5 Content Marketing Ideas for May 2024

What do families, the military, Eurovision, holidays, and how-to videos have in common? They all provide content marketing ideas for May 2024.

Content marketing is the act of creating, publishing, and promoting articles, videos, and similar to attract, engage, and retain customers. Content is the foundation for search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email newsletters.

Content marketing relies on reciprocity. Folks appreciate receiving helpful info and often respond positively to businesses that provide it. The trouble is coming up with a nonstop stream of worthwhile content.

What follows are five content marketing ideas you can use for May 2024.

International Day of Families

The International Day of Families could inspire a lot of family-related content.

In 1993, the United Nations established the International Day of Families to recognize that families are the foundation of stable societies.  

The occasion is observed annually on May 15. It’s an opportunity for marketers to create family-related articles, videos, or podcasts.

The content could be a nod to the day itself or connect your company’s products with a family activity. Here are three example article titles of the former:

• “10 Habits to Start on the International Day of Families,”
• “How to Celebrate the International Day of Families,”
• “10 Bonding Activities for International Day of Families.”

And here are three examples of connecting products to families:

• Outfitter: “Top 50 Day Hikes for Families.”
• Garden supply shop: “How to Make Flower Gardening Fun for Families.”
• Kitchen Store: “Tips for Including the Entire Family in Meal Planning.”

Armed Forces Day

Lance Cpl. John Allen with the U.S. Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, April 5, 2024.

Armed Forces Day in the U.S. occurs on the third Saturday in May, the 16th in 2024.

President Harry S Truman established Armed Forces Day in 1950, consolidating three other observances. The event typically features parades, displays, and various community celebrations to demonstrate support for the military and its members.

Armed Forces Day can be a respectful and thoughtful vehicle to connect with customers, especially those in military families or with ties to the armed services.

Content ideas include:

• Profiling service members and their families,
• Recognizing veteran-owned businesses in your supply chain,
• Thanking service members,
• Connecting products to military history.

Eurovision Song Contest

Most Americans learned about the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020 when Netflix released a Will Ferrell comedy about it. But the inspirational event has been around since 1956.

The European Broadcasting Union created Eurovision to encourage unity and post-war rebuilding efforts through music.  

Swedish performer Loreen won the 2023 Eurovision contest. Photo by Sarah Louise Bennett.

Each participating country contributes an original song. The performances are notable for their broad range of styles, elaborate staging, and sometimes quirky acts, reflecting each nation’s unique culture. 

The competition has launched the careers of numerous artists, including ABBA and Celine Dion.

Over the years, Eurovision has grown in scale and spectacle, becoming a beloved, flamboyant celebration of culture and pop music. This year’s Eurovision will be held from May 7 to 11 in Malmo, Sweden.

Eurovision-inspired content could address culture, fashion, music, or history. 

May’s Top 3 Holidays

Mother’s Day is among the most important holidays for retailers.

Three holidays dominate the May U.S. calendar in terms of popularity and familiarity: Mother’s Day (May 12, 2024), Memorial Day (May 27, 2024), and Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2024).

These dates are key for content marketers — for promotion and helpful info.

First, all three dates are important for retail sales. Americans spent more than $35 billion on Mother’s Day purchases in 2023 and typically spend about $500 per household on Memorial Day weekend. Cinco de Mayo is the longstanding celebration of Latino culture. 

Second, the holidays are excellent opportunities for articles, videos, and podcasts.

Mother’s Day:

• “Ultimate 2024 Mother’s Day Gift Guide,”
• “17 Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts,”
• “23 Affordable Mother’s Day Gift Ideas,”
• “Better-than-flowers Mother’s Day Gifts,”
• “Gifts for the DIY Mom.”

Memorial Day:

• “10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day,”
• “Ultimate Memorial Day BBQ Guide,”
• “The True Significance of Memorial Day,”
• “50 Playlists to Commemorate Memorial Day,”
• “Decorating Tips for a Patriotic Memorial Day.”

Cinco de Mayo:

• “Recipes to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo,”
• “5 Must-visit Sites on Cinco de Mayo,”
• “The Story behind Cinco de Mayo,”
• “Cinco de Mayo Decorating Tips and Trends,”
• “Cinco de Mayo Ultimate Shopping Guide.”

Summertime Videos

A film crew makes a how-to gardening video.

This month’s final content marketing suggestion focuses on search engine optimization and content distribution.

Summer begins June 20, 2024. Yet publishing summertime content in May gives Google and other search engines time to crawl and index it.

Consider producing groups of videos that help folks achieve a summer-related task. Each video package should include several parts.

• Full-length video instruction.
• Several shorts from the full-length version.
• An overall guide to all components.
• Text-based social posts from the video transcriptions.

For example, an online seed retailer could publish a video package about planting a kid-friendly flower garden. The retailer could:

• Embed the full video in a comprehensive blog post. This would be the hub.
• Release the full video on YouTube, Rumble, and Facebook. Each points to the retailer’s blog.
• Deploy video shorts on YouTube, TikTok, X, and Instagram, again linking to the blog.
• Publish tips on Facebook and X with links.