nearing the end of my tenure.
To be clear: 40 reactions aren't impressive. My worst-performing personal LinkedIn posts get that many. But considering the limited control I had over my work at BrandOps...
Collaboration and communication
Alignment documents
Most problems in my professional life come from miscommunication. It happens when I get vague instructions (e.g., "Make this sentence more compelling!"), misinterpret sarcasm, try reading between the lines, or worst of all, be forced to assume what the collaborator wants because apparently, their thoughts and feelings should go without saying. I've had bad experiences. Now I communicate meticulously and explicitly.
Some say I take it too far by creating detailed alignment documents. Whether it's an action plan for a content piece or a big-picture strategy, I document every last detail about what I think should be done and what I understand the collaborators want (e.g., based on our meetings). Before we move to action, I share these docs with collaborators and ask them to formally confirm whether we're aligned. Not only do these docs keep the communication clear, but they also give us a reference point. If the team has any questions, they can see this doc instead of pinging each other on Slack or requesting more meetings.
Here are 2 examples of alignment documents:
Alignment doc with Rob (Head of Marketing at ButterDocs)
Alignment doc with a freelance client for an original research report
*The details are redacted to protect my employers and clients.
Status Reports
When we work together, you never have to worry about staying aligned with me. I include the status reports section in the alignment document mentioned earlier. I update them at the beginning and the end of every day. This helps my clients (and potential employers like you) always know:
What my priorities are
What I'm currently working on and why
What I accomplished so far
Whether there are any bottlenecks
What's next
You can access this document at any time. Here's an example from a recent freelance project.
Receiving feedback
According to my former managers, I'm coachable and open to feedback. I take pride in my work, so criticism naturally hurts, but I never take it personally. Now that I'm more experienced, I tend to ask questions instead of blindly accepting any feedback just because it comes from a person in authority. It helps me understand why something works or not. And when you give me feedback, I'll act on it consistently, not just once for that one project.
Here's how my feedback processes typically play out in practice, using article writing as an example:
Gather relevant data.
Schedule a meeting with my manager.
Discuss feedback with my manager, considering both the data and their opinions.
Document the feedback and an action plan (to prevent any misunderstanding).
Apply the feedback and make revisions.
Present the updated version of my article to my manager, highlighting most important changes.
Either get approval to publish my updated article, or get new feedback.
This process worked well for me at BrandOps. It's standard for content teams as far as I know.
Strengths
Innovative and creative: If there's one thing I'm best at, it's making content stand out using creativity, innovative concepts, distinctive visuals, and / or unique insights. For example, my creative LinkedIn post for ButterDocs went semi-viral in our ICP and drove a sign-up a minute after I published it.
Deeply analytical: I’ve used various methods to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data, source insights, and even create uniquely insightful content around them.
Organized: If my obsessive alignment documents didn't make it obvious, I'm very organized. I have a backup plan for a backup plan, and I build folders and systems for nearly everything.
Reliable: When I commit to something, you can consider it done, no matter what. I'm proud to say I never missed a deadline in my career. Nowadays, I turn down many freelance opportunities if I’m not sure I can live up to the expectations.
Great at social media: While most content marketers focus on long-form articles, my superpower is creating social content that gets your audience talking about, liking, and remembering you. I did it for ButterDocs. (Don't worry, I can make great long-form content, too.)
Marketer first, not a writer first: My experience working with founding teams, sales reps, product marketers, and brand marketers has taught me how to align content with various brand and marketing goals. I don't just "make stuff". I understand the big picture.
Weaknesses
If you expected me to endlessly pat myself on the back, you're wrong. As I said, this article is meant to help you see if we're a fit. That comes with the bad stuff. Here's some.
Weird background: Unlike most content marketers, I don't have a conventional writing, SEO, or journalism background. I started a brand designer and strategist.
Limited experience managing freelancers: I've never managed freelancers independently. You'd need to give me some guidance at the beginning.
Introverted, shy, and uncharismatic: You shouldn't make me the star of your video content.
Too romantic about content quality: This can make me slow to ship and iterate.
Idealistic: I get stubborn with how I think things should be instead of what they are.
Not ruthless enough: Sometimes I spend too much time and energy on failing ideas. Instead of cutting my losses, I do proverbial backflips to try make them succeed.
Overly meticulous: This should be evident by this 14-minute long article.
Not a fan of SEO content: Many companies churn out countless undifferentiated "Top 5 Tips For X" articles made for one thing only: ranking on Google. I understand that this playbook is effective, but I find it deeply unfulfilling to work on. It's not for me.
Values and traits
Respect
From the CEO to a janitor, I treat everyone with utmost respect. I expect the same in return. Together we can solve any problem, as long as you're not being sarcastic and condescending, raising your voice at me, or making weird personal comments.
Resourcefulness
If you need to make your marketing work with the resources you have, I'm your guy. As sad as it is to admit it, I come from nothing and I spent most of my life (successfully) making something out of it.
I'm one of the rare B2B content marketers crazy enough to conduct and publish an original research report completely independently. I took on the role of a one-man marketing team at a startup struggling to find a product-market fit, and somehow managed to drive $1.6M in pipeline. From lead nurturing automations to preparing and promoting webinars, I created and maintained all their systems. Some can argue that I'm marketing myself more effectively than some companies with 2-3 marketers on their payroll. I mean... you could be doing so many things right now. But you're reading this, aren't you?
Giving a damn
It sounds cliché, but it's true. Content marketing isn't just a job to me. If you need me, I'll occasionally stay overtime to complete a major project. I'll challenge you and your team as much as you'll challenge me. We'll grow together. I'll ask you tough questions, go the extra mile to differentiate your content, try wildly creative ideas, and propose more effective processes. All because I care about doing effective work, not just ticking a box.
If I didn't care, I'd launch an SEO content farm and make a comfortable living. I wouldn't be fighting uphill battles trying to change how we think about content, advocating for brand-building in an industry driven by short-term gains, and serving as a living proof of everything I preach.
Love for creativity
If my purple chef monster mascot or LinkedIn posts like these didn't give it away, I'm pretty creative. But anyone can be an "ideas person" from the sidelines. Not me. If we work together, you will have someone who can take risks, apply creativity to content, and make it drive results.
After all, B2B's problem isn't making a poor impression, but getting noticed at all. Creativity helps a lot.
Great > done > perfect
Content marketers say: "Done is better than perfect!" I don't buy this false dichotomy. Creating mediocre or award-winning work aren't our only options. Some use this saying as an excuse for phoning it in.
The internet is full of "done" content. It's the stuff you scroll past and forget every day. But unless your strategy is "getting your company out there" instead of making anyone care, "done" isn't enough. The world doesn't need more "done" content; it needs more GREAT content. I can help you get there.
*If you're curious about how I define "great" content, this visual explains it.
A brand marketer at heart
Whenever I meet new people, I introduce myself as a brand marketer who works in content marketing. It's not the smartest decision considering the demand for brand marketers, but it's the honest one.
I have a bias for tactics that differentiate your content, make prospects care about you, remember you, and consider you first when they're ready to buy. Very much unlike most content marketers I know who are all about SEO and scaling organic traffic.
Dear reader,
This one was for you. For the hiring brand and content marketing directors in B2B SaaS, the curious marketers who visit my "About Me" page but don’t convert, and my close industry friends who are familiar with my work, but still only refer me to junior roles...
I’m sorry if I left a bad impression — that’s on me. I hope this article made it clear that I'm pretty damn far from junior and that I offer more experience and value than you might have thought.
If you believe I fit your needs for a full-time content marketer, let’s set up an intro call.
Comments