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What would Shakespeare be doing in present day Britain?

21.04.16

As we are celebrating 400 years of Shakespeare’s works, at affinity we have been wondering – what would Shakespeare be doing if he were alive in present day Britain? We have decided that not only would he be likely to be working in content marketing, but he would be the best Content Strategist in the country. 

Looking over his career and works, we have discovered that Shakespeare had all the talents and skills needed to be a great Content Strategist. 

Still need convincing? Then read on… 

Writing talent 
First and foremost, a good Content Strategist needs to be a talented writer. So much of the job involves writing – whether it is writing blog posts or crafting catchy tweets within the 140 character limit. Many Content Strategists were originally print journalists or copywriters, showing the importance of writing for the job. As Shakespeare is regarded as England’s national poet there is little doubt to his writing abilities.   

Knowing your audience 
Content Strategists need to know and understand a brand’s audience so that they can create the content that will engage this audience. Shakespeare was masterful at knowing his target audience. He knew that including lewd jokes in his plays would appeal to the masses, while focusing on subjects like majesty, romance and tragedies would appeal to members of the court. 

Adapting to current events 
A Content Strategist needs to know what is going on in the world, as well as being able to keep up with social media trends, so that the content created is fresh and original. A Content Strategist also needs to know how to adapt strategies to fit new developments and trends to ensure that content remains engaging and relevant. Again, Shakespeare’s plays show that he was masterful at adapting to changes, after all would he have written Macbeth if the Scottish James VI had not become James I of England? 

Ability to plan
Having a strategic mind is key to being a Content Strategist (the job title is a bit of a giveaway!). Without the strategic part, a Content Strategist is a fancy name for a copywriter or content marketer, but a Content Strategist is someone who works with brands to ensure that all content created is being produced to achieve an overall objective. The plots to Shakespeare’s plays show that he was great at planning and contained the strategic mind needed for a career as a Content Strategist.  

Work across different types of content 
While much of what a Content Strategist does involves writing, they still need to be able to work with lots of different types of content. For example a good Content Strategist needs to be able to craft the perfect image for Instagram, create an ebook or come up with a video idea. Throughout his career Shakespeare showed he was able to work across different areas of the Elizabethan theatrical scene, from writing Sonnets to working as a London stage actor and, of course, being the best playwright England has ever produced. 

 

Written by Derin Clark, Content Strategist 

 

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What would Shakespeare be doing in present day Britain?

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