In the past decade, every content audit I’ve conducted has resulted in very different recommendations and documented content strategies—except for one really big thing. Almost every company I’ve worked with lacked a well-thought-out and documented taxonomy.

Before you tell me that’s not the content team’s job and scroll on down to the really juicy job listings we’ve curated, give me a minute!

As I shared in my content governance session at MarketingProfs B2B Forum last week, the lack of this documentation results in tagging proliferation that makes your job a lot harder. For example, it’s not unusual to find a team manually assigning all of the following tags (and their plural variations) in their CMS, URLs, and UTMs:

• EBook
• E-book
• Ebook
• e-book
• eBook

Why does this matter? Google, with its search crawling and analytics, counts each of these tags as distinct. You and I can see that these are clearly meant to be the same thing, but the robots can’t.

Similarly, when someone looks at an analytics dashboard, clicks through to a topical archive from a blog post, or searches for this type of content, they will only find content that matches the version of the tag used.

When we conduct content audits for our clients, we search for and consolidate duplicate tags. Then, we provide the list to the client so they can remediate. If they don’t, they’ll be back in the same boat, applying incomplete and often misleading data about what’s working in their content marketing program.

Without this small element of content governance, well-intentioned use of AI and analytics can result in impactful recommendations made without accurate context.

Ugh.

So, where should you start? If you have admin-level access to your CMS, you can quickly identify potential taxonomy issues by reviewing your categories and tags and identifying any obvious duplicates.

However, for the greatest impact, you’ll want to head into your analytics tool. You’ll want to export your past year’s analytics and sort the data by page title. It’s also helpful to export your referrers list, which will uncover any duplicate UTM variables.

Of course, the clean-up and documentation is only the first step. To keep this data clean so it can be used to its full advantage, you need to ensure you have the buy-in from everyone on your team who is responsible for tagging content and communications. Meet with your customer success, sales, and web development leaders to share what you’ve uncovered. Ask for their support in agreeing to and supporting a single shared taxonomy across the organization.

AI has the potential to do so much for our content programs and organizations, but only when we give them the right foundation to start from.

Coming Up on #ContentChat

Content Chat is my weekly LinkedIn Live video chat focused on sharing expertise and ideas with 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 receive a reminder and access the chat.

• ​Today, on #ContentChat, I’ll be joined by a longtime friend of #ContentChat, Dennis Shiao, to share our tips and lessons learned for building your content marketing community. Dennis and I will reflect on how our networks have helped us as we’ve progressed through our careers, and we’ll spotlight the social media groups, conferences, and other online and offline communities that have been vital to our success.
• There is no #ContentChat next Monday (Nov. 25), considering many community members take the week off in observance of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you have a fabulous feast surrounded by your family, friends, and loved ones. And if you are wondering what to make as a delicious side for a gluten-free dinner guest, I highly suggest my gluten-free cheddar cheese scones. They’re so delicious that even your wheat-eating guests will snap them up!

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​

Content Marketing + Related Jobs

​Director, Content Strategy, Adobe.
​Adobe is hiring a director of content strategy to help shape its content management in the AI era. Responsibilities include defining content strategies to align with business objectives, leading detailed content requirements analyses across digital media, and creating content specifications for model training. This is a pivotal leadership role that will oversee AI-generated content to ensure its outputs achieve the brand’s standards. This in-person role is located in San Jose, CA, or NYC.

​Sr. Content Marketing Strategy Manager, Events, Lyra Health.
​Lyra Health provides technology that is transforming mental health care and ensuring people feel emotionally healthy at work and home. The organization is seeking a senior content marketing strategy manager for its branded and demand generation events, including webinars, trade shows, and field events. The individual will work closely with product, corporate marketing, and event marketing teams to bring online and in-person events to life and manage the end-to-end content development process for events. This includes sourcing and managing internal and external speakers and preparing post-event content reports. This role is remote.

​Head of Communication & Engagement, Postman.
​Postman is a leading API platform used by more than 25 million developers and half a million organizations around the world. Its team is looking for a head of communication and engagement who will develop and oversee the implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy that aligns with the company’s vision and business goals. The individual will lead a team to create compelling content, campaigns, and initiatives while ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms. This role is based in San Francisco.

​Director, Content Development, Hatch.​
Hatch provides products and solutions designed to help people develop better sleep habits, with baby products in 1 in 3 nurseries and an adult smart sunrise alarm clock that has gone viral on TikTok. Its growing content team is adding a director of content development to oversee the development of premium audio across Hatch’s adult content business. The person will develop talk content, storytelling, music, mindfulness audio, soundscapes, short-form content, and more in partnership with the production team and content strategists, reporting to the VP of content. This role is remote based in the U.S. or Canada, working on Pacific time.

​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 content lead to help craft its voice and brand in partnership with the head of communications and content. Responsibilities include writing and editing high-quality content across various formats, collaborating with cross-functional teams to support content needs and ensure cohesive messaging, and scaling content systems. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Content Marketing Manager, Website, HoneyBook.​
HoneyBook is a leading business management platform built for independent business owners to sell and deliver their services online. Its team is hiring a content marketing manager to own the strategic direction of the HoneyBook marketing site, aiming to increase awareness and top-of-funnel conversion. The individual will lead a website redesign, roadmap, brand positioning, optimization, and testing. This hybrid role is based in San Francisco.

​Head of Branded Content, My Code.
​My Code is a media and marketing company that elevates diverse voices and empowers brands to build lasting relationships with Hispanic, Black, AANHPI, and LGBTQIA+ communities. The team has worked with clients including Google, Starbucks, Home Depot, and Best Buy. Its creative studio is hiring its first head of branded content to oversee and guide the team’s branded content initiatives across various platforms and channels. This in-person role is based in Los Angeles.

​Director, Global Product Content, BOLD.
​BOLD is an established global organization that provides digital products that have empowered millions of people to build stronger resumes and cover letters, helping them find jobs faster. The company is seeking a director of global product content who will lead content efforts for new generative AI initiatives and manage in-product content experiences across multiple product lines and businesses. The individual will scale content development and ensure content quality across several languages, relying on a team and LLMs. This role is remote.

Expand Your Candidate Pool—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

​Call For Speakers: CES 2025 (Dec. 1 Deadline).
​The Content Entrepreneur Expo, hosted by Joe Pulizzi’s The Tilt and Lulu, is now accepting speaker applications. This is my favorite content creator event, and it attracts leading innovators across every corner of the business and content spectrum. Next year’s event is in Cleveland on August 24-26. Get your submission in by December 1. I hope to see you on stage!

​[#ContentChat Recap] How Content Strategy Informed Blu Pagoda’s Rebrand to Collabry.
​I had the pleasure of joining my friends and former Schwabbies Rachel Formaro and Jenny Cronin to discuss their content strategy was a catalyst for Blu Pagoda’s rebrand to Collabry. Check out this #ContentChat recap to learn about the early signals a rebrand could be valuable and what brand content teams should be ready to address when navigating a rebrand.

​LinkedIn Creator Checklist.
​LinkedIn made some big changes this month to its feed processing, again shifting how your content will perform on the channel. Christopher Penn and the Trust Insights team recently explained the updates and provided a free guide that explains how to craft content for the site that will have the best chance of reaching your target audience.

​Erika Heald Knows How to Juggle Multiple Content Businesses.
​My career has taken many turns, which prepared me to launch my consultancy in 2017. I met with ​Marc Maxhimer​ IRL at CMworld to discuss my journey from magazine journalist to consultancy founder and share advice for content entrepreneurs hoping to scale their businesses. Read Marc's article to learn about my journey.

​Bad Content Ideas: What To Do When You Can’t Say No.
​You’ve probably been given a content marketing topic that clearly wasn’t a good fit or didn’t align with your strategy, but you weren’t sure how to push back. It’s a common issue many of us struggle with—but protecting our strategy boundaries and navigating potentially tough discussions is an essential skill we can all develop. In this CMI article, my friends Amy Higgins and Monica Norton walk you through a step-by-step process to workshop a potentially “bad” idea to get it on a better path without causing any internal drama.

​Why B2B CMOs are Frustrated with ABM Platforms.
​Account-based marketing platforms aren’t always the magic fix that marketing teams hope for, boosting sales and improving team efficiency. This MarTech article explains the core functions of ABM platforms, the hidden costs, and possible alternate ways to achieve the same goals without the hassles. This is a helpful article as teams consider their 2025 tech priorities.

​6 Best Content Marketing Tools According to an Expert.
​Speaking of 2025 tech investments, I recently shared my top six content marketing tool recommendations with Shopify: Grammarly, CoSchedule’s Headline Studio, Perplexity, Canva, Semrush, and Notion. Learn more about each in this post, including why I love them and what I use them for. Tell me about the tools you recommend—I’m always looking to try new tools and add to our marketing toolbox!

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​