The calendar tells me today should be the frosting and decorating the dozens of holiday cookies I baked yesterday day.

Instead, I'm sitting on the sofa using my laptop with Kupo, my French bulldog, snoring away at my side, prepping this final newsletter of the year.

The cookies require a ton of pre-planning and just the right timing. Sadly, that timing was consumed by recovering from the crud that was going around at the three elementary schools my partner floats between as a school nurse. I also haven't been in a baking state of mind this season, sadly.

While it can be hard to let go of those things we wanted to do or should do or always do, sometimes you just have to let it gooooooo. (Sorry, I can't help putting that earworm in your head.)

Luckily, unlike those unmade holiday cookies, I did deliver a few really important pieces of content:

• The CAOS Content Maturity Assessment, in collaboration with Carmen Hill and Pamela Muldoon
• A webinar and blog post for The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) on using content governance to bring your content strategy to life
• An outline for the book I'm writing on content governance that reflects that webinar and the energizing sessions I presented at this year's MarketingProfs B2B Summit and CMI's CMworld conference.

In the holiday spirit of giving—and keeping this newsletter brief so you can get back to you last-minute online holiday shopping (I see you)—here is my shortlist for where to focus your content governance efforts and spend any extra time over the next few weeks:

1. Document your brand voice
2. Define your taxonomy.
3. Create content request, creation, and distribution templates
4. Start curating a content style guide

With content governance in place, your content program can scale well beyond your daily to-do list. If you need help in the new year putting content governance and its related frameworks and tools to work in your organization, get in touch—I'd love to help.

Join us for #ContentChat in 2025

Content Chat is my weekly LinkedIn Live video chat focused on sharing expertise and ideas amongst the content marketing community. Join the conversation on Mondays at noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. We're on our annual holiday break for the rest of the year, but will be back the first Monday in January.

Get Involved with #ContentChat

• #ContentChat is now on Meetup!
  ​Join our community Meetup page to connect, learn, and share best practices in content strategy, management, and marketing with fellow #ContentChat members.
• ​Want #ContentChat on your calendar?
  ​Use this link to follow our calendar so you never miss a chat.
• We're booking guests for Q1 2025—send us your pitch!
  ​Are you a content marketing practitioner, author, or consultant interested in being a guest for an upcoming edition of #ContentChat? We’d love to hear your topic pitch via our Content Chat guest submission form​

Content Marketing + Related Jobs

​Content Marketing Manager, Tremendous.
​Tremendous provides a fast, free, and flexible way to send bulk payouts to people over 200 countries. The brand team is hiring a content marketing manager who will brainstorm content topics across the buyer’s journey that align with the target audience and business objectives. The individual will edit contributed content to ensure consistency and create engaging content including articles, eBooks and guides, reports, case studies, and more. The role also includes managing Tremendous’ X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. This role is remote.

​B2B Content Lead, Notion.
​Notion is a popular productivity and note-taking app used by hundreds of global customers (including myself!) since 2016. The company is looking for a B2B content lead to drive its enterprise content strategy in partnership with the head of communications and content. The role involves building and implementing scalable content systems to support rapid market expansion and creating content across formats, from thought leadership to white papers and keynote presentations. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Senior Manager, Content Management, Onehouse.
​Onehouse is a mission-driven company dedicated to freeing data from data platform lock-in. The company delivers the industry’s most interoperable data lakehouse through a cloud-native managed service built on Apache Hudi. The team is seeking a senior manager of content management to execute its content strategy to establish thought leadership and drive growth and brand awareness in the data infrastructure space. This role is remote.

​Content Marketing Manager — Ostomy Care, Convatec.
​Convatec is a global medical products and technology company focused on solutions for managing chronic conditions, including advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence care, and infusion care. Its team is hiring a content marketing manager for its ostomy care solutions. The individual will develop and implement clinical marketing plans, and customer, patient, and sales training program content in close partnership with the performance marketing, product marketing, and medical affairs teams. This hybrid role is based in Lexington, MA, or Paddington, London.

​Manager, Content Marketing, FLYR.
​FLYR is a technology company focused on unlocking the freedom to innovate in the travel industry, eliminating legacy constraints to enable real-time decision-making, improve revenue performance, and modernize the e-commerce experience. The company is seeking a content marketing manager to develop the content strategy and oversee content creation, which includes executive bylines, blog posts, event content, presentation scripts, social media posts, and email campaigns. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Senior Content Marketing Manager, Ramp.
​Ramp is a financial operations platform that combines corporate cards with expense management, bill payments, vendor management, accounting automation, and more. The brand is looking for a senior content marketing manager who will lead financial storytelling, take ownership of its financial narratives, and use industry research, subject matter experts, and a network of freelancers to ensure authenticity and accuracy. This hybrid role is based in either NYC or San Francisco.

​Consumer Content Marketing Manager, Handshake.
​Handshake is a career platform for Gen Z, with a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators. The team is hiring a consumer content marketing manager to develop and execute creative content ideas across blog, video, and social media channels. The manager will serve as the primary owner of Handhshake’s feed and plan, develop, and host live virtual events to connect students directly to career guidance in an interactive format. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Content Marketing Manager, Koch Engineered Solutions.
​Koch Engineered Solutions (KES) specializes in process and pollution control equipment and digital technologies to help industries reduce emissions, save energy, and get the most from their resources. Its team is hiring a content marketing manager who will collaborate with internal teammates in segment marketing, communications, and analytics to develop content plans, inform creative design, and manage content across owned and paid channels. This in-person role is based in Wichita, KS.

​Senior Content Marketing Manager, Right Side Up.
​Right Side Up is a growth marketing consulting firm in the U.S. founded in 2016, with clients including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Stitch Fix, Coinbase, Stripe, Yelp, and Google. The firm is hiring a senior content marketing manager to help up-level and execute on its content strategy to increase brand awareness, drive traffic and engagement, and generate leads for its business. The individual will be the voice of Right Side Up and write and edit all communications for all marketing channels, which includes the firm’s blog, monthly newsletter, and social media. This role is remote.

​Content Strategist, Zowie.
​Zowie provides AI solutions designed to improve customer experiences and help companies connect faster, personalize better, and solve smarter. The company is looking for a content strategist to create and drive an industry-shaping content strategy across multiple channels and formats. The individual will be the head writer for the most critical pieces of content and dedicate teh rest of their time to research, planning, and creating briefs for other creators. This role is remote or can be based in NYC.

​Sr. Content Writer II, Digital Marketing, Smartsheet.
​Smartsheet empowers teams to manage projects, automate workflows, and rapidly build new secure solutions using simple no-code tools. Its digital marketing team is seeking a senior content writer who will focus on crafting exceptional content and copy for the Smartsheet website. The individual will be responsible for creating a variety of content and user-centric, high-impact digital experiences. This role is remote or can be based in Bellevue, WA.
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​Send Us Your Content Jobs!

If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelancer opportunity, reply to this email and let us know. We are always happy to share jobs with the community at no cost.

ICYMI

​40+ Content Marketing Trends Experts Predict Will Matter for Success in 2025.
​2024 shook up the content marketing rulebook from start to finish, and there’s no doubt that 2025 will keep us on our toes. In this Content Marketing Institute article, more than 40 content and marketing leaders (including me and many friends of #ContentChat) share what we think will matter most in the new year.
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My take? Many of us are going back to school, figuratively, and will attend online courses, read up on topics, and join learning-based communities to expand our skill sets.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Measuring Content Marketing’s Success.
​The key to content marketing success is the ability to measure our impact and prove the legitimate business value our content drives. Of course, that’s much easier said than done. That’s why I invited my good friend Marcia Trask, a content marketing leader and former analyst, to chat all about content marketing measurement. Check out this #ContentChat recap to learn why most attribution models are flawed, what tools are helpful for measurement, and why we need to measure our internal operations, too.

​If Your Audience’s Sources of Influence and Your Marketing Budget Don’t Align, You’re Gonna Have a Bad Time.
​The biggest channels may not be the most effective for reaching your audience. Too often, organizations invest heavily in limited channels for marketing, but buyers can be found through so many sources of influence—and the more niche could be more effective. This article/self-proclaimed rant by Rand Fishkin explains the disconnect and offers an exercise for you to map your audience’s sources of influence and compare that with your budget allocation.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Aligning Earned Media and Owned Media Strategies.
​Longtime #ContentChat community member Michelle Garrett, PR consultant and author of B2B PR that Gets Results, joined me to discuss how teams can align their earned media and owned media strategies. Check out the recap for our insight on what it takes to land a story in trade and business press, how to make the most of your customer stories, and why that Forbes contributor column is not as valuable as you might think.

​How to Track Referral Traffic from AI in GA4.
​AI is becoming a notable traffic driver for many of my clients (it’s driving more traffic than X in most cases!). If you need help tracking AI traffic in GA4, this post from Orbit Media offers two ways to do it with clear step-by-step instructions.

​Content Planning Prism: A 3D Framework for Creating Content That Works. ​
As my good friend Carmen Hill explains in her new blog post, form should follow function when it comes to content strategy. And function has multiple dimensions. Check out her post for a framework that provides a way to systemically plan content and address intent, information, and interaction needs.

​The New Age of AI-Powered Search: How B2B Marketers Can Keep Up.
​If you want your content to rank in search, it needs to appeal to AI-powered search. Get the full scoop on what AI-powered search is and how to factor it into your content strategy in this MarketingProfs article.

Until next time, stay safe and be well!

Cheers,

Erika

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​Erika Heald, Founder & Chief Content Officer​
​Erika Heald Marketing Consulting​
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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikaheald​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misserikasf/
​Threads: @MisserikaSF​​
​YouTube: @ErikaHeald​