1. Content Strategy and SEO Expertise 

- Content Planning: Experience in developing a content calendar, researching trending topics, and planning long-form and short-form content. Ideally, they can adapt topics to suit a blog’s niche while also resonating with audience interests. 

- SEO Skills: In-depth knowledge of keyword research, on-page SEO, and optimizing content to rank on search engines. They should be able to handle basic SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner. 

- Writing and Editing Skills: Ability to create high-quality, engaging, and error-free content is essential. They should also have a good eye for storytelling and know how to use different tones for diverse audiences. 

2. Digital Marketing and Audience Engagement 

- Social Media Savvy: Familiarity with different platforms and how to leverage them to drive traffic to the blog. They should know how to create shareable content and understand platform-specific nuances (e.g., Instagram vs. LinkedIn). 

- Email Marketing: Experience building and managing email lists, creating newsletters, and converting readers into subscribers. Basic knowledge of tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit is a plus. 

- Analytics and Growth Hacking: A data-driven mindset is crucial for measuring what’s working and what isn’t. Proficiency with Google Analytics (or similar) to track user behavior, audience demographics, and traffic sources is a must. 

3. Basic Design and Multimedia Skills 

- Visual Content Creation: Knowledge of design software like Canva or Adobe Creative Suite for creating blog graphics, social media visuals, or infographics. 

- Basic Video/Photo Editing: Since blogs often branch into multimedia, they should ideally know simple video editing (or have an interest in learning) for creating short video content that can be repurposed across social channels. 

- User Experience (UX) Awareness: Ability to understand and implement best practices in UX so that blog layouts, font choices, and other visual aspects contribute to a pleasant reading experience. 
 

4. Technical Skills for Blog Management 

- CMS Proficiency (e.g., WordPress): Familiarity with WordPress or other CMS platforms for uploading and managing content, troubleshooting basic technical issues, and working with themes or plugins. 

- Basic HTML/CSS Knowledge: Even though advanced coding isn’t necessary, familiarity with HTML and CSS is beneficial for simple adjustments or troubleshooting without waiting for a developer. 

- Site Speed Optimization: Awareness of what impacts page speed, image compression, and caching plugins is a plus since speed affects both user experience and SEO. 

5. Project Management and Flexibility 

- Adaptability and Initiative: A startup mentality is crucial—they should be comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, wearing multiple hats, and adapting to new tasks. 

- Collaboration and Communication Skills: Effective internal communication is key to keep projects aligned and efficient, especially in a lean startup setting where every detail counts.