It’s December 2—do you know where your budget stands for the year?

In many organizations, you lose it if you don’t use it. This makes today, #CyberMonday, the best time ever to put that last little bit of budget to use.

When I was in-house, I always had a running wish list of projects and tools that I’d love to prioritize but didn’t have the budget for. While I didn’t get to do all of them, it made it easy to be the fastest finger to respond to those all-team emails asking if anyone could possibly spend an extra $$$$ budget allocation ASAP.
This was top of mind for me after chatting with an attendee at my MarketingProfs B2B Forum session on content governance.

Their budget for 2025 is already locked in. But after my session, they realized their entire team could benefit from some training on the importance of content governance, and, critically, on how to reflect the brand voice in content and communications (and how AI can help).

I brainstormed a few ways they (and you!) can find some creative ways to finance team training. Here they are:

• For a cross-organizational working session, consider how the various teams might be able to split up the costs. Split the invoice across multiple teams, or pay with your company credit card using your monthly discretionary spending funds.
• If you have individual professional development budgets available, you can pool those budgets for a group session.
• Maybe a group session isn’t the only option. Many marketing professionals also do 1:1 coaching and mentoring, often at a lower price than their large-scale training.
• What if you didn’t have to pay anything at all and still get the training you need? If you are part of ANA, AMA, MarketingProfs, or another membership association, that just might work! If you successfully pitch a marketing pro as a speaker, your team could attend the session as part of your membership benefits.

I’ve done all of the above the get my teams the training they deserve despite not having a team training budget. Do you have another creative way to finance marketing professional development training? Hit reply and let me know so I can share it!

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.

• ​Today, on #ContentChat, our guest is Marcia Trask, marketing leader and former Forrester analyst, who will share her advice for measuring the results of content marketing. We will explain where teams commonly fall short in demonstrating the value of their content efforts and share proven strategies and tools to help you showcase the business impact that content marketing has.
• ​Next Monday (Dec. 9) on #ContentChat, we’ll close out the video podcast for the year with our friend Michelle Garrett, PR consultant, writer, and speaker. Michelle and I will explain how to align owned media and earned media strategies for success, helping you blend PR and content marketing to make the most of your content and thought leadership opportunities. Michelle will also share insights from her must-read book B2B PR that Gets Results—you don’t want to miss this conversation!

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.
• ​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​

Make 2025 the Year That Redefines Your Career

Are you a mid-career marketing professional looking to elevate your career in 2025? Then this is the 1 hashtag#CyberMonday offer you can't refuse! (I mean, you can feel free to keep scrolling, but, you deserve a career glow-up for the new year.)
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Now, through the end of this week, I'm taking applications for 1:1 career coaching engagements. Together, we can:
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🗒️ Define a compelling elevator pitch that captures your unique value
🖥️ Refine your LinkedIn profile to attract the right opportunities and connections
🎙️ Develop a thought leadership platform to showcase your expertise
🖊️ Outline a practical career development plan to help you get to the next level
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If this sounds like what you need to make your career aspirations a reality, hit reply to this email or fill out my coaching application.

Content Marketing + Related Jobs

​Content Marketing Manager, AutoZone/ALLDATA.
​ALLDATA is the automotive industry’s top choice for unedited original equipment manufacturer automotive repair and collision information, with more than 115,000 subscribers who rely on its data for safe and accurate repairs. The ALLDATA team, which is owned by AutoZone, is hiring a content marketing manager who will oversee the creation, curation, and assessment of all marketing assets for products, promotions, and other marketing initiatives. The individual will manage activities across SEO, blogging, social media, and several advertising channels. This in-person role is based in Elk Grove, CA.

​Content Marketing Manager, TCP Software.
​TCP Software provides flexible, mobile timekeeping and workforce management solutions used by tens of thousands of customers and millions of users. The organization is seeking a content marketing manager to collaborate with its cross-functional teams to produce high-quality content aligned with its buyer's journey, spanning blog posts, e-books, white papers, solution briefs, press releases, and social media posts. The role includes developing the editorial calendar aligned with SEO and demand generation needs and producing and repurposing content for its owned channels. This in-person role is based in Plano, TX.

​Senior Content Marketing Manager, Crusoe.
​Crusoe builds AI infrastructure solutions powering the most advanced AI applications for Fortune 500 companies. Its team is looking for a senior content marketing manager who will drive the creation of engaging and relevant content across various formats, ensuring all content is optimized for search engines to enhance organic visibility and drive traffic. The role involves developing strategies to engage the brand’s audience across multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, and its website. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Head of Content Marketing, Retool.
​Retool’s mission is to bring good software to everyone by building a new type of development platform that combines the benefits of traditional software development with a drag-and-drop UI editor and AI. The organization is hiring a head of content marketing to lead its content team and develop and oversee content across the funnel to serve a very technical audience of software developers and engineering teams. The individual will manage a small internal team plus freelancers and agencies to create content in all forms and measure its success to optimize the strategy. This hybrid role can be based in San Francisco or NYC.

​Sr. Content Marketing Manager, Pendo.
​Pendo is committed to helping businesses and product teams improve the apps they build, buy, and sell so they can deliver better customer and employee experiences. Its team is seeking a senior content marketing manager who will drive its enterprise content strategy and creation; writing, editing, and project managing content that supports larger marketing campaigns. The role involves creating compelling thought leadership and messaging that positions Pendo as an enterprise solution with supporting proof points, customer stories, and outcomes-based narratives for an executive audience. This in-person role is based in Raleigh, NC.

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

​[#ContentChat Recap] Using Human Behavior and Psychology to Supercharge Your Content Marketing.
​If you’re looking for ways to engage your readers more effectively, my #ContentChat conversation with Nancy Harhut has so many tips for using psychology and human behavior to your advantage. Nancy explains concepts including the Von Restorff effect, autonomy bias, and rhyme as reason effect to help you stand out and drive your desired action. Dig into the full recap, and grab a copy of Nancy’s book Using Behavioral Science In Marketing for even more insights.

​Will the X Avalanche Lead to a New Social Media Landscape for Marketers?
​I no longer recommend X as a strategic (or safe) channel for most of my enterprise and tech clients, unless individual thought leaders or executives want to use the channel to support their thought leadership platforms. With thousands of users shifting to Bluesky and Threads daily, many marketers have questioned whether X is still worth their investment. CMI’s Robert Rose weighs in, sharing how we may be entering a new era of microblogging.

​[#ContentChat Recap] Using Claude and Perplexity to Improve Content Marketing Workflows.
​I was thrilled to reconnect with Twitter Chat OG Jason Schemmel to learn how he’s using generative AI tools like Claude and Perplexity to improve his content marketing workflows. Jason shared several use cases and tips you can apply today, including asking AI to critique its output and ask you any clarifying questions. This is a perfect companion piece to my recent conversation with Pam Didner about writing great AI prompts.

​#BrandCraft: From Tweets to Stream.
​#ContentChat has come a long way since our humble beginnings as a Twitter Chat (starting when I was a community member and not the host). I recently joined the fabulous Anh Nguyen on #BrandCraft to reflect on our community’s transition to live video and offer tips for others hosting live conversations. Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey—I can’t wait to see where 2025 takes us!

​[#ContentChat Recap] Finding Your Content Marketing Community.
​I credit much of my career success to communities like CMworld and MarketingProfs. These organizations have been vital for connecting me with many of my besties and innovators who have helped me achieve the full potential of content marketing. If you’re looking for recommendations on communities to join or need help building your network, my chat with Dennis Shiao spotlights many of the online and offline communities that have helped us (and our content marketing careers) thrive.

​[Infographic] The State of B2B Pipeline Growth.
​New survey data from 500 B2B marketers offers insight on the biggest challenges we’re facing and which channels are best for lead generation. Some highlights: 62% of organizations are consolidating teams and/or job responsibilities, and 40% are relying on GenAI. Email is the top lead generation channel, followed closely by social media and digital display advertising, but one in three marketers are not satisfied with their lead quality. See all the findings in the full infographic.

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​