Hi there.

In the past week, I saw dozens of former colleagues laid off from what they thought would be the jobs they’d retire from.

I also saw several other friends laid off from organizations that are taking a slow trickle approach to restructuring and layoffs.

Then I reviewed another three laid-off friends’ resumes and gave them thoughts on how to make their accomplishments stand out.

While none of these layoffs affected me, personally, like all of us, being adjacent to this turmoil—and grief—takes its toll on those of us supporting our friends, too. And those who are left behind in the organizations whose content and marketing teams frequently take the deepest cuts when budget shortfalls (or shareholder value needs) require them.

As we come into the second half of Q4, and the holidays, I urge you to take a personal day when you can to focus on YOU.

Make a point to regularly check-in with yourself and make sure you are prioritizing taking care of yourself—not just chasing after your to-do list and meeting everyone else’s needs.

Need some help with some easy, inexpensive, self-care ideas? Here are some of my favorites:

• Take a walk without any digital distractions—just focus on being present and mindful
• Schedule a 30-minute break on your calendar to spend on a hobby you love
• Rewatch a favorite, inspiring movie—The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of mine
• Listen to a favorite playlist while you work
• Cook something comforting for dinner tonight
• Reflect on who and what you are grateful for

Don’t feel guilty about taking the time to make sure you are OK. You can’t be a rock star content marketer busting through your goals if you aren’t making sure your own needs are met, first.

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. Be sure to mark your calendar to join the #ContentChat community and me for these upcoming guests:

• TODAY on #ContentChat, we’ll be joined by the fabulous Christine Gritmon to chat about all things personal branding. We’ll explore why a strong personal brand is necessary for success in 2024, core elements to address in your personal brand platform, and smart opportunities to build your brand.
• Next Monday (Nov. 20) there is no #ContentChat given the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (also known as the National Day of Mourning). If you plan to use the day to reflect on gratitude, the Passion Planner team has a great 21-Day Gratitude Challenge to give you focus.

​Get Involved with #ContentChat

Want #ContentChat on your calendar? Use this link to follow our calendar, so you never miss a chat.

We're booking guests for August and beyond—send us your pitch!
​Are you a content marketing practitioner or consultant who is interested in being a guest for an upcoming edition of #ContentChat? We’d love to see your topic pitch via our Content Chat guest submission form.

Content Marketing + Related Jobs

​Content Marketing Manager, Workera.
​Workera aims to apply AI to give team leaders a way to measure people’s skills and close their gaps, with customers including Samsung, Siemens Energy, and the U.S. Air Force. Its global marketing team is looking for a content marketing manager to own its content strategy and ignite its organic social presence on LinkedIn.

​Content Marketing Manager, Observable.
​Observable is building a platform for developers to work with stakeholders to explore, analyze, and communicate with data. The brand is hiring a content marketing manager to help tell its story across channels for a developer audience. The role involves testing and optimizing content and supporting sales enablement with long-form content pieces, decks, and email copy.

​Senior Content Marketing Manager, EDB.
​EDB provides enterprise-grade software and services and creates a secure environment to run distributed Postgres on any cloud. The company seeks a senior content marketing manager to write, review, and publish weekly blog posts tailored to developers and content assets, including ebooks, case studies, email copy, ad copy, and video scripts to support marketing campaigns.

​Senior Group Manager, Content, Social Media, + Brand Communications, Databricks.
​Databricks is an AI and data company that offers the first and only lakehouse platform in the cloud (its team also created Apache Spark). The Databricks team is hiring a senior group manager to oversee content, social media, and brand communications to build a community of Databricks advocates. This senior-level position will mentor and build a team of writers, strategists, and social managers.

​Manager, Influencer Marketing, Nintendo.
​Nintendo is a pioneer in interactive entertainment and one of the largest video game companies in the world. The company is looking for an influencer marketing manager based in or around Redmond, WA, to oversee its day-to-day influencer marketing programs. This is an exciting (and rare) opportunity for anyone passionate about gaming!

​Content Strategist, Zoom.
​Zoom is hiring a content strategist to help drive awareness and adoption of its collaboration platform. The individual will write, draft, and edit content for the Zoom blog, whitepapers, case studies, and work with outside agencies to build and execute a media strategy.

Are you hiring? We can help!

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.

ICYMI things to read, watch, and listen to now

​Call for Speakers: MAICON 2024.
​MAICON is the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute’s annual event designed to help marketers understand AI and how it can streamline their work and boost their success. The team is seeking speaker submissions for its 2024 event, with a deadline of February 16. Get your submission in ASAP, because they accept speakers on a rolling basis!

​How Influence Elevates Your B2B Marketing.
​Marketing teams are increasingly expected to do more with less, so how can we make smart investments to achieve our goals? Influencer marketing could be the key for many brands—and I don’t just mean external influencers. Lee Odden joined me in this #ContentChat recap to discuss TopRank Marketing’s 2023 B2B Influencer Marketing Report and proven strategies to reach brand audiences with influencers.

​What Content Marketers Need to Know About Google Analytics 4.
​If you’re not using Google Analytics (GA), you’re missing out on a treasure trove of juicy insights and data that will help you improve your content marketing strategy. To help you use Google Analytics 4, the latest edition, to its fullest and overcome its hurdles to adoption, Kyle Akerman shares all of his knowledge and guidance in this #ContentChat recap.

​B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2024 [Research].
​Curious if your B2B marketing strategy is on par with your peers? CMI Content recently shared its latest benchmarks, budgets, and trends report, and it is packed with insights to help you assess where you should focus and invest. The report explores AI, team structures, content distribution channels, content formats, measurement, and so much more. Check it out!

​How Leaders Can Create a Purpose-Driven Culture.
​I haven’t seen as many headlines about it as earlier this year, but I’ve noticed a lot of marketing teams are still making cuts or restructuring to adapt to the shaky environment—and all this change means marketers are burnt out! If you’re looking to invigorate your team and reinstill (NOT reinstall as the pesky spellcheck suggests) the sense of importance in what they do, this HBR article shares plenty of great strategies to help you create a purpose-driven culture.

Until next time, stay safe and be well!

Cheers,

Erika

​
​
​Erika Heald, Founder & Lead Consultant​
​Erika Heald Marketing Consulting​
​​
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikaheald​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misserikasf/
​Threads: @MisserikaSF​