The #ContentChat Bulletin: I’m Taking a Slow Stroll into 2025—And You Should, Too!


Happy New Year!

I took an extra long holiday break this year. Rather than trying to cram as many things as possible into the final weeks of 2024, I gave myself permission to hit the reset button.

I picked up (and read) library books I had on hold. I tidied up my home office, filing and shredding, and tossing things out. I spent quality time on the sofa with our two bulldogs and two cats, letting them use me as an on-demand hug provider and human pillow.

Today, I’m kicking off the new year by heading into my newly relocated coworking space to toast to the power of community and hosting a meeting with a client’s web developers to talk about transforming their collection of proprietary research into an engaging industry resource hub.

But, perhaps most importantly, I’m stretching my typing fingers and spending the bulk of the day sending out notes to colleagues to find ways to reconnect and co-create. Between hosting #ContentChat and researching and writing my book on content governance, there’s definitely plenty of opportunity for that on my end!

So, what about you? How are you setting yourself up to meet your goals and have a 2025 that helps you fulfill your personal and business goals? Hit reply and let me know. It’s a lot more fun (and meaningful) when we go on our content journeys together.

Cheers,

Erika

Coming Up on #ContentChat

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. RSVP for our upcoming conversations by clicking the chat date below to get a reminder and to access the chat.

  • There is no #ContentChat today as everyone returns to work mode after the holidays.
  • Next Monday (Jan. 13) on #ContentChat, our guest is Amanda Changuris, vice president of social media at Spectrum Science, to discuss what content marketers should know about Bluesky. We will explore the shifting brand social media landscape, how to reset your strategy for 2025, and why Bluesky and Threads may be valuable channels for your organization.

Get Involved with #ContentChat

  • Do you have questions you’d like us to answer during #ContentChat?
    Reply to this email or join us on Mondays to ask them live!
  • #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.
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    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

Sharing a curated selection of the most interesting full-time and contract content marketing jobs that have come across my screen over the past two weeks:

Send Us Your Content Jobs!

Do you know of a job opportunity you’d like to share with the community? If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelancer opportunity, reply to this email with the listing.

ICYMI

Content Governance is Ready for Its Slowment—Erika Heald.
Despite the focus companies around the globe are putting on adopting AI within their marketing teams, one huge thing remains overlooked—content governance. Without content governance in place, you really shouldn’t be using AI in the creation of any of your marketing materials. My new article explains why content leaders need a ‘slowment’ (H/T to the always on-the-mark Ann Handley) to develop their content governance toolkits and what to include to hit their stride this year.

Unlocking Marketing Success: The 10 Essential Books on AI, Leadership and Marketing You Need to Read—Pam Didner.
I expect many marketers to go back to school (literally or figuratively) this year and prioritize skills development to keep pace with our ever-shifting landscape. Artificial intelligence is an essential tool to explore to learn how to use it as a creative partner to scale content creation. This blog post shares 10 books on AI, leadership, and marketing you should consider reading, including our friend Pam Didner’s new books. Hear more from Pam in our past chat about writing great AI prompts for content marketing.

What Does Instagram’s Hashtag Move Mean for Marketers?—Ann Gynn.
Instagram users can no longer follow hashtags to receive those posts on their feeds. However, they can still search for hashtags. Are hashtags still worth it, though? A handful of marketing experts weigh in on how to garner engagement without hashtags. The TL;DR: prioritize relevant keywords and experiment with select hashtags to see what works for your community.

2025 Is a Make-or-Break Year for B2B Personalization: Marketers Need to Be Ready—Keith Turco.
Business buyers increasingly demand personalized content experiences. Why should they sift through generic resources and messages when making big decisions that will impact their work (and budgets!)? This article on MarketingProfs examines why buyers want personalization and control and what it takes for content teams to fulfill these expectations.

TikTok Marketing: An In-Depth Guide For Brands—Shelley Walsh.
The future of TikTok is uncertain, but it has forever changed how consumers prefer to consume content. Regardless of if TikTok survives 2025 in the U.S., marketers can learn a lot from it to drive engagement with video content on any channel. This SearchEngineJournal article explains six types of content that get attention on TikTok and brand examples to inspire your video strategy.

Until next time, stay safe and be well!

Cheers,

Erika

Erika Heald, Founder & Chief Content Officer
Erika Heald Marketing Consulting
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LinkedIn: @erikaheald
Instagram: @MissErikaSF
Threads: @MisserikaSF
Bluesky: @erikaheald.bsky.social
YouTube: @ErikaHeald

The #ContentChat Bulletin

Erika Heald is the host of the weekly #ContentChat LinkedIn Live video podcast for content marketers, held Mondays at noon Pacific. As a B2B marketing consultant, she helps organizations define and execute content marketing strategies that drive business and professional growth. As a creator, and gluten-free blogger helping people discover gut-friendly farm-to-table food. She frequently speaks at B2B marketing industry events on employee brand advocacy, content strategy, customer experience, AI readiness, and social media topics. You can find her on her blogs erikaheald.com and erikasglutenfreekitchen.com.

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