5 Content Marketing Ideas for May 2023

In May 2023, content marketers can use Mother’s Day, recommendations, fitness, King Charles, and money-saving ideas to reach prospects.

Content marketing is the act of creating or curating content, publishing that content, and promoting it with the goal of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers. It’s essential to search engine optimization and email marketing.

Creating content requires a seemingly endless stream of ideas. Here are five topics to use in May 2023.

1. Mother’s Day Guides

Mother’s Day falls on May 14, 2023, in the United States. Something like 84% of Americans will celebrate the holiday, spending $32 billion on gifts, greeting cards, flowers, and meals, according to the National Retail Federation.

Categories such as clothing, jewelry, and housewares are among the top gifts behind cards, chocolates, and bouquets. Many gift-givers will consider subscription boxes for moms, turning a one-time sale into a year of recurring revenue.

Mother’s Day is among the most popular retail holidays. Photo: Ijaz Rafi.

Mother’s Day is also an excellent opportunity to create gift guides.

Consider these tips.

• Focus on audience segments. Do you need a guide for men shopping for their mothers or husbands shopping for their wives? What about daughters shopping for their mothers?

• Organize by price. It makes sense to arrange gifts by how much they cost. “Gift ideas less than $50,” for example.

• Promote personalization or exclusivity. Call out products that can be personalized or are otherwise unique. Mother’s Day is a prime time for engraving, etching, and other forms of personalization.

• Offer subscriptions. A significant portion of shoppers will buy subscription boxes.

Promote your Mother’s Day gift guide on your website, email, social media, and advertising.

2. Curate Recommendation Videos

Closely related to gift guides is working with industry experts, influencers, and even your in-house team to develop one or more curated recommendation videos.

An example is actor Matthew McConaughey recommending Wild Turkey bourbon in a video series. Most of us cannot afford a movie star, but a less-prominent spokesperson could be within reach.

Actor Matthew McConaughey recommends Wild Turkey bourbon in this video.

Two factors drive this content marketing idea. First is the format. Video is an easy way to showcase products and recommend gifts. Second is the individual or group in the video. Celebrity status within an industry or category is optimal.

Align the expertise of collaborators with your products to ensure the recommendations are relevant. A variation is interviewing shoppers about why they chose a specific gift for mom.

3. National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated May “National Physical Fitness and Sports Month” to encourage Americans to engage in regular physical activity and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Since then, various fitness events and initiatives have been held throughout the month, with many organizations and communities hosting their own fitness-related activities.

President Reagan, shown here in 1982, designated May National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Source: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum.

Content marketers can develop month-long fitness challenges for potential customers. Merchants selling workout gear or nutritional supplements could benefit from this sort of promotion, but the idea is not limited to those categories.

A kitchen supply store could hold a vegetable challenge, encouraging shoppers with daily recipes. The recipes might be delivered via email or text message so the store can collect email addresses or phone numbers as part of the challenge.

Similarly, a tea seller could run a “Stay Hydrated, Stay Active Challenge.” This challenge could educate potential customers about healthy hydration, provide tea-related recipes, and offer access to a hydration-tracking app.

The key is to give potential customers a way to engage with your brand, provide a steady flow of communication, and offer a way to track their fitness progress. You might even offer a prize for folks who complete the challenge.

4. Charles III’s Coronation

King Charles III will be crowned in May. Source: The Prince of Wales press site.

On Saturday, May 6, 2023, Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. The event will capture the attention of anglophiles and the general public worldwide. Expect news outlets to talk about it endlessly.

A content marketer can capitalize on the coronation.

One approach is to curate products inspired by British culture and the event itself. The marketer could showcase these items in a “Coronation Collection,” highlighting their significance. By weaving in the historical context and traditions of the coronation, a marketer can craft a compelling narrative that piques the interest of potential customers.

Another idea is to create engaging blog posts or articles that explore various aspects of the coronation, such as fashion, ceremonial elements, or the history of royal coronations.

5. Money-saving Tips

May is a good time to help consumers save money. Photo: Alexander Mils.

Amid publicized layoffs and recession fears, many shoppers are looking to save money. Merchants can address those concerns in May content. The aim is to balance teaching prospects about saving money and encouraging them to spend it prudently (on the merchant’s products).

Ideally the content demonstrates how products can help shoppers save while learning a new skill or maintaining their current lifestyle.