Matthew Gattozzi realizes creativity and efficiency often conflict. His firm, Goodo Studios, produces commercial content that attracts visitors and converts them into customers. It’s a creative process with time and budget constraints.
“It’s a balancing act,” he told me. “On the one hand, you need efficiency. On the other, creativity requires time and space to flourish.”
A former ballet dancer, Matthew first appeared on the podcast in 2021. In our recent conversation, he shared his firm’s content-creation strategy, client needs, and, yes, the impact of AI.
The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity.
Eric Bandholz: Give us a quick rundown of what you do.
Matthew Gattozzi: I’m the founder of Goodo Studios, an agency that creates content to convert viewers into customers. We handle everything from photos and videos to advertising strategies across most platforms, including TikTok, Meta, and YouTube. We aim to understand who your customers are and why they buy and ensure the content speaks to them, ultimately driving revenue.
Businesses often chase trends, but we focus on core principles. User-generated and creator content has been popular for years, but we’re moving away from that a bit. I expect more brands will shift toward producing top-of-funnel content that’s engaging and shareable. The winning brands understand advertising fundamentals and ensure their content matches the medium rather than jumping from trend to trend.
Bandholz: What does content production look like?
Gattozzi: Traditional production often separates strategy from the creative process, which is a big mistake. In today’s environment, strategy and production need to be intertwined. We start with a creative strategy to figure out who your customers are and why they’re buying. There must be a clear reason behind every piece of content you create.
From there, we plan the shots to minor details, whether video, photo, or ad content. We source the right talent, location, and props. By the time shoot day arrives, the planning makes the execution much more manageable. Post-production, such as editing, becomes smoother with proper planning. Depending on the available resources, you can approach this at any scale, but the steps remain consistent. The key is that strategy and production are now more integrated than ever.
Bandholz: How long does it take?
Gattozzi: It’s a balancing act. On the one hand, you need efficiency. On the other, creativity requires time and space to flourish. The rise of AI has brought a focus on efficiency and volume, but sometimes, the best ideas come from taking time to be creative, even in moments of boredom or inefficiency.
As a leader, I often navigate this tension between getting things done quickly and allowing space for creativity. You can easily produce several decent scripts in a day, but sometimes it’s worth spending more time to develop one great idea. That’s where the magic happens. The challenge is balancing efficient production and letting creative ideas marinate. Often, the best content comes from exploring those inefficiencies.
Bandholz: What’s your initial strategy with clients?
Gattozzi: It depends on the brand’s stage and resources. For early-stage companies, establishing product-market fit is about testing many messages. Those companies should create more content, take multiple shots, and learn what works. Investing in a single, high-budget video at this stage could be risky.
As a company grows, what got them initial success may not be enough to reach the next level. Their content approach needs to evolve. Once they have a solid product-market fit, brands can take more significant swings with more ambitious content to reach new audiences. That’s where we come in. We offer creative diversity once a brand has validated its product and message.
Smaller, creator-driven content still has value, but the production limits of shooting with just a phone or on a tight budget constrain creativity. With higher-end production, your possibilities are endless. You can execute almost any idea when you have the right equipment, team, and budget, which we specialize in.
Bandholz: Do you create organic content for social media?
Gattozzi: We do a bit, but it’s not our primary focus. Most clients come to us for customer acquisition and seek new ways to engage audiences. Once it finds its initial product-market fit, a brand needs to scale and reach broader audiences. That’s where we come in, helping brands build the right messaging to grow. We’ll work with in-house marketing teams to help them get that next level of traction.
Bandholz: What content trends should merchants be aware of in 2025?
Gattozzi: AI is a hot topic, and there’s a lot of buzz around it. My advice is to be cautious and purposeful with its use. There’s no need to rush to adopt the latest AI tool because it’s trendy. Focus on tools that genuinely help enhance creativity and communication.
AI is already part of our daily lives, and while it’s a powerful tool, it’s not magic. A good ad won’t succeed because it uses AI. The technology should support the creative process, not replace it. Use the tools that fit your goals and push your ideas further.
The excitement about AI should be balanced with practicality. Use it to elevate creative output without sacrificing the human connection that resonates with audiences.
Bandholz: Where can people follow you, get in touch?
Content can attract, engage, and retain customers. But even the best blog posts or podcasts sometimes go unnoticed. The problem is not necessarily content quality but lack of visibility.
Here are seven channels to present content to customers and prospects.
7 Content Channels
Search engines. Content and search engine optimization are seemingly inseparable. Content informs or entertains prospects, and search engines enable its discovery. Moreover, SEO often initiates the topic. A marketer identifies keyword phrases to target and then creates the content.
Search engines — Google, Bing, ChatGPT, others — remain a top way to promote content.
Email newsletters. Content and lifecycle marketing (email) are also intertwined. The Hatch Chile Store, for example, publishes recipes in an email newsletter to retain customers.
The Hatch Chile Store uses recipes and email to retain shoppers.
Social media marketing. Content is the fodder for social posts. Social media marketers often divvy up blog posts into bite-size bits of content. Some of those posts link back to the source, promoting it.
Consider a seller of print-on-demand goods. It publishes articles about classic science fiction films and novels to sell its products and then excerpts the articles into social posts.
The seller recently posted a two-part thread on X. The first provides a summary without links since the X algorithm tends to favor posts without them. The second, below, is a comment on the first with a link to a relevant product category page.
A second post on X is a comment containing a link to the product category page.
Advertising. Content marketers might advertise a high-converting page, knowing that a percentage of visitors will buy, subscribe, or both. Software-as-a-service companies often use this tactic. For example, HubSpot advertises courses, such as “Create a Must Follow YouTube Channel,” which drives sales.
HubSpot advertises its Academy courses on Facebook and Instagram.
Posting and reuse. Content marketers can post, repost, and reuse content. Some marketers describe this as “free syndication.” A marketer could republish content (or versions of it) on X, LinkedIn, Medium, or Substack, along with a link and the phrase, “Originally published on…” A guest post could have a similar tactic.
Paid syndication. A paid service such as Outbrain or Taboola can feature content as “recommended reading” on other websites, often alongside articles from major publications.
Influencer marketing. Finally, it’s now common to pay influencers to promote content.
Content is no longer seen as a nice to have but a must for the majority of businesses.
The sheer volume of content being created and published daily across the web is astounding, to say the least – WordPress alone sees about 70 million new posts each month.
Knowing this could send content marketers into a frenzy, scrambling to crank out more content to keep up with demand. But quantity alone isn’t the only marker for content success.
The content overload era has done more than just spark the need for more; it prompted a reliance on tools and technology.
One such tool that has made its way into nearly every content marketer’s toolkit is artificial intelligence (AI). Its ability to streamline mundane processes quickly and with minimal effort has made it a crowd favorite for many content marketing professionals.
As more content marketers turn to AI to help with the content brainstorming, development, and distribution process, it raises one poignant question: Are we sacrificing quality for speed?
While unclear at first, it’s now more evident than ever that AI is here to stay and holds the potential to become an ally for content marketers when used right – a tool used for support rather than as a standalone solution.
In this post, we’ll explore how to amplify your content marketing efforts the right way, strengthening your trust with your audience.
You’ll learn how to cut through the noise to reach your target audience amid emerging tools, tactics, and technology.
You’ll walk away feeling confident in how to effectively reach and engage with your audience without relying solely on AI for your content marketing efforts.
Understanding The Challenges Of Content Saturation
Every second of the day, an influx of content is published across myriad platforms such as email, social media, websites, and more.
Consumers are inundated with content, having to sift through the mountains of information to find what is most relevant to their needs.
Vying for their time and attention can be difficult, especially when your competitors, and even those in different verticals, are attempting to do the same.
The rise of AI technology presents another challenge. Some content marketers and businesses are turning to AI to draft and publish content quickly.
Given its accessibility and capabilities, AI is becoming an easy way to churn out content, although a study has pointed to decreases in search engine visibility with AI-generated content.
The consistent, steady stream of content options can lead to what many refer to as “information overload,” where consumers become overwhelmed with the endless content options at their fingertips.
Information overload makes it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out. Additionally, algorithms are becoming attuned to understanding consumer preferences, surfacing, and prioritizing content based on relevance and engagement.
Generic content marketing strategies no longer suffice. Smart and savvy strategies are required in the ultra-fierce race for audience attention.
Breaking Through The Noise: Strategies That Work To Build Trust
Content isn’t being served in one single location. Long gone are the days of direct mail, email, and blogs being the main content forces to reckon with. The battle for attention is more arduous than ever.
With the emergence of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, content creation is no longer just in written form but rather through captivating photos, audio, and video formats.
Innovative content marketing approaches are necessary to truly build trust and differentiate your content from others.
Hyper-targeted content, personalization, and strategic AI usage are among those approaches that lead to the path to content marketing mastery.
1. Hyper-Targeted Content: Reaching The Right Audience
Imagine shouting into a void, one so massive and wide-reaching that your voice barely penetrates the surface.
The effort exerted to scream your message wouldn’t be worthwhile as no one would hear a word you say. Unfortunately, this example is all too common in the world of digital marketing.
Despite the most earnest efforts, marketers don’t effectively reach their audience due to poor segmentation or not understanding the audience at a granular level.
By analyzing key data points – like demographic, psychographic, and behavior data – brands can tap into what motivates their target audience most.
Content can then be delivered more effectively to the right audience at the right time with the right message.
Tools like Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, and email and social media marketing platforms are becoming more intelligent, enabling businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their audience through deeper insights.
These insights may reveal the best time of day to send a message, what locations are receiving the most traffic, the top-performing email nurture sequence to send new customers, and much more.
Takeaway: Craft Content Tailored To Niche Interests
Generic content no longer works. Instead, successful content marketers focus on niche markets, delivering highly relevant content that addresses a specific pain point.
For example, a popular pet retailer offers numerous specialty services to their customers. Bundling all this information on one landing page can cause confusion, leading to lower click-through rates and, in turn, less revenue.
By adding specialty landing pages with unique content for each of their services offered, such as vaccinations, aquatics, grooming, and more, the pet retailer saw dramatic increases in organic search traffic.
Understanding your audience is imperative, and content must match the needs of the individual.
Additionally, this level of segmentation can help customers build trust with your business, perceiving you as a trusted resource that truly understands their needs.
They no longer feel like just another email contact on your massive send list.
Hyper-targeted content requires more than cranking out AI-generated content. It requires human oversight to ensure segmentation is correct, the message isn’t generic, and your content matches the audience’s unique needs.
AI can be great for helping you brainstorm content ideas for your niche audience; however, a human copywriter is necessary to truly get the message over the line.
2. Effective Use Of Personalization
Addressing a prospect by their first name isn’t personalization.
Content personalization extends far beyond simply knowing the names of your customers. Modern content consumers expect more out of businesses in order to trust them enough to purchase.
They expect content that aligns with their unique needs, such as surfacing previously frequent purchases or highlighting a book that’s similar in style to the last book a customer read.
Customers are savvy, and if they’re presented with options that don’t align with their preferences, they’ll look elsewhere.
Think of Amazon, for example. Amazon’s algorithms are intelligent enough to highlight a product within a certain time period based on the buyer’s purchase history.
For example, a customer might buy Vitamin D supplements every three months. Amazon will likely show this product to the consumer around the time a refill is needed, streamlining and optimizing the path to purchase.
Revenue can be strongly tied to personalization. A HubSpot report found that segmented emails can boost opens by 30% and click-throughs by 50%, highlighting the value of personalization.
Takeaway: Personalization – A Powerful Differentiator That Requires Balance
Personalization walks a fine line. It shows you care about your customers by sharing more relevant content that matches their needs; however, privacy must be considered.
Algorithms are becoming more intelligent by analyzing and refining their content distribution strategies. This requires customer data, a subject that breeds concern and calls ethics into question.
It’s crucial for businesses to share how, when, and where customer data is collected. Disclose this clearly on your website and in your content in a clearly visible and easy-to-locate location.
Transparency is key to winning trust and credibility.
3. Responsible AI Usage In Content Creation
Many marketers have jumped aboard the AI bandwagon – 64% are already using it. Despite its prominent adoption, AI is seen as both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, it has significantly impacted the way we work, streamlining tasks and delivering quick results.
On the other, it leads to duplicated content, information bias, irrelevant content, and an abundance of content that all sounds the same.
In fact, over half (60%) are concerned AI will harm their brand’s reputation through bias, plagiarism, or misalignment with brand values.
AI, when used responsibly, can enhance content marketing. However, the tool itself can’t mitigate concerns associated with its usage for content marketing specifically.
Only humans hold the power to truly transform the content experience and eliminate the over-reliance on AI for content creation.
Relying solely on AI for content creation comes with inherent risks.
AI-generated content often lacks authenticity and loses the author’s unique tone of voice. It can sound the same, reading too crisp and polished.
It loses the human element – interjecting the emotion and spark human writers accomplish that AI simply can’t.
Successful brands recognize AI can enhance human creativity, but it is not meant as a replacement.
Human ingenuity helps to build trust and shines your business in a more positive light.
Integrating All 3 Strategies For Maximum Impact
Content marketing strategies work best when used in tandem.
For example, a retailer might use AI to extract common themes in customer feedback, hyper-targeted content to promote relevant content based on customer feedback within a specific region, and personalize outreach with product recommendations based on the buyer’s behavior.
This all-encompassing approach not only improves customer experience but holds the potential to improve return on investment (ROI) as well.
As with any marketing strategy, measurement is a must. Keep a pulse on your wins as well as your opportunities for enhancement.
A firm understanding of metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement metrics across all platforms helps you spot what’s working and what isn’t.
The dual content overload and AI era has just begun, and the way content marketers used to reach customers will no longer suffice.
Instead, as marketers, we must work diligently to bridge the trust gap that exists between customers and brands.
This has become an increasingly tough task given the advancement of AI technology, where it can be tough to discern who’s behind the messaging – a human or a machine.
Marketers must focus on ethics and transparency to ensure every message they craft is meaningful, useful, and relevant.
By using AI as a supportive tool, adopting hyper-targeted campaigns, and leveraging personalization strategies, brands will create customer experiences that land with their audience.
Content will continue to grow at an astounding pace, but the brands that prioritize top-notch content and connection will continue to stand out.
Content such as articles, videos, and podcasts can be the building blocks of modern consumer engagement. Content drives direct traffic, search engine rankings, social media, and AI tools.
In March 2025, ecommerce content marketers could focus on sustainability, compliments, baseball, agricultural heritage, and a spring cleaning challenge.
Go Green
Marketers can use the green of St. Patrick’s Day to focus on sustainability.
While March often brings thoughts of St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks and emerald hues, ecommerce businesses can expand the “green” theme to highlight sustainability practices and eco-friendly products.
A marketer can transform a playful holiday into meaningful content that resonates with conservation-conscious consumers.
Consider publishing blog posts or videos describing your business’s efforts to consume less and conserve more.
A direct-to-consumer outdoor gear company might detail its use of recycled materials.
A home goods store could demonstrate how it has reduced shipping waste.
A fashion retailer might explain its clothing recycling program.
The content becomes even better with metrics and achievements. Share actual numbers about the use of recycled materials or less packaging. These details help shoppers understand the real impact of their purchasing decisions.
A shop could create content that encourages sustainable practices, such as:
A kitchenware store could publish guides about reducing food waste.
An electronics retailer might offer tips for extending a device’s life.
A garden supply company could create content about water conservation.
A home decor business could share upcycling ideas for its products.
World Compliment Day
World Compliment Day is an opportunity to recognize customers, employees, and suppliers.
March 1, 2025, is World Compliment Day, an opportunity to create uplifting and entertaining content.
Unlike many commercial observances focusing on gift-giving, World Compliment Day celebrates the power of sincere appreciation — perfect for authentic engagement.
I see four angles a content marketer could take:
Customer appreciation. Short-form videos or blog posts on “what we love about our customers.”
Employee appreciation. Profile key personnel and tell the brand’s story from their perspective.
Supplier appreciation. Recognize top suppliers in blog posts or podcasts. Mr. Porter, the men’s fashion shop, used to run articles featuring quality inventory vendors.
Encourage compliments. Run social campaigns as part of a contest or discount to encourage customers to compliment others.
Spring Training
Spring training is an American baseball tradition, but “training” can apply to everyone.
Major League Baseball spring training in North America starts in February and runs through March 25. Teams head to Arizona, California, and Florida to prepare for the regular season.
Ecommerce businesses can tap into the nostalgic and hopeful spirit of baseball’s preseason. The annual tradition marks more than just the return of America’s pastime – it represents renewal, preparation, and the anticipation of warmer days ahead.
Content marketers could take a few angles with spring training, including a “Spring Training for Everyone” theme. The idea is to apply “spring training” to a shop’s customers and products.
Fitness retailers could create “Spring Training for Everyone” workout guides.
National Agriculture Day celebrates farming and food production.
National Agriculture Day falls on March 18, 2025, and celebrates the vital role of food production in our daily lives.
Farm supply retailers have a clear connection, but almost any business can create content aligning its products to agricultural heritage and sustainable food systems.
Here are a few example blog post titles:
Kitchen accessories shop: “The Chef’s Guide to Seasonal Produce”
DTC workwear brand: “How Farm Life Shaped Modern Fashion”
Travel merchant: “Top Farm Tourist Destinations for 2025”
Remember, the goal of content marketing is to entice shoppers to visit your website, engage with your brand, and ultimately become loyal customers. Never hesitate to connect your products to the topic.
Spring Cleaning Challenge
Spring cleaning may take many forms, from cleaning a home to washing a car.
My fifth content marketing idea for March 2025 is a “Spring Cleaning Challenge,” an integrated campaign of multichannel content that drives engagement while naturally showcasing products.
The approach combines education, social proof, and community building:
Create a 14- or 30-day cleaning and organization program,
Release daily or weekly task videos,
Offer downloadable checklists and planning guides,
Include before and after photos for social sharing,
To truly resonate with potential customers and drive conversions, you need to understand your audience’s journey and tailor your content to align with each stage of your sales funnel.
By developing an editorial calendar that not only meets business objectives but also addresses your audience’s specific needs and questions at every stage, you can enhance conversions and boost your lifetime customer value (LCV).
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore and highlight the types of content that are most effective at each stage of the sales funnel.
We’ll provide practical examples and back up our recommendations with data to help you craft a content strategy that not only attracts but also retains customers.
Understanding The Buyer’s Journey
Before we dive into the specifics, it’s essential to understand the buyer’s journey – a framework that outlines the stages a customer goes through before making a purchase.
The typical stages are:
Awareness: The customer realizes they have a problem or need.
Consideration: They research and consider possible solutions.
Decision: They decide on a solution and make a purchase.
Retention: Post-purchase, the focus shifts to maintaining and enhancing the customer relationship.
Each stage requires a different content approach to effectively move the customer closer to a purchase and encourage repeat business.
Sparking Interest (Top Of Funnel)
The Awareness Stage
At the top of the funnel, your goal is to attract potential customers by addressing their needs and pain points.
This is often the first interaction they have with your brand, so making a strong, positive impression is crucial.
What Users Are Looking For
Informative Content: Users are seeking answers to their questions.
Authoritative Resources: Content that establishes your brand as a trusted expert.
Engaging Formats: Content that is easy to consume and share.
Effective Content Types
Blog Posts and Articles: Provide valuable insights on industry topics. For example, a company like HubSpot offers extensive resources on marketing strategies.
Ebooks and Whitepapers: In-depth guides that users can download. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 43% of marketers said ebooks produced the best results for their content marketing.
Videos and Webinars: Engaging visual content can increase information retention by 65%, as per Brain Rules.
Infographics: Visually appealing and shareable content. According to Venngage, 43% of marketers found infographics to be the best performing type of visual content.
Promotion Channels
Social Media: Utilize platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to share content. Paid promotions can amplify reach; for instance, Facebook Ads can reach over 3 billion users.
SEO and Organic Search: Optimize content for search engines to appear in relevant searches. According to BrightEdge, organic search drives 53% of website traffic.
Guest Posting and PR: Publish content on reputable external sites to tap into new audiences.
Keyword Optimization
Focus on keywords that reflect informational intent:
“How to improve email open rates.”
“What is content marketing?”
“Guide to SEO best practices.”
Example
A company offering project management software could create a blog post titled “10 Tips for Streamlining Your Team’s Workflow,” targeting managers looking for efficiency solutions.
Nurturing Leads (Middle Of Funnel)
The Consideration Stage
In the middle of the funnel, users are evaluating their options. They are aware of their problem and are now looking for the best solution.
What Users Are Looking For
Detailed Information: Specifics about how your product or service solves their problem.
Credibility: Proof that your solution works.
Comparisons: How you stack up against competitors.
Effective Content Types
Case Studies: Showcase real-life success stories. For example, Salesforce shares detailed case studies highlighting customer successes.
Testimonials: User reviews can significantly impact decisions; 72% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Webinars and Live Demos: Interactive sessions where potential customers can see your product in action and ask questions.
Product Guides and Datasheets: Detailed documents that provide in-depth information about features and benefits.
Building Trust
Social Proof: Display the number of users, positive reviews, or endorsements from influencers.
Certifications and Awards: Highlight any industry recognition your company or product has received.
Example
A cybersecurity firm might offer a webinar titled “Protecting Your Business from Ransomware: A Live Demo,” providing valuable insights while demonstrating their software’s capabilities.
Getting The Sale (Bottom Of Funnel)
The Decision Stage
At this stage, the customer is ready to make a purchase decision. Your content should facilitate an easy and compelling transition from consideration to action.
What Users Are Looking For
Clear Value Proposition: Why should they choose you over competitors?
Incentives: Promotions, discounts, or free trials that sweeten the deal.
Ease of Purchase: A seamless buying process.
Effective Content Types
Product Pages: Optimized with compelling copy, high-quality images, and clear CTAs.
Customer Testimonials: Reiterate positive experiences from satisfied customers.
Limited-Time Offers: Create a sense of urgency. The principle of scarcity can increase sales by up to 332%.
Calls To Action (CTAs)
Use strong, action-oriented language that encourages immediate action:
“Start Your Free Trial Now.”
“Get 50% Off Today Only.”
“Schedule Your Free Consultation.”
Example
An online course provider might offer a limited-time discount: “Enroll in our Digital Marketing Mastery Course today and save 30%! Offer ends at midnight.”
Creating & Measuring Content KPIs
Importance Of Metrics
Measuring the performance of your content is essential to understand what’s working and where improvements are needed.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 53% of marketers attribute their content marketing success to measuring and demonstrating content performance effectively.
Top-Level Funnel KPIs
Brand Reach: Track impressions and overall visibility.
Website Traffic: Monitor the number of visitors and page views.
Bounce Rate: A high bounce rate may indicate irrelevant content.
Engagement Metrics: Shares, likes, and comments on social media.
Mid-Level Funnel KPIs
Time on Page: Indicates how engaging your content is.
Lead Generation: Number of sign-ups for newsletters, webinars, etc.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): From emails or CTAs within content.
Bottom-Level Funnel KPIs
Conversion Rate: Percentage of visitors who complete a desired action.
Average Order Value: Helps assess the profitability of conversions.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Total cost divided by the number of new customers.
Tools For Measurement
Google Analytics: For website traffic and behavior analysis.
CRM Systems: Like Salesforce for tracking leads and sales.
Marketing Automation Platforms: Such as HubSpot for comprehensive analytics.
Regular Audits and Adjustments
Conduct quarterly content audits to:
Identify content gaps.
Refresh outdated information.
Optimize high-performing content further.
Adjust strategies based on changing trends and data insights.
Focus On Retention & Loyalty
The Retention Stage
A 2022 study by SimplicityDX reported a 222% increase in customer acquisition costs. Therefore, nurturing existing customers is crucial for sustained business growth.
Strategies For Retention
Personalized Follow-Ups: Send emails thanking them for their purchase and suggesting related products.
Exclusive Content: Offer access to premium content, such as advanced tutorials or insider tips.
Loyalty Programs: Reward repeat purchases with discounts or points redeemable for products.
Feedback Mechanisms: Use surveys to gather customer insights and show that you value their opinions.
Remarketing Campaigns
Utilize targeted ads to re-engage customers who have interacted with your brand but haven’t made a recent purchase.
According to SharpSpring Ads, website visitors who are retargeted are 70% more likely to convert.
Example
An ecommerce retailer might implement a loyalty program where customers earn points for every purchase, which can be redeemed for discounts on future orders.
Drive Conversions With Strategic Content
By aligning your content strategy with each stage of the sales funnel, you create a cohesive journey that guides potential customers from initial awareness to brand loyalty.
Regularly measuring performance and being willing to adjust your approach based on data ensures that your content remains effective and relevant.
Remember, the goal isn’t just to make a sale – it’s about creating connections with your customers.
By providing value at every stage and continually optimizing your strategy, you’ll improve your ROI and foster a loyal customer base that plays a big role in your business’s long-term success.
Content drives search engine optimization and email and social media marketing, providing the fuel for each.
In February 2025, content marketers will almost certainly address Valentine’s Day, but they might also consider the “Peanuts” cartoon creator, Pet Rocks, movies, “Cinderella,” and shopper engagement.
What follows are five content marketing ideas for your business.
Remember Charles M. Schulz
The creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, Charles Schultz, passed away in February 2000.
American cartoonist Charles Schulz passed away on February 12, 2000.
Schulz created the beloved comic strip “Peanuts” in 1950, introducing the world to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and many other engaging characters.
The anniversary of Schulz’s death presents a content marketing opportunity for retailers of licensed “Peanuts” products. For example, publishing a commemorative blog post seems appropriate for knitting supplier Stitch & Story, which has a “Peanuts” collection.
Stitch & Story has a clear connection to “Peanuts” products.
The “Peanuts” connection, however, can go beyond licensing. Nearly any content marketer should be able to find a connection, publishing what-if articles or nostalgic essays.
For example, an online store selling musical instruments could publish a new review of the late pianist Cinve Guaraldi’s “Peanuts Greatest Hits” jazz album.
Moreover, any Schulz or “Peanuts” content published in February 2025 may also be helpful on October 2, when the comic strip itself celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Propose a Pet [insert product] Video
The Pet Rock fad made Gary Dahl a millionaire.
In 1975, Gary Dahl had an idea that demonstrated the power of advertising and copywriting. Sell rocks.
According to published reports, Dahl conceived the “Pet Rock” fad while chatting with friends about pets at a bar.
Soon, he sourced small, smooth stones from beaches in Mexico, wrote a 32-page instruction and care manual, and secured two investors to launch the products. By February 1976, more than a million “Pet Rocks” had been sold at an average price of $4.
Dahl was an instant millionaire.
In February 2025, clever content marketers might borrow from Dahl’s ideas and create videos about their pet products. The content doesn’t need to be about a real “pet,” but it should be a fun way to promote the products a store sells.
Global Movie Day
The new Captain America movie, coming out in February, is an opportunity for content marketers.
Celebrated on the second Saturday of February (the 8th in 2025), Global Movie Day aims to promote the film industry and recognize the influence movies, such as Captain America, have on culture.
For content marketers, the event is an opportunity to include movie-themed keyword phrases in articles that feature the products a store sells and the markets it serves.
Content could take a few forms.
Articles about how a specific film influenced products,
Movie reviews,
Videos, posts, and podcasts about the film industry’s cultural impact.
Disney’s Cinderella Turns 75
Cinderella is an inspiration for loads of how-to articles.
First released on February 15, 1950, Disney’s classic animated film “Cinderella” was an instant hit with parents and children alike.
The story features themes of love, home, and transformation, which still resonate with consumers.
Content marketers could take a few approaches with “Cinderella,” but one of the best might be how-to posts and tutorials. Here are some example article titles. Each could provide detailed instructions and a recommended product list featuring items the store sells.
Kitchen supply store: “Create an Anniversary Dinner with Cinderella-Inspired Table Settings.”
A lady’s apparel shop: “Incorporate Princess Elements into Modern Wardrobes.”
A garden supply retailer: “Landscaping Inspiration from Cinderella’s Castle Grounds.”
A cleaning supply shop: “The Art and Science of Floor Scrubbing.”
Start a Monthly Update
Men’s Warehouse sends a monthly rewards points update.
This idea comes from the software-as-a-service industry, where lifecycle marketers share statistical and performance updates with customers.
For example, the clothier Men’s Warehouse regularly sends a reward points message, updating shoppers on their points balance and encouraging its use.
In February, content marketers could launch a monthly update personalized to loyal shoppers. It could include reward information, similar to Men’s Warehouse, but go further, with blog posts, discounts on new products, and early access to items.
The aim is to give shoppers an ongoing reason to engage.
For decades, marketers have relied on the traditional funnel – a linear model designed to move consumers from awareness to action. But, as consumer behavior evolves, so must the strategies that guide them.
The rigid structure of the traditional funnel no longer aligns with the complexities of modern decision-making.
Enter situational content marketing – a dynamic approach that recognizes the nuances of consumer contexts and tailors content to specific moments within their journey.
This method doesn’t just target audience segments based on demographics or personas. It considers the situations consumers find themselves in, the decisions they need to make, and the triggers influencing those decisions.
The result?
A more adaptive, empathetic, and impactful content strategy that resonates with audiences in real-time.
The Evolution Of The Marketing Funnel: The Rise Of Situational Targeting
Traditional marketing funnels rely on broad audience segmentation – grouping individuals by demographic or psychographic traits and attempting to guide them through predefined stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action (AIDA).
However, this static model assumes that all individuals in a segment behave uniformly and progress linearly.
Are they in a hurry, or do they have time to research?
Are they making a routine purchase or evaluating a significant investment?
Are external factors like social influence or emotional states affecting their choices?
Recognizing these factors, situational content marketing shifts the focus from targeting broad audience types to addressing specific contexts within the funnel.
This strategy allows brands to engage consumers with content that aligns with their immediate needs, emotions, and priorities.
A cornerstone of situational content marketing is understanding the effort a consumer is willing to invest in a decision.
Purchases fall along a continuum:
High-effort purchases require significant cognitive, emotional, and time investment. These include major financial or lifestyle decisions like buying a car, choosing a college, or purchasing a home.
Low-effort purchases are quick, habitual, or impulsive, involving minimal thought or research. Examples include grabbing a candy bar, choosing a subscription service, or buying a soft drink at a convenience store.
This distinction influences the type of content required to guide consumers.
High-effort decisions demand detailed, trust-building content, while low-effort decisions benefit from simple, emotionally engaging messages.
Rethinking The AIDA Funnel: The Reality Of Consumer Behavior
The traditional AIDA model suggests that marketing moves consumers through a sequential process:
Awareness: Capturing attention with ads or promotions.
Interest: Engaging the audience with content or messaging.
Decision: Influencing choices through comparisons or benefits.
Action: Driving conversions through compelling calls to action.
Limitations Of The Traditional Funnel
Unfortunately, the AIDA model doesn’t account for the dynamic and situational nature of modern decision-making.
Instead of progressing step-by-step, consumers:
Combine new information with pre-existing mental databanks.
Use shortcuts (heuristics) to simplify decisions in overwhelming or high-choice environments.
Respond to external triggers, such as ads or social recommendations, that bypass some funnel stages entirely.
The Complex Reality Of Consumer Journeys
Instead of following a clear progression, consumers often take fragmented paths influenced by their unique situations and prior knowledge.
Key behaviors that disrupt the AIDA framework include:
Skipping Stages: A consumer might move directly from awareness to action if they encounter a strong emotional trigger or social proof.
Example: A social media ad for a trending product might lead to an impulse purchase without requiring further engagement or research.
Looping Back: Consumers may revisit earlier stages, such as moving from decision-making back to interest as they seek additional information or alternatives.
Example: A potential buyer researching laptops might decide on a brand and then return to exploring reviews after discovering a competitor’s offer.
Blending Stages: Awareness, interest, and decision-making often happen simultaneously as consumers interact with multiple touchpoints.
Example: A targeted Instagram ad may simultaneously capture attention, spark interest, and showcase key benefits, collapsing multiple AIDA stages into one interaction.
Situational Content Marketing: A Fluid Alternative
In contrast to the rigid AIDA model, situational content marketing aligns with the fluid, dynamic nature of consumer journeys.
This approach acknowledges that decision-making is rarely sequential; it is situational and influenced by context, timing, and triggers.
Mental databanks act as the foundation for choices, pulling in impressions and associations from past experiences. Each interaction is an opportunity to build or strengthen these databanks, making the brand more memorable and accessible.
Instead of methodically weighing options at each stage, individuals rely on mental shortcuts shaped by numerous factors, including:
Prior Experiences: Positive interactions with a brand, product, service, or experience can solidify loyalty and trust.
Emotional Triggers: Nostalgia, humor, memories, or fear can drive decisions without detailed deliberation.
Environmental And Social Factors: Recommendations from friends or influencers, the opinions, values, and morals of a society, and other external factors can heavily influence choices.
These factors create a mental databank of brand impressions and associations that consumers draw upon when making decisions.
What Are Mental Consumer Databanks?
Mental consumer databanks are what I call the wide range of information, behaviors, attitudes, judgments, and experiences stored by a consumer that are relevant to a buyer journey, including:
Emotional Associations
Consumers often tie products and brands to memories, feelings, or experiences.
Emotional connections are powerful because they create deep, lasting impressions that don’t require logical reinforcement.
Example: A favorite chocolate bar may evoke nostalgia for childhood or comfort during stressful moments.
Brand Impressions
Consistency in positive experiences builds strong brand impressions over time.
Positive impressions ensure a brand becomes synonymous with certain qualities, making it an easy choice during decision-making.
Example: Tesla is often associated with innovation, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology due to its consistent branding and messaging.
Social Identity
Brands often act as signals of group membership or personal values.
Consumers align with brands that reflect their desired self-image or societal affiliations.
Example: Wearing a Rolex conveys sophistication and success, while using a reusable water bottle might signal environmental consciousness.
How Mental Databanks Influence Recall And Decisions
Consumers don’t start from scratch when they encounter a need or situation that prompts a decision.
Instead, they draw on their mental databanks to identify familiar brands and options. Several key factors influence this process:
Habitual Recall: Familiarity breeds preference. Consumers are more likely to recall and choose brands they’ve interacted with regularly.
Example: A shopper craving chocolate automatically reaches for a Mars bar because it’s a habitual choice, even if there are new or similar options available.
Preference Formation: Past experiences and comparisons shape preferences. Over time, these preferences dominate decision-making.
Example. A consumer who consistently chooses Apple products because of their reliability may skip evaluating competitors entirely when upgrading their phone.
Memory-Based Connections: Mental databanks link brands to broader networks of concepts, enhancing recall speed and confidence.
Example: Coca-Cola might be linked to happiness, holidays, or refreshing moments, making it the first brand a consumer considers when thinking about soft drinks.
Social And Situational Triggers: External cues, such as group behavior or advertising, can activate mental databanks, prompting recall.
Example: Seeing an influencer wear a particular sneaker brand might remind a consumer of their own desire to belong to that social group, leading to a purchase.
Building And Strengthening Mental Databanks
Brands that consistently reinforce positive associations are more likely to occupy a strong position in consumers’ mental databanks.
Example: A pet food brand shares real stories of rescued animals thriving after being fed its products, tying its brand to compassion and care.
Consistent Brand Messaging: Maintain a uniform tone, imagery, and message across all platforms and campaigns.
Example: Nike consistently reinforces its “Just Do It” mantra, linking the brand to motivation and achievement.
Repetition With Variation: Regular exposure to a brand strengthens recall, but variation keeps it engaging.
Example: A beverage company creates multiple ads around the theme of “refreshment” but tailors each to a specific situation, like a summer picnic or a post-workout moment.
Social Proof: Use testimonials, reviews, and endorsements to build trust and credibility.
Example. A software company highlights customer success stories, showing how its product solves specific problems.
Category Dominance: Ensure the brand becomes synonymous with a product category by consistently outperforming competitors in visibility and messaging.
Example: Google’s consistent dominance in search engines has made its name interchangeable with the act of searching online (“to Google”).
Mental Databanks In Action
Wrong Approach
Scenario: The same agency runs a generic ad saying, “Get the best SEO services here.”
Outcome: Without addressing the specific needs or context of ecommerce businesses, the ad fails to resonate.
The lack of tailored messaging means the agency doesn’t establish a strong position in the mental databank of potential clients, making them less likely to be recalled during decision-making.
Right Approach
Scenario: A digital marketing agency wants to be the go-to choice for ecommerce businesses looking for SEO services.
Strategy:
Use targeted ads that highlight specific pain points, such as “Boost your holiday sales with tailored SEO strategies.”
Leverage search and display ads on platforms like Google Ads to ensure visibility when users search for terms like “ecommerce SEO help” or “SEO for online stores.”
Reinforce the message by running retargeting campaigns with testimonials or case studies that showcase results (e.g., “See how we increased XYZ Store’s traffic by 150% in 3 months”).
Build situational relevance by timing ads during peak planning periods, such as before major shopping seasons or when Google algorithm updates are announced.
Why Mental Databanks Are Essential For Situational Content
Improved Recall: Consumers are more likely to recall brands that occupy a strong position in their mental databanks when facing decisions.
Reduced Decision Fatigue: Familiarity reduces the cognitive load of decision-making, making consumers more likely to choose a brand they know well. For example, a busy parent will use Cheerios for their child’s breakfast without comparing it to other cereals because it’s a trusted choice.
Enhanced Emotional Engagement: Brands tied to positive emotions or memories are more likely to generate repeat purchases. This is why Coke releases holiday ads each year. They reinforce happiness and nostalgia, prompting loyal purchases during the festive season.
Maximizing The Impact Of Situational Triggers
Effectively leveraging situational triggers requires marketers to tailor their strategies based on the decision-making context, consumer behavior, and external influences.
By incorporating insights into how and why people make choices, brands can craft campaigns that resonate deeply and drive action.
1. Analyze The Decision Context
High-Effort Decisions: Provide detailed, logical, and emotionally compelling content that addresses the consumer’s need for thorough research and justification.
Tactics:
Use in-depth resources like whitepapers, detailed case studies, or comparison charts.
Highlight long-term benefits, such as cost savings, increased efficiency, or alignment with values like sustainability.
To empower informed decision-making, provide interactive tools like ROI calculators or product demos.
Example: A SaaS company offers a downloadable ebook titled, “How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Business,” comparing features, costs, and user reviews.
Low-Effort Decisions: Focus on convenience, simplicity, and immediate gratification to capture impulse purchases or habitual behaviors.
Tactics:
Leverage quick calls-to-action, such as “Sign Up in Seconds” or “Try Free Today.”
Position products as easily accessible, with minimal effort required to get started.
Use repetition and visual cues to reinforce brand familiarity.
Example: A subscription box service runs ads with, “Start Your First Box for Only $5 – No Commitment,” simplifying the decision.
2. Leverage Emotional And Cognitive Factors
Human decisions are rarely purely rational. Emotional and cognitive elements, such as trust, nostalgia, and perceived value, play a critical role.
Emotional Factors:
Build Trust: Highlight endorsements from trusted figures, such as industry experts or well-known influencers. Use real testimonials to build credibility and authenticity.
Evoke Nostalgia: Incorporate imagery or messaging that taps into positive past experiences.
Utilize Emotional Contagion: Align your brand with trending movements or shared cultural values. For example, a fitness platform connects its messaging to self-improvement trends with, “Achieve More Every Day with Our All-in-One Tracker.”
Cognitive Factors:
Simplify Information: Use short, clear messages that are easy to recall. Present information in lists, mnemonics, or frequently repeated formats for memorability.
Enhance Perceived Value: Highlight the benefits in direct comparisons to competitors. For example, a hosting provider might advertise, “Faster Speeds, Unlimited Bandwidth – 30% Cheaper than the Competition.”
3. Emphasize Relevance
Relevance is one of the most critical factors in capturing consumer attention and aligning with situational triggers. Ads and content should feel timely, personal, and well-placed.
Timing
Serve ads during key decision-making moments or leverage real-time data to align with situational needs.
Example: A coffee delivery service offers geo-targeted promotions during morning rush hours.
Placement
Ensure your ads appear where consumers most likely need or notice them. Or, use contextual relevance to align with immediate consumer behavior.
Example: An ecommerce platform runs retargeting ads for abandoned cart items during payday periods.
Personalization
Tailor messaging to specific audiences based on their behaviors, demographics, and locations.
Example: A digital marketing agency might create dynamic ads targeting ecommerce businesses during Black Friday with messages like, “Optimize Your Campaigns in Time for the Big Sale.”
4. Build And Reinforce Mental Databanks
Effective use of situational triggers strengthens a brand’s position in the consumer’s mental databank.
Once your brand occupies a dominant position, it’s more likely to be recalled during decision-making moments.
Repetition: Repeat key messages across channels while maintaining consistency in tone and visuals.
Association: Pair your brand with positive emotions or aspirational goals. Use evaluative conditioning to link your product with other trusted or well-known elements.
Social Proof: Display testimonials, user reviews, or real-time activity.
5. Engage Consumers Across Stages
Situational triggers can vary throughout the buying journey. Marketers should align their strategies with the various stages while maintaining situational relevance.
Awareness: Capture attention with emotional, engaging content. Here, we might create a PPC ad for a graphic design tool that uses humor and vibrant visuals to stand out in crowded feeds.
Mental Databank Building: Provide informational content that builds trust and showcases benefits. For this stage, we’d recommend that a webinar platform offers a video guide, “5 Steps to Increase Your Virtual Event Attendance,” for businesses exploring new solutions.
Buying Decision: Highlight urgency and ease of adoption to nudge consumers. A prime example of this would be a direct email that says, “Sign Up Today and Get 3 Months Free – Limited Offer.”
The Purchase: Remove friction by simplifying processes. Here, for example, the message above the conversion (sign-up form) might be, “Start Your Free Trial in Under 60 Seconds.”
Practical Applications Of Situational Content
The success of situational content marketing hinges on its ability to respond dynamically to consumer behaviors, needs, and external contexts.
Here are some key practical applications and provide actionable tips to maximize the impact of your situational content.
1. AI-Driven Personalization
Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, brands can analyze consumer behavior, preferences, and location to deliver hyper-personalized messages in real-time.
AI tools analyze browsing history, past purchases, and engagement patterns to predict what a consumer is likely to want or need next.
Recommendations, dynamic ads, and email campaigns are tailored to the individual consumer’s behavior or preferences.
Tips For Implementation
Use AI to create product recommendations that reflect a user’s recent interactions with your site or app.
Employ personalized email campaigns triggered by specific actions, such as abandoned carts or product views.
Examples
Wrong Approach: The same platform sends a generic email blast promoting unrelated products, which fails to engage the consumer based on their unique behavior.
Right Approach: An ecommerce platform uses AI to send a personalized email saying, “You left this in your cart!” with a discount code, increasing the likelihood of purchase.
Pro Tip: Combine AI personalization with location-based targeting to deliver even more relevant content. For example, promote rain gear to users in regions experiencing bad weather.
2. Dynamic Messaging
Dynamic messaging allows content to adapt in real-time to external factors like weather, trending topics, time of day, or even breaking news.
It ensures that marketing messages remain timely and resonate with the consumer’s immediate environment.
Dynamic ads adjust text, visuals, or offers based on triggers like location, time, or current events. Social media and display ads are updated to reflect relevant, real-time events.
Tips For Implementation
Create ads that adapt to weather patterns. For example, promote warm drinks during cold weather or sunscreen during a heatwave.
Use trending hashtags or cultural moments to tailor your messaging for relevancy.
Update homepage banners or promotional content based on calendar events, such as holidays or major industry conferences.
Examples:
Wrong Approach: The same service uses generic messaging like, “Order now!” that doesn’t reflect the immediate weather conditions or consumer needs.
Right Approach: A food delivery service runs geo-targeted ads that say, “Craving something warm? Get 20% off soup deliveries during today’s snowstorm.”
Pro Tip: Monitor consumer sentiment around trending events to ensure your messaging aligns with the mood and tone of your audience.
3. Lifecycle Strategies
Tailoring content to match the consumer’s position in the customer journey, from initial discovery to post-purchase retention, ensures relevance and nurtures long-term relationships.
Map out the stages of the customer journey: awareness, education/information gathering, consideration, decision, and loyalty.
Then, align messaging, offers, and content types to each stage, addressing specific needs or pain points.
Tips For Implementation
Awareness Stage: Create engaging, informative content to introduce your brand and attract new audiences. Focus on content that builds brand visibility and educates potential customers about their problems.
Examples: Blog posts, social media campaigns, SEO-optimized articles, or short-form video content (e.g., TikToks or Reels).
Education/Information Gathering Stage: Provide content that educates your audience and helps them understand potential solutions. Focus on addressing common questions or misconceptions.
Examples: Educational webinars, ebooks, guides, and detailed FAQ pages that position your brand as a thought leader.
Consideration Stage: Offer comparative resources that help prospects evaluate their options and understand how your product or service stands out. Emphasize credibility and value.
Examples: Case studies, video tutorials, product demos, and side-by-side feature comparisons.
Decision Stage: Encourage conversions with content that reduces risk and creates urgency. Highlight why your offering is the best choice and provide incentives to act.
Examples: Limited-time offers, customer testimonials, free trials, or discount codes.
Loyalty Stage: Focus on retaining customers and fostering long-term relationships. Deliver content that rewards loyalty, introduces additional offerings, and keeps your brand top-of-mind.
Examples: Personalized rewards, upsell opportunities, exclusive offers, and invitations to community events or feedback surveys.
Examples
Wrong Approach: The same platform uses a single, generic campaign across all stages, offering no differentiation between audiences. This fails to meet specific needs, leading to disengagement and missed opportunities.
Right Approach: A project management software platform creates content tailored to each stage:
Awareness: Blog articles like “Top 10 Project Management Challenges (and How to Solve Them).”
Education/Information Gathering: A free webinar titled, “How to Streamline Your Workflows with Modern Tools.”
Consideration: A downloadable comparison chart showing how their platform stacks up against competitors.
Decision: A limited-time offer of “50% Off Your First 3 Months” for trial users.
Loyalty: Regular newsletters highlighting new features and exclusive discounts for annual renewals.
Pro Tip: Use automated workflows to trigger lifecycle-specific messaging at the right time. For example, send a “How-to” email series for new users and a renewal reminder with perks for long-term customers.
4. Retargeting Based On Consumer Behavior
Retargeting uses tracking data to re-engage consumers who have interacted with your brand but haven’t converted yet. It’s particularly effective for aligning situational content with high-intent audiences.
Display ads or email campaigns are triggered based on behaviors like abandoned carts, product views, or site visits. Dynamic retargeting serves ads featuring the exact products or services the consumer explored.
Tips For Implementation
Offer exclusive discounts or limited-time offers in retargeting ads to create urgency.
Showcase customer reviews or testimonials to address lingering concerns.
Examples
Wrong Approach: The same retailer runs retargeting ads featuring unrelated equipment, missing the opportunity to personalize.
Right Approach: A fitness equipment retailer retargets users who viewed a treadmill with ads featuring a discount and testimonials from satisfied customers.
Pro Tip: Use retargeting not just for abandoned carts but also for upselling or cross-selling related products to existing customers.
5. Context-Aware Content Placement
Placing content in environments where it feels natural and relevant enhances consumer engagement and reduces the likelihood of being ignored.
Identify consumer habits and behaviors to determine the best platforms and moments to engage them. Use tools like heatmaps, traffic data, and social listening to pinpoint where and when your audience is most active.
Serve ads on platforms where your target audience spends the most time. Use platform-specific features, such as Instagram Stories or LinkedIn carousel ads, to tailor your message.
Examples
Wrong Approach: The same agency runs generic ads on a gaming website, where their target audience is unlikely to engage.
Right Approach: A digital marketing agency uses LinkedIn ads to promote a whitepaper about SEO strategies for businesses targeting B2B audiences.
Pro Tip: Match the tone and format of your content to the platform. Professional content performs better on LinkedIn, while visually engaging content thrives on Instagram.
The Future Of Funnels: From Funnels To Ecosystems
The traditional marketing funnel is being transformed. In a world where consumer behavior is more fragmented and situational than ever, marketers are reimagining this framework into something more fluid, adaptable, and human-centric.
The future of content marketing recognizes that consumers don’t follow predictable paths. Instead, they jump between stages, influenced by shifting priorities, real-time needs, and external triggers.
Rather than moving consumers step-by-step through awareness, consideration, and decision, the funnel is evolving into an ecosystem – a dynamic model that recognizes the interconnected and iterative nature of consumer behavior.
Success is no longer defined by immediate conversion. The goal is to create value at every stage of the journey, building relationships that transcend individual transactions.
As we enter 2025, marketers must embrace flexibility, leveraging technology and empathy to adapt to the complexities of real-world consumer behavior.
If you want more quality in your pipeline, you need more quality in your marketing efforts.
That means you should focus more on your ideal customer profile (ICP) and their journey to conversion.
Reflecting on the year, I can tell you that these are some of the most impactful places to spend time and resources to support a more quality-driven pipeline.
I just saw a post in my social feed that could not have been more timely:
Content is your round-the-clock salesperson.
It can reach more people in one day that you’ll meet in a lifetime.
The content that you’re putting out there is dictating the type of lead you’re going to get from that content.
So, when you’re looking at your pipeline, what do you see?
I hear it from organizations all the time. They want leads in their pipeline who are most likely to convert (i.e., high quality).
And I also see the efforts they’re putting in, and there’s so much opportunity they’re missing.
The bottom line: If you’re looking for higher quality in your pipeline, you need higher quality in your marketing efforts.
To inject more quality into your marketing efforts, you need to build a content strategy based on what your ideal customer wants and needs to solve their pain.
So, step back and audit: What is your round-the-clock salesperson selling for your business? Is it attracting the right leads?
Quality can no longer be an afterthought for your marketing team, and the executive team needs to get on board, too.
The stuff in this article isn’t new. But sometimes, we need reminders of the foundations.
My hope is that it gives you at least one ah-ha moment to help you be more intentional – and successful – with your lead generation efforts.
How To Shift To Quality-Driving Marketing Strategies
I’ve had the pleasure of moderating half our 45 webinars this year with some great experts!
There are some resounding themes that surface across them all. The importance of quality, branding, consistency, and holistic strategies came to the top of the list.
And have you noticed all the branding articles in your LinkedIn feed, or is it just my algo? Psst … it’s because it’s important…
With leaner teams, leaner budgets, and leaner attention span (and let’s not forget all the changes in search this year), marketers just don’t have the resources to “try it and see what happens.”
There are some places you can focus your resources on that can have a big impact on the quality of leads you attract and retain.
First, you have to understand all the content touchpoints your audience needs to help nurture them into the next phase along their journey.
Think about call-to-action (CTA) to get them into your pipeline, and educate them if they’re not ready to convert yet. (This is where alignment with sales will be an essential part of this strategy planning.)
A solid strategy tells your story, delivers value throughout the customer journey, and woos your audience with a solution that fits their needs.
No more creating content that doesn’t serve your audience.
Notice what I said: Your audience needs. Put yourself in their shoes and create content that informs and shows value.
The Importance Of Intent-Driven Content To Support Journeys
Remember those leaner teams, leaner attention span? Teams don’t have time to do all the things. Plus, consumers don’t have time to focus on all the content that hits them.
So, focus your attention on places that matter.
Intent-driven content supports journeys by focusing on the content relevant to the ICPs you want to grow, helping streamline content creation.
Using the research from the ICPs and sales and marketing alignment, this is where you’ll create targeted pieces that address specific pain points or needs at that moment of the journey.
Content is tailored for each stage of the journey (awareness, consideration, decision, retention, advocacy), and showcases your value at that stage.
When coupled with your first-party data, you can create a personalized experience to make them feel seen. This helps build loyalty.
Email/CRM Automation Is The Easiest And Fastest Way To Inject Quality Content Into Customer Journeys
We all know that it costs more to attract new customers. So, start by looking at the leads you already have. Improve their experience with you.
You have gold at your fingertips. Use data you have on your leads (i.e., demographics, firmographics, engagement, behavior) to help you understand where leads are in their journey and how you can nurture them with targeted content. This also serves as the foundation for leading scoring.
Tip: Use third-party compilers to enrich missing or outdated data that would be helpful to your segmentation strategy, like accuracy, buyer intent, company size, revenue, etc.
Lead scoring is often overlooked by many sales teams. This functionality, available in CRMs, can help you easily identify where leads are in their marketing journey and how qualified they truly are.
Leads get scored based on the likelihood they will convert. For each demographic or firmographic they have that matches your core ICP, they get points.
Plus, they get additional points for each action they take on your site.
Sales and marketing need to collaborate here on what data points, actions, and behaviors get what score. The idea is that the higher the score, the more likely that the lead is a qualified lead.
Once a lead hits a certain score (determined and agreed upon by the team), the most qualified leads get pushed to your sales team to nurture and close (SQLs, sales qualified leads), and the lower scores stay with marketing for automated nurturing (MQLs, marketing qualified leads).
Using these data-based insights, give them a custom experience to show them you’re here to help and provide value.
The onboarding process is the most important part of their interaction with your brand. That first email is the first impression of how you’re going to interact with them. Let’s do a quick audit:
First, can you tell, based on how they got in your pipeline and what actions they’ve taken on your site, what stage of the journey they’re in?
Second, does that onboarding content match that stage?
Where I see most lost opportunities is when brands go for the direct sell, even if the lead is still in those awareness/consideration stages.
In those stages, they need information to educate and nurture them to conversion. A direct sales push could have them unsubscribing if you’re not providing value, making it more difficult to get them into your pipeline again.
Beyond onboarding, look at your journey stages or the segments of the audience you have.
Once you have the journey mapped, look at the content you already have that can support the journey. Fill gaps where needed.
Use one piece of content to make several (“sweat the assets”). Try different formats to help reach users with media that is more palatable for them.
And, most of all, lean on sales and customer service to help develop content you don’t have.
Automation Within Your CRM Is Powerful
If the tech gods didn’t want us to use technology, they wouldn’t have blessed us with all the toys we have.
For this article, I’m going to focus on the automation within your CRM/email platform that can help you be more efficient and effective with your resources, and enable your sales to spend their time on the most valuable leads.
Automation can be set up to tag users based on actions or behavior, which helps increase or decrease lead scores.
The key benefit of lead scores is that you can send only the most qualified leads (SQLs) to your sales team. Let marketing nurture those who aren’t ready yet.
Then, building on the segmentation and scoring above, with the right setup and triggers, you can identify their place in the journey and provide them with the right content at the right time.
Example: We have prospecting flows set up for readers who download one of our ebooks, but don’t subscribe to our newsletter.
The goal is to get users who don’t subscribe to our newsletter to do so.
These are fairly robust flows and contain multiple branches with personalized content based on website behavior, content engagement, self-identified interests, and other attributes.
We entice them with content based on interests. Below, you can see emails, delays in timing, and triggers to push them to other workflows.
Image from author, December 2024
You can use automation to provide that intent-driven content we talked about above.
Your strategy should include thinking clearly through the customer journey to current customers (think upsell, cross-sell, retention).
Automation can be used across the journey and is great for converting abandoned carts, showing personalized offers to users on your site, or getting prospects to convert into your newsletter.
There’s so much more to unpack here, but hopefully, you can envision how workflows are powered by data and segmentation and help your team spend their time in other places by nurturing leads for you.
Targeted Retargeting
There’s power in building a well-intentioned segmentation and tagging workflows.
Building on the segmentation above, you can serve targeted ads to leads or customers when they’re on their favorite social media site or just browsing the web.
If you’re running retargeting, how much personalization is going into it? Or are you going straight for the bottom of the funnel?
This is another opportunity to show you’re listening, you know them, build loyalty, and stay top-of-mind.
Join Your Marketing And Sales Teams (& Customer Service) At The Hip
I’ll say it again: If you want more quality in your pipeline, you need more quality in your marketing efforts.
You have a wealth of knowledge under your roof. How well are you leveraging it? Here’s your chance to knowledge-share in order to make more informed decisions.
In order to put your best efforts into the most impactful places, sales and marketing should collaborate on ICP development, a content strategy to attract, nurture, and retain customers, and, of course, a feedback loop on lead quality.
Marketing needs to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly of their efforts.
When you’re looking at marketing to drive quality leads more than anything, feedback on customer interactions gives them a vantage point to create/modify content that speaks more closely to their needs.
For your sales team, knowing the customer more deeply enables them to personalize efforts during their sales journey, and create more meaningful connections.
This builds trust, increases the likelihood of closing deals, and helps with greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Communication and feedback are really the core components here.
I could go on and on here, so let me know if a deeper post might interest you.
Actions For Sales & Marketing Alignment:
Collaborative persona development: marketing can provide data on market trends and behaviors, while the sales team contributes insights from direct customer interactions.
Regular communication between teams: Slack, standups, joint training sessions.
Collaborate on nurture sequences – a place content mismatch can break a deal.
It’s important to note that ICP knowledge and sales and marketing collaboration are the foundational blocks for success. Everything in this post hinges on this working partnership.
Holistic Marketing Campaigns For A Full, Consistent Journey
A holistic marketing strategy takes into account all stages of the journey, and that different people consume content differently across multiple channels.
This is your opportunity to test different content formats with different CTAs.
You may find that certain content formats perform better on specific channels, and optimize toward that.
To keep building on quality, maintaining brand consistency is so important here.
The more types of content and channels you put them on, the more imperative it is that you treat each as an extension of the current campaign and not a one-off.
Nothing can turn off a lead faster than an inconsistent experience. They see that as a reflection of your brand and the rest of the journey with you.
Get Real About Costs And What You’re Willing To Pay For A Lead
I said it before: “Investing in quality resources for lead generation may mean higher costs, but it can lead to higher quality leads and lower overall Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC).”
CRM access and continual feedback from sales fill a blind spot to help marketing more fully understand lead quality and where content/channels need to be tweaked.
It’s up to marketing to convey the value of the marketing and the expected return on the investment.
Sometimes, ROI is long term and not easily realized in the short term. And, not all metrics or journey stages are going to be easy to quantify.
When presenting the plan to stakeholders, take the time to go through shifts in strategy and provide the whys behind it.
Explain the importance of focusing on content to drive better leads, and tell the story. Show the numbers.
And, use examples that might help them reflect on their own buying habits to get the buy-in you’re looking for.
Which brings us to a stakeholder’s favorite marketing excuse…
Get Real About What You Can Track And What You Don’t Need To Track
Not every click or conversion holds the same weight. This will become evident when you plan your lead scoring. And it’s time we stopped treating marketing performance metrics that way, too.
Sure, it’s easy to track form fills on a gated whitepaper in the consideration phase, but it’s not as easy to track awareness efforts from an optimized blog post.
Yet, that blog post counts as a touchpoint along the journey, and needs to have budget and resources allocated to it.
This is where asking for budget and showing attribution gets tricky. With the move to quality, lead costs can be more expensive (especially at first while you’re optimizing).
Stakeholders and your CFO are asking how many of those awareness leads converted and at what cost – when, in reality, those may not be realized for months or years, depending on your sales cycle.
So, what do you track? It depends. For each stage of the journey, you will have different metrics to track across different media types.
Awareness pieces are designed to drive engagement, so it usually doesn’t make sense to push a “buy now” CTA when they’re just becoming acquainted with your brand.
Podcasts, for example, are an awareness tool. You should track downloads, listening time, reviews, and followers.
For a blog post, tracking track time on site, scroll depth, along with any engagement like social shares of blog posts.
You might not be able to directly attribute these efforts to sales, but they do aid in the sale process and, as such, need resources.
If your efforts are well-developed and backed with insightful data, these awareness pieces should help you continue nurturing leads along the way.
Be patient, but also be testing.
Adapt your thinking to evaluate lifetime value rather than needing to value each individual touchpoint.
Adapt Or Get Left Behind
There are so many more things I could have talked about. I feel remiss that I didn’t even touch on AI, but that’s a whole post we’ll save for another day.
Quick plug for AI: Let it be your sidekick, your research assistant, the Robin to your Batman. Use AI to help automate tasks that are taking up human resources. Think about where you need humans to do the work, and see what you can offload to AI. I also use AI to inspire me when I’m short on time. It can also help you analyze data or perform competitor research.
Building the strategy, journeys, and segmentation to power the personalization and automation engine will take your team time. Be tenacious and patient – don’t wait for perfection.
Know that your email is golden, and can be your biggest source of conversions, especially if segmented properly. This is your chance to have one-on-one conversations and meet prospects where they are in their journey.
A strong segmentation strategy will help with lead-scoring power automation and support a great retargeting strategy.
Now, it’s time to get real about what you’re willing to pay for a quality lead, what resources need to go into making that happen, and what makes sense to track as you forge into this new strategy.
Here’s to driving quality leads and focusing on the journey in 2025!
New generative AI models capable of problem-solving and complex reasoning can streamline content planning and creation. Even marketers who are reticent to publish AI-generated articles may find the new models make excellent research assistants.
Google Gemini’s Deep Research and OpenAI’s o1 represent a new category of generative artificial intelligence called large reasoning models (LRMs) or sometimes long-reasoning models.
LRMs for Marketing
LRMs are trained to approximate reasoning and decision-making based on logical sequences. LRMs “think” before generating — different from their close cousins, large language models.
LRMs assist in tasks requiring logical analysis — i.e., research — such as collecting and organizing information, which is especially useful for content marketers.
To illustrate, consider three content marketing needs for my online print-on-demand t-shirt business. I publish articles on that site to garner search engine traffic and encourage newsletter subscriptions. Then I use the newsletter to promote t-shirts.
I asked Gemini to create a list of topics related to Superman and current events (an odd combination, but it makes sense for the site), as follows.
Research Superman comics, television shows, and movies identifying plots and themes which are similar to current events or trends.
For each of the top five trends you discover, create three article topics for a science fiction website. These topics should reflect the intersection of the Superman plot or theme and the current event.
The author prompted Gemini to list topics related to Superman and current events.
Gemini then scoured the internet, fetching content that might have taken hours for a human. The LRM responded with a plan of action. It would find articles on the internet that described common themes in Superman stories and compare them to articles about current events:
Superman’s Reflection in Modern Times
8 Research Websites
Research Superman comics, television shows, and movies identifying plots and themes which are similar to current events or trends.
For each of the top five trends you discover, create three article topics for a science fiction website. These topics should reflect the intersection of the Superman plot or theme and the current event.
(1) Find articles and analyses discussing recurring themes and plots in Superman comics, television shows, and movies. (2) Find articles and analyses discussing current events and trends in various areas such as politics, technology, social issues, and the environment. (3) Compare the themes and plots identified in (1) with the current events and trends identified in (2) to find similarities or parallels. (4) For each of the top five trends identified in (3), create three article topics for a science fiction website that explore the intersection of the Superman plot or theme and the current event.
In 3 minutes, Gemini reviewed 71 websites, analyzed them, and returned five themes:
Superman as a Reflection of Societal Anxieties
Superman in the Age of Technology
Superman and Social Justice
Superman and the Environment
Superman as a Symbol of Hope
Each theme included three topic suggestions. The best came from “Superman in the Age of Technology”:
What if Superman Had a Smartphone? (No More Phone Booths). Humorous take on a classic Superman trope and modern technology.
Did Superman Comics Predict the Metaverse? (It’s the Phantom Zone). Draws a parallel between a Superman concept and a current tech trend.
Superman’s Super-Speed vs. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop. Who’s Faster?. Pits Superman against a modern technological innovation in a lighthearted competition.
Article briefs
My content-then-commerce website retains freelance writers who receive a topic and an article brief as a guide. Yet even a brief requires a fair amount of research, so I asked Gemini’s Deep Research model for help.
First, I prompted Gemini to investigate the topic. In this case, I requested broad info on the evolution of military science fiction novels, prompting, “Research the military science fiction sub-genre from 1890 until 2001 and identify how military sci-fi has evolved.”
Gemini responded:
Here’s the plan I’ve put together. Let me know if you need any changes before I start researching.
Evolving Military Sci-Fi
Research Websites
Research the military science fiction sub-genre from 1890 until 2001 and identify how military sci-fi has evolved by: (1) Find books and articles discussing the history of military science fiction. (2) Find lists of military science fiction works published between 1890 and 2001. (3) Read and analyze a selection of military science fiction works from different periods within the specified timeframe…
Gemini offered a broad research approach for military science fiction.
As with the topic example, Gemini offered a research plan, which I approved. About 4 minutes later, the AI produced a 3,091-word research summary backed by 25 sources.
The 3,091-word research summary with 25 sources took Gemini about 4 minutes.
Next, I prompted Gemini to produce an article brief to provide clear, focused direction to the writer while giving him creative flexibility to craft an engaging piece.
The AI then produced a brief complete with target keywords, demographic data, a list of reader interests and concerns, several key themes to cover, and sources.
My t-shirt business’s third need is help with publishing on X.
I surveyed top customers — men over 50 — and learned that many use X as their primary social media platform. Unfortunately, the t-shirt business did not have an X account.
Thus I asked Gemini to research the best ways to grow an audience on the platform. Following the now familiar pattern, the AI model created a plan I could accept or edit to ensure the model was on track:
Here’s a research plan for that topic. If you need to update it, let me know!
Growing an Audience on X
Research Websites
Research publisher best practices for the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform and report on the best techniques for growing an audience on the platform by:
(1) Find articles and guides on publisher best practices for X. If there are too many articles, limit to a couple that are most relevant. (2) Find case studies of successful publishers on X. (3) Find information on the X algorithm and how it affects content visibility. (4) Find information on the different types of content that perform well on X. (5) Find information on the best times to post on X. (6) Find information on the best ways to engage with other users on X. (7) Find information on the best tools and resources for growing an audience on X. (8) Based on your research, write a report summarizing the best techniques for growing an audience on X.
The option to edit the LRM’s research plan allows a human editor to ensure the AI is on track.
Content Research
LRMs are among the most recent AI tools and a significant time saver for research-heavy content. Used well, the models speed up time-consuming and repetitive tasks to get more work done.
Setting yourself and your organization up for successful marketing means understanding the interesting dates, holidays, and events throughout the year that you can leverage for your brand.
Pulling that information together takes time and effort, so we’ve done the legwork for you.
You can customize this easily referenceable table and pull out the relevant dates for your business to create your own 2025 marketing calendar.
For planning content and social media campaigns, using a marketing calendar gives you insights and opportunities to tie your content into well-known events in engaging ways.
These range from big sporting events to awareness months that you can plan content around to public holidays so you can leverage them for engagement.
Free Marketing Calendar And Template For 2025
Below, we have listed some of the major holiday highlights for 2025. We have also compiled a free spreadsheet that lists many obscure awareness days to help you plan content in any niche.
The full marketing calendar and template are available at the end of the article, with a breakdown of each month.
This calendar focuses mainly on the U.S. and Canada, with some major international and religious holidays included.
Your 2025 Holiday Marketing Calendar
January
January is a time of resolutions and fresh starts, with many picking a goal for the year or looking to make a change.
It can be a slow start, given that many people are still recovering from the end of last year, but that gives you time to plan your calendar and ease into a new year of content.
There are plenty of broad activities to lean into, like Veganuary and National Hobby Month, to connect with audience lifestyles.
Events in January always have all eyes on them, too, like the Golden Globes and Winter X Games, so content around them can kickstart your 2025 engagement.
Monthly Observances
International Creativity Month
National Blood Donor Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Hobby Month
Dry January
Veganuary
Weekly Observances
January 1-7 – New Year’s Resolutions Week
January 1-7 – Celebration of Life Week
January 12-18 – National Pizza Week
January 12-18 – Home Office and Security Week
Days
January 1 – New Year’s Day
January 1 – Global Family Day
January 2 – National Science Fiction Day
January 4 – World Braille Day
January 5 – National Screenwriters Day
January 5 – 82nd Annual Golden Globes Awards
January 6 – Epiphany
January 7 – Orthodox Christmas Day
January 11 – International Thank You Day
January 13 – Korean American Day
January 13 – Stephen Foster Memorial Day
January 14 – Orthodox New Year
January 14 – Ratification Day
January 17 – Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day
January 17 – Benjamin Franklin Day
January 20 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 20 – Inauguration Day
January 21 – National Hug Day
January 23 – National Pie Day
January 23-25 – Winter X Games
January 23 (to February 2) – Sundance Film Festival
January 24 – International Day of Education
January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 28 – Data Privacy Day
January 29 – Lunar New Year
Popular Hashtags For January
#NewYearsDay
#ScienceFictionDay
#NationalTriviaDay
#NationalBirdDay
#NationalStickerDay
#GetToKnowYourCustomersDay
#CheeseLoversDay
#MLKDay
#NationalHuggingDay
#PieDay
#NationalComplimentDay
#PrivacyAware
February
Despite being the shortest month, February is full of interesting events you can leverage for your marketing campaigns.
The colder days can leave people looking for things to get involved with from the comfort of their homes. So, make sure your content is working in line with popular days to attract people to your organization’s content.
February may be short, but it offers plenty of opportunities to tap into the heart of the season and connect with your audience.
Monthly Observances
Black History Month
American Heart Month
National Heart Month
National Weddings Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
National Library Lovers Month
Celebration of Chocolate Month
Weekly Observances
February 6-11 – New York Fashion Week
February 7-13 – African Heritage and Health Week
February 9-15 – Freelance Writers Appreciation Week
February 9-15 – International Flirting Week
February 14-20 – Random Acts of Kindness Week
February 16-22 – Engineers’ Week
February 17-23 – National Pancake Week
February 24-March 2 – National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Days
February 1 – First Day of Black History Month
February 1 – National Freedom Day
February 1 – National Change Your Password Day
February 2 – Groundhog Day
February 2 – 67th Annual Grammy Awards
February 4 – World Cancer Day
February 5 – National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 9 – National Pizza Day
February 9 – Super Bowl LIX
February 11 – International Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
February 12 – Red Hand Day
February 12 – Georgia Day
February 12 – Darwin Day
February 13 – World Radio Day
February 14 – Valentine’s Day
February 15 – Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday
February 16 – NBA All-Stars
February 17 – Presidents’ Day
February 22 – George Washington’s Birthday
February 28 – Ramadan starts
Popular Hashtags For February
#GroundhogDay
#WorldCancerDay
#NationalWeatherpersonsDay
#SendACardToAFriendDay
#BoyScoutsDay
#NationalPizzaDay
#ValentinesDay
#RandomActsOfKindnessDay
#PresidentsDay
#LoveYourPetDay
March
March marks the beginning of spring, and the days start to get longer. Whether March Madness turns up the heat or Pi Day inspires a little fun, there are plenty of exciting events to get your content involved with.
Some of the monthly observances, such as Women’s History Month or The Great American Cleanup, can serve as great causes for regular engagement this month.
Monthly Observances
Women’s History Month
Nutrition Month
Music in Our Schools Month
Craft Month
American Red Cross Month
The Great American Cleanup
Ramadan ends on March 29
Weekly Observances
March 9-15 – Girl Scout Week
March 9-15 – National Sleep Awareness Week
March 18-24 – National Agriculture Week
March 23-29 – National Cleaning Week
Days
March 1 – Zero Discrimination Day
March 2 – 97th Academy Awards Ceremony
March 3 – World Wildlife Day
March 3 – National Anthem Day
March 4 – International HPV Awareness Day
March 4 – Mardi Gras
March 7 – Employee Appreciation Day
March 7 – Global Unplugging Day
March 8 – International Women’s Day
March 9 – Daylight Savings
March 13 – Purim
March 14 – Pi Day
March 14 – World Sleep Day
March 15 – The Ides of March
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 18 – NCAA March Madness
March 18 – Global Recycling Day
March 20 – Nowruz
March 20 – Spring Equinox
March 22 – World Water Day
March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness Day
March 27 – World Theatre Day
March 27 – MLB Opening Day
March 29 – Ramadan ends
March 30-31 – Eid-Al-Fitr
Popular Hashtags for March
#PeanutButterLoversDay
#EmployeeAppreciationDay
#ReadAcrossAmerica
#DrSeuss
#WorldWildlifeDay
#NationalGrammarDay
#BeBoldForChange
#DaylightSavings
#PiDay
#StPatricksDay
#FirstDayofSpring
#WorldWaterDay
#NationalPuppyDay
#PurpleDay
#NationalDoctorsDay
#EarthHour
April
April is probably best known for April Fools’ Day, and a chance to get creative with parody and spoof content for your calendar that can make your customers smile.
Earth Month also means you can make more eco-friendly posts about your organization’s commitment to reducing its impact on the planet.
You also might want to get your cape out of storage on April 28 for National Superhero Day.
Monthly Observances
Earth Month
National Autism Awareness Month
Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
Stress Awareness Month
Weekly Observances
April 20-26 – National Volunteer Week
April 20-26 – Administrative Professionals Week
April 21-25 – Every Kid Healthy Week
April 21-27 – Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week
Days
April 1 – April Fool’s Day
April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day
April 2 – International Children’s Book Day
April 2 – National Walking Day
April 7 – National Beer Day
April 7 – World Health Day
April 7-13 – Masters Tournament PGA
April 11 – National Pet Day
April 11-13/18-20 – Coachella Music Festival
April 12 – Passover starts
April 13 – Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday
April 13 – Palm Sunday
April 13-15 – Songkran
April 15 – American Sign Language Day
April 15 – Tax Day
April 16 – Emancipation Day
April 17 – Maundy Thursday
April 18 – Good Friday
April 19 – Holy Saturday
April 19 – Patriots’ Day
April 20 – Easter Sunday
April 20 – Passover ends
April 21 – Easter Monday
April 21 – Boston Marathon
April 21 – World Creativity and Innovation Day
April 22 – Earth Day
April 23 – Yom HaShoah
April 25 – Arbor Day
April 27 – World Design Day
April 28 – National Superhero Day
April 30 – National Honesty Day
April 30 – Yom Ha’atzmaut
Popular Hashtags For April:
#AprilFools
#WAAD
#FindARainbowDay
#NationalWalkingDay
#LetsTalk
#EqualPayDay
#TaxDay
#NH5D
#NationalLookAlikeDay
#AdministrativeProfessionalsDay
#DenimDay
#EndMalariaForGood
#COUNTONME
#ArborDay
#NationalHonestyDay
#AdoptAShelterPetDay
May
May brings a lot of variety with it as there are plenty of good causes to raise awareness for, plus major sporting events and unique celebrations you can join in with.
Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, and Memorial Day are just a few examples of events that will have lots of people paying attention and can make for great marketing themes.
Monthly Observances
ALS Awareness
Asthma Awareness Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
National Clean Air Month
Better Sleep Month
Lupus Awareness Month
Weekly Observances
May 4-10 – National Pet Week
May 4-10 – National Travel & Tourism Week
May 4-10 – Drinking Water Week
May 6-12 – National Nurses Week
May 11-17 – Food Allergy Awareness Week
Days
May 1 – May Day
May 1 – Law Day
May 1 – Lei Day
May 1 – World Password Day
May 3 – Kentucky Derby
May 4 – Star Wars Day
May 4 – International Firefighters Day
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo
May 6 – National Nurses Day
May 8 – World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
May 10 – World Lupus Day
May 10 – World Fair Trade Day
May 11 – Mother’s Day
May 15-18 – PGA Championship
May 15 – International Day of Families
May 16 – Malcolm X Day
May 17 – Internet Day
May 18 – National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
May 19 – Victoria Day (Canada)
May 20 – World Bee Day
May 21 – World Meditation Day
May 25 – Geek Pride Day
May 25-June 8 – French Open
May 25 – Indianapolis 500
May 26 – Memorial Day
May 28 – World Hunger Day
May 31 – Chinese Dragon Boat Festival
Popular Hashtags For May:
#RedNoseDay
#MayDay
#WorldPasswordDay
#StarWarsDay & #Maythe4thBeWithYou
#InternationalFirefightersDay
#CincoDeMayo
#MothersDay
#BTWD
#MemorialDay & #MDW
June
Once June has arrived, it’s finally starting to feel like summer. Everyone wants to make the most of the sunshine, and the positive energies are flowing.
Given that June also marks Great Outdoors Month, this is a great opportunity to make your brand a must-have companion for planning a beachside vacation or hosting a cookout.
You can also show your support for LGBTQ+ Pride, Flag Day, and Father’s Day, along with all the other events listed here.
Monthly Observances
LGBTQ Pride Month
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
Great Outdoors Month
Men’s Health Month
National Safety Month
National Zoo and Aquarium Month
Weekly Observances
June 1-7 – National Garden Week
June 1-7 – National Headache Awareness Week
June 9-15 – National Men’s Health Week
June 15-21 – National Roller Coaster Week
Days
June 1 – Global Parents Day
June 11 – Shavuot
June 5 – Hot Air Balloon Day
June 5 – World Environment Day
June 6 – D-Day
June 7 – Belmont Stakes
June 8 – World Oceans Day
June 8 – National Best Friends Day
June 8 – Tony Awards
June 9 – Donald Duck Day
June 11 – Kamehameha Day
June 12-15 – Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 12-15 – U.S. Open PGA
June 14 – National Flag Day
June 15 – Trinity Sunday
June 15 – Father’s Day
June 19 – Juneteenth
June 21 – Summer Solstice
June 23 – International Widows Day
June 30 – International Asteroid Day
June 30-July 13 – Wimbledon
Popular Hashtags For June:
#NationalDonutDay
#FathersDay
#NationalSelfieDay
#TakeYourDogToWorkDay
#HandshakeDay
#SMDay
July
July presents lots of opportunities for savvy marketers, from the 4th of July to the International Day of Friendship.
As we enter the summer slow-down period, there’s lots to celebrate that can help to feed your social media content to keep customers engaged.
So celebrate your independence, indulge in a little ice cream, and bring people together with one of the many events in July.
Monthly Observances
Family Golf Month
Ice Cream Month
National Parks and Recreation Month
National Picnic Month
National Independent Retailer Month
National Blueberry Month
Weekly Observances
July 14-20 – Capture the Sunset Week
Days
July 1 – International Joke Day
July 2 – World UFO Day
July 4 – Independence Day
July 5-6 – Ashura
July 5-July 27 – Tour de France
July 6 – International Kissing Day
July 7 – World Chocolate Day
July 8 – National Video Games Day
July 11 – World Population Day
July 12 – Pecan Pie Day
July 15 – MLB All-Star Game
July 16 – Moon Landing Anniversary
July 17 – World Emoji Day
July 18 – Nelson Mandela International Day
July 20 – International Chess Day
July 20 – National Moon Day
July 21 – National Junk Food Day
July 24 – Amelia Earhart Day
July 26 – Aunt and Uncle Day
July 27 – Parents’ Day
July 28 – World Hepatitis Day
July 30 – International Day of Friendship
July 31 – World Ranger Day
Popular Hashtags For July:
#NationalPostalWorkerDay
#WorldUFODay
#WorldEmojiDay
#DayOfFriendship
August
We’ve hit the hottest days by August as back-to-school looms, and we welcome the return of football.
While many are topping up their tans and making the most of the final Summer days, August still provides lots of opportunities to align your content with wider events.
Make sure you’re using your marketing calendar to the fullest extent to post any sunny seasonal content promptly before fall arrives.
Monthly Observances
Back to School Month
National Breastfeeding Month
Family Fun Month
National Peach Month
Weekly Observances
August 1-7 – International Clown Week
August 3-9 – National Farmers’ Market Week
August 25-31 – Be Kind to Humankind Week
Days
August 1 – National Girlfriends Day
August 1 – International Beer Day
August 2 – NFL Hall of Fame Game & Pre-season
August 3 – National Friendship Day
August 7 – Purple Heart Day
August 8 – International Cat Day
August 9 – Book Lover’s Day
August 9 – Raksha Bandhan
August 11 – National Son and Daughter Day
August 11 – Victory Day
August 13 – Left Handers Day
August 15 – Assumption of Mary
August 16 – National Honey Bee Day
August 19 – World Humanitarian Day
August 20 – National Radio Day
August 21 – Senior Citizens Day
August 26 – Women’s Equality Day
August 30 – Frankenstein Day
August 30 – National Beach Day
Popular Hashtags For August:
#InternationalCatDay
#NationalBookLoversDay
#WorldElephantDay
#LefthandersDay
#WorldPhotoDay
#WorldHumanitarianDay
#NationalLemonadeDay
#NationalDogDay
#WomensEqualityDay
September
As fall begins, some of the bigger events happening in September are Hispanic Heritage Month, Grandparents Day, and, of course, Labor Day.
There are also plenty of other events to inspire you, from Oktoberfest to National Yoga Month. Plus, a National Coffee Day for those who struggle to start their day without a caffeine fix.
Monthly Observances
Wilderness Month
National Food Safety Education Month
National Yoga Month
Whole Grains Month
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)
Weekly Observances
September 7-13 – National Suicide Prevention Week
September 14-20 – National Indoor Plant Week
September 15-21 – Pollution Prevention Week
September 21-27 – National Dog Week
Days
September 1 – Labor Day
September 2 – VJ Day
September 4 – National Wildlife Day
September 5 – International Day of Charity
September 6 – National Fight Procrastination Day
September 7 – National Grandparents Day
September 8 – Pardon Day
September 11 – 9/11
September 11 – Patriot Day
September 12 – Video Games Day
September 13 – Uncle Sam Day
September 15 – Greenpeace Day
September 17 – Constitution Day
September 20 – Oktoberfest begins
September 21 – International Day of Peace
September 22 – World Car-Free Day
September 23 – September Equinox
September 24 – World Bollywood Day
September 26 – Native American Day
September 27 – World Tourism Day
September 29 – National Coffee Day (US)
September 29 – Confucius Day
September 29 – World Heart Day
Popular Hashtags For September:
#LaborDay
#NationalWildlifeDay
#CharityDay
#ReadABookDay
#911Day
#NationalVideoGamesDay
#TalkLikeAPirateDay
#PeaceDay
#CarFreeDay
#WorldRabiesDay
#GoodNeighborDay
#InternationalPodcastDay
October
It’s that time of year when pumpkin spice lattes roll around again.
While October is known as the spooky season to many, there’s much more to this month than just Halloween – there’s Teacher’s Day, World Mental Health Day, and Spirit Day, to name a few, around which your organization can look to create content.
Monthly Observances
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Bully Prevention Month
Halloween Safety Month
Financial Planning Month
National Pizza Month
Weekly Observances
October 5-11 – Fire Prevention Week
October 13-19 – Earth Science Week
October 19-25 – National Business Women’s Week
Days
October 1 – International Coffee Day
October 1 – World Vegetarian Day
October 1 – Yom Kippur
October 3 – National Techies Day
October 5 – World Teacher’s Day
October 5 – Oktoberfest ends
October 6 – Child Health Day
October 10 – World Mental Health Day
October 11 – National Coming Out Day
October 13 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
October 13 – Columbus Day
October 13 – Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
October 16 – World Food Day
October 16 – Spirit Day (Anti-bullying)
October 18 – Sweetest Day
October 24 – United Nations Day
October 25 – Make a Difference Day
October 30 – Mischief Night
October 31 – Halloween
Popular Hashtags For October:
#InternationalCoffeeDay
#TechiesDay
#NationalTacoDay
#WorldSmileDay
#WorldTeachersDay
#WorldHabitatDay
#WorldMentalHealthDay
#BossesDay
#UNDay
#ChecklistDay
#Halloween
November
During the month in which we all give thanks, there is also a wide range of causes you can help out with or raise awareness for, like Movember and America Recycles Day.
You should also mark your marketing calendar for arguably the biggest sales events of the year – Black Friday and Cyber Monday (December 1) – which are sure to be on everyone’s radar.
Monthly Observances
Native American Heritage Month
Movember
World Vegan Month
Novel Writing Month
National Gratitude Month
Weekly Observances
November 16-22 – American Education Week
November 24-30 – Game and Puzzle Week
Days
November 1 – Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos
November 1 – All Saints’ Day
November 1 – World Vegan Day
November 2 – Daylight Savings Time ends
November 4 – Melbourne Cup Day
November 8 – STEM Day
November 9 – World Freedom Day
November 10 – Marine Corps Birthday
November 11 – Veterans Day
November 13 – World Kindness Day
November 14 – World Diabetes Day
November 18 – National Entrepreneurs Day
November 24 – Evolution Day
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day
November 28 – Native American Heritage Day
November 28 – Black Friday
Popular Hashtags For November:
#WorldVeganDay
#NationalSandwichDay
#DaylightSavings
#CappuccinoDay
#STEMDay
#VeteransDay
#WKD
#WDD
#BeRecycled
#EntrepreneursDay
#Thanksgiving
#ShopSmall
December
December is here, and the end of the year is in sight.
Although 2026 is right around the corner, and you might want to start planning your content calendar for next year, don’t neglect your content in the run-up to the holidays.
Send your year off in style with marketing campaigns dedicated to events like Nobel Prize Day, Rosa Parks Day, Green Monday, and more.
You can even do a content wrap-up of your best moments from the year – and make sure to get your 2026 marketing calendar sorted early before the post-Christmas wind-down.
Monthly Observances
Human Rights Month
Operation Santa Paws
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
World Food Service Safety Month
Weekly Observances
December 14-22 – Hanukkah (Chanukah)
December 26-January 1 – Kwanzaa
Days
December 1 – World AIDS Day
December 1 – Rosa Parks Day
December 1 – Cyber Monday
December 3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 6 – St. Nicholas Day
December 7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
December 7 – National Letter Writing Day
December 8 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 8 – Green Monday
December 10 – Nobel Prize Day
December 10 – Human Rights Day
December 11 – UNICEF Anniversary
December 15 – Bill of Rights Day
December 18 – National Twin Day
December 21 – Winter Solstice
December 22 – Forefathers Day
December 23 – Festivus
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 25 – Hanukkah
December 26 – Kwanzaa
December 26 – Boxing Day
December 31 – New Year’s Eve
Popular Hashtags For December:
#IDPWD
#NationalCookieDay
#NobelPrize
#WinterSolstice
#NYE
The Complete Marketing Calendar And Template To Plan 2025
By having a content plan set out months in advance, you can rest assured that you’ll have great ideas to work with throughout the year.
And just because you have a plan doesn’t mean you can’t adapt if something interesting happens later in the year.
Simply rearrange your calendar and work your trending content around key dates.
Keep track of what ideas work throughout the year and use them to help guide your marketing calendar for 2025, so you can double down on successful content ideas.
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
