How Marketing Strategists Can Become In-House Content Creators

Are you an agency strategist? Do you also enjoy content creation? Wondering how to balance both roles effectively?

In this article, you'll discover how to embrace a hybrid creator-strategist role and how to charge for your creative services.

Defining the Modern Content Creator and Evolving Social Media Marketing Strategist 

Content creators and social media managers play distinct yet complementary roles in crafting an effective online presence for brands. Though the lines blur at times, understanding the core responsibilities of each allows for more strategic collaboration. 

The modern content creator is a digital jack-of-all-trades, developing written, visual, and video assets to bring a brand’s message to life across platforms, not just social media. The specific mediums may vary, but the content creator’s ultimate goal remains engaging audiences by producing high-quality content that resonates with their target audience. They focus less on channel growth and more on optimizing content for performance and visibility. 

Content creators leverage various tools to generate digital marketing content, including photo and video editing software, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platforms that provide content inspiration, and collaborators who supplement skill sets. 

A creator’s multifaceted skill set allows them to deliver a range of in-demand branded content marketing. This includes photography, short-form social videos, written website copy, email newsletters, blogs and long-form articles, and more. 

Whereas content creators focus solely on asset production, social media strategists focus on growing branded channels and communities. Their core duty is developing data-driven social strategies centered on engagement and conversions.

Once they map out a plan of attack, the social media manager turns to implementation. This entails managing the brand’s daily posting cadence, writing captions and responses, running campaigns and activations, and monitoring engagement analytics. They may rely on creators' custom-branded content if necessary to achieve goals.

The Best of Both Worlds 

While content creators and social media strategists' distinct priorities and entrenched focuses set the roles apart, crossover exists in branded content and channel management. Top-tier content creators exhibit equal parts creative talent and business acumen. Their big-picture perspective allows them to consistently deliver content aligned with client goals that packs a punch.

Meanwhile, forward-thinking social media managers integrate content creators into strategies when custom assets prove integral for meeting benchmarks. They appreciate how supplementary content supercharges organic channel growth efforts.

This interdependence helps maximize impact. Still, retaining clearly defined digital content creator and social media strategist roles based on unique skill sets provides greater clarity. It also enables more straightforward workflow mapping when collaborating across teams.

How to Embrace a Hybrid Creator-Strategist Role 

Jayde Powell, a content creator turned agency owner, offers valuable advice for content creators and agency strategists looking to refine their processes.   

#1: Know Your Strengths 

To become a content creator, first, figure out what types of content creation you enjoy and are good at. Do you like writing? Making videos? Taking photos? You don't have to do it all. Focus on creating the types of content you feel enthusiastic about and motivated to make, Jayde says.  

The content creation process should come from a real passion for the work. You'll eventually burn out if you don't genuinely enjoy the process. It’s also important to know what you're not good at. If writing isn't your strength, don't market yourself as a writer. If you dislike making TikTok videos, don't offer that service.

Next, get feedback from honest people on the content you're producing. If it's not very good, that's okay—it means you can improve or maybe try creating different types of content. For Jayde, trial and error was necessary because much of her skill set was rooted in social media management before creating content. Play to your strengths rather than spread yourself thin.  Figure out what you excel at by testing different formats and asking for critiques.

Also, consider if you want content creation to be a hobby or a more significant business. Building a company around your creative work is challenging. Make sure you genuinely love the process and types of content production you want to focus on before committing to grow it into a business. Find out if you'd instead create on request or own managing a content brand. 

Juggling the Creator-Strategist Role 

It can be tricky to juggle being both a creative content producer and a strategist. Sometimes, clients want Jayde to create a video or social post. They don't care about broader strategy. She says she must avoid jumping into that strategist mindset when clients want content creation.

Other times, a client needs clarification on the difference between creating posts and total social media management. Jayde has learned that she sometimes needs to educate them on how content creation differs from ongoing posting and optimization.

She recommends asking clarifying questions upfront so you and your client both understand the expected scope of work. The key is being flexible—making content alone if that's the ask or folding it into a broader strategy when warranted.

How Being a Creator Can Help Your Business 

Being creative has helped Jayde succeed in running her business, The Em Dash Co., a content and creative development agency specializing in content creation, creative ideation, and strategy. When she first started, Jayde handled all the branding—logos, color schemes, and concepts. Clients noticed and appreciated that strategic eye for design.

Her background as a maker also makes her more of a collaborative partner and helps her bring more ideas to the table for clients. If a company just wants social media content, she can suggest other creative opportunities like refreshing their blog or emails.

Jayde’s identity as a creative is a big part of her personal brand, too. She markets herself as deeply embedded in visual storytelling, writing, photography, and other arts. When clients hire her or her agency, they know that creative skills will inform the work and overall experience.  

Tools to Help You Create Content

Jayde is excited about AI innovations in marketing tools lately. As a solo creator and agency owner, AI has become a virtual creative director for her. 

When she gets stuck conceptualizing ideas for a client, she can turn to AI and say, “Give me five ideas for a basketball merch line.” It spits out some generic starters but helps shake up her thinking. She doesn’t have an in-house team to riff with, so AI fills that role—an instant ideation partner. You can take those seeds of inspiration and apply your own expertise to develop innovative, strategic campaigns, Jayde says.  

She also loves the platforms she uses for graphic design, video editing, and copywriting—Canva, Splice, and Descript—and how they now bake in AI to enhance workflows. Whether better draft writing, automated edits, or graphic creation, the tech saves her time while she provides the final creative polish.

#2: Set Expectations With Clients 

Jayde tries to maintain a strategic focus amidst creativity when working with other creators and clients. It’s easy to get carried away with big, flashy ideas that aren’t grounded. But always bring it back to the client’s specific goals. Understanding their priorities and desired outcomes informs what you should actually make.

Ask questions like, “What are you trying to accomplish, and why?” and “Where will this content live?” Getting clarity around their objectives, targets, budget, etc., creates that critical strategic frame for your creative concepts.

Without those goalposts, creative ideas can balloon in any direction. You can determine the best formats, platforms, and creative direction by tying aspirations back to practical objectives. 

It’s a balancing act between imaginative thinking and strategic alignment. Jayde says her job is funneling big, sky's-the-limit creative ideas through the lens of the client’s concrete business needs. That leads to work that’s both visually engaging and purposely driving results.

Charging for Your Creative Services 

Short-form videos (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc.) often range from $500–$1,500 per video, depending on length, production quality, and creator experience level.

Written content like blogs and white papers starts around $500 per post/paper and up to $2,000 or more for extensive research reports. Some writers charge per word instead.

For larger monthly retainers, Jayde structures packages from $5,000–$10,000 per month. That gives the client a set number of monthly content assets like 3 social graphics, 2 blog posts, 1 video. She also includes several monthly meetings for throwing around ideas and providing general strategic input.

Respecting Deadlines

When working with creators, a big red flag is poor time management and missing deadlines, Jayde says. Creators often thrive on big ideas but struggle with project execution.

However, business skills like organization, planning, and reliability are crucial, especially when working with corporate clients. The best work in the world won't matter if you constantly deliver late. For example, Jayde hired a creator to work on some apparel designs for her. While the designs were stunning, the creator was constantly late in delivering the work. If someone's process is perpetually late, it hurts your business and customers, Jayde says.

Top creators utilize both creativity and process. They conceptualize unique content ideas while mapping schedules, managing workflows, and meeting timelines. Clients want right-brained vision plus left-brained project rigor. Show you can juggle wild creativity with structured efficiency.  

Great creative chops may initially attract clients, but rock-solid reliability will make them return and become fans for life.

Establishing Boundaries When Necessary

As a business owner, it’s easy to obsess over profits and revenue. But for Jayde, avoiding burnout and loving what she does daily is crucial.

Carefully select projects aligned with your skills and passions. Even if the money is great, Jayde recommends saying “No” to scope creep that will make you miserable. If it’s a project not in your skill set, Jayde says to contact your collaborators for help or recommend another creator in your network.  

#3: Develop a Network of Collaborators 

Collaboration is key in content creation right now. None of us can do everything alone. Our individual strengths and weaknesses complement each other. By partnering on projects, the end result becomes richer, more multifaceted, and more impactful. With several creators ideating and producing together, we expand beyond just one limited point of view.

Collaborating also spreads visibility further for everyone involved. Jayde’s collaborators shout her out to their networks and vice versa. It helps them all reach broader audiences and access more opportunities together.

Building relationships with other talented creators pays dividends just like networking—except you're directly and actively working together. So, it lifts our content while providing growth, learning, and community.

While she is open to collaborating with other creators—informally or potentially even building out a small agency of diverse talent—Jayde loves the idea of free agent creatives owning their own business yet assembling flexibly on projects. She likes the collaborative, boutique agency feel while still facilitating creators, especially from marginalized communities, to own their craft and livelihood fully. 

What to Look for When Partnering With Content Creators

A green flag when hiring or partnering with a creator is if they've researched your brand and have a unique perspective to offer.

The best creators get excited about the project because it aligns with their values and interests—not just because it's paid work. Before accepting, they review your offer, mission statement, and overall vibe.

This homework gives them crucial context for conceptualizing content authentically fitting your brand. They can tailor creative ideas to your specific goals and identity rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. They know who you are, what makes you unique, and what content would best reflect and serve that. 

#4: The Future of Content Creation

Not all content creators adopt a business-minded approach; instead, they float from project to project without much forward thinking. 

However, Jayde predicts the creator role will evolve to mirror traditional in-house positions like graphic designer or copywriter. She expects an increasing number of businesses to hire full-time multimedia creators on creative teams to handle visual, written, and video content needs.  

Rather than expecting specialists like photographers to write, creators will act as generalists—writing posts, shooting product photos, and ideating campaigns. This allows brands to pivot content across platforms without relying on multiple niche skill sets. Creators will essentially become on-demand Swiss army knives.

She also thinks creators will continue honing business skills to launch their own agencies. We'll shift from dabbling creators with some TikToks to full-fledged creative agencies pumping out content at scale.  

The social media landscape shows no signs of scaling back our visual addiction. Though the days of keyword-stuffed blog posts have passed, channels like TikTok and Instagram will continue relying on cutting-edge branded content for power uses, looking to expand reach and awareness organically for the long haul.

For example, as someone who has been creating a lot of social content lately, Jayde finds the push into social commerce on TikTok intriguing. Creators can now monetize by selling products directly to their followers. More ways for makers to earn money is always a positive, Jayde believes. 

However, she worries that TikTok Shop fuels excess consumerism. It risks becoming like QVC, where creators push products people may not need just to make sales. There's an over-capitalistic vibe of buying for buying's sake.

Jayde hopes that TikTok Shop matures into a platform that allows creators to fund their work sustainably while providing genuine value to consumers. For example, she’d love to see creators highlight useful, eco-friendly products instead of collecting more Stanley cups. 

The core responsibilities of creators and social media marketing strategists may transform with time. However, their symbiotic relationship persists in providing the one-two punch today’s digitally-native brands need to thrive across platforms, stand out amid endless feeds, and ultimately scale revenue. Finding harmony between creativity for the sake of quality and strategy for conversions remains integral no matter the trends of the moment.

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