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Sick of feeling stuck when it comes to your content? Content pillars for social media can be key to helping you finally stay consistent online.
I’m gonna cue in my favorite Golden Girl storyteller: Sophia Petrillo. Picture it. You — tap, tap, tapping your fingers beside your keyboard while you rummage through your head…trying to find anything to talk about.
Creating content doesn’t have to be hard. Around here, I’m of the mindset of simplify, simplify, simplify. If something isn’t serving you, say goodbye to it. Yes, even that content plan you worked so darn hard to build.
Keep reading this post to find out all about content pillars for social media.
Organize Your Online Marketing Strategy With Content Pillars
The one thing that helped turn the tides on my content game was implementing content pillars into my content marketing strategy.
How do you organize social media content?
Sure, you can post whatever your heart wants today…the next day…and the day after that. But eventually, you’ll feel lost on what to post. It doesn’t matter how much the word ‘consistency’ makes your eyes roll, it’s the only thing you NEED to have a successful marketing strategy.
Content pillars are the perfect way to quell the chaos that can be content marketing — especially on social media. Just like bins are the perfect solution to tidying up that junk drawer, content pillars for social media can help you improve your consistency as well as clear any mental clutter about what to post online.
Let’s break this down…
What are content pillars?
Content pillars are simply your brand’s core themes that support your business goals, marketing strategy, and values. Having them means you can quickly and easily market your business online by sharing a correlated, cohesive story that resonates with your ideal audience or buyers.
Overall, they anchor your brand’s message by giving it a clear direction or purpose. They also support having all-around consistency: in publishing your content as well as speaking to an intentional message.
One thing I want you to keep in mind is that having content pillars won’t necessarily boost your growth on social media. They’re a tactic to sharpen your social media strategy to make it easier to stay consistent!
Why do you need content pillars for social media?
Content pillars set the standard for what’s relevant to your specific niche and audience. They help them understand what your business is all about and what your sell or offer!
I already mentioned they’re like an anchor for your content marketing strategy. Keeping your online marketing strategy focused on what you do preserves your overall brand message.
How do you pick content pillars?
Content pillars for social media should ultimately be broad, but important themes tailored to your brand and offers. The more you choose, the more you’ll theoretically have to talk about. But keep in mind there are other ways to help you create a steady content engine that never runs out of fuel.
In my next post, I’m going to be talking all about the real difference between content pillars and content buckets. They’re not the same thing! So stay tuned for the next post.
You can source some inspiration for choosing your content pillars in a few different ways:
- Audit your offers — You’re in business to make money of some kind. Look at what you currently offer to your clients and trim them into those broad themes I mentioned earlier.
- Check your current analytics — Whatever content you currently have posted online can be invaluable to helping you find your content pillars. Check back to your most popular posts and scope out why they were so great.
- Steer clear of trends — Your content pillars should be evergreen! Choosing trends will mean you’ll constantly have to worry about upkeeping them to stay relevant when you should be more focused on serving your target buyers/audience.
- Poll your followers — If you’re really stuck on what your pillars should be, just ask your target audience!
- Comb your emails and DMs — Think about what topics or questions people repeatedly seek out your expertise or advice for.
How many content Pillars should you have?
Ideally, the sweet spot lies somewhere between 3-6. Personally, I’m happy with 3-4 because I love keeping things simple. However, it might make more sense for you to have more because of what you do or offer.
Keep in mind that you create more work for yourself the more content pillars for social media you have. Start with 3, and work your way up from there only if you need to.
List of content Pillar ideas
Remember: Content pillars should be high level! I want to break this up into a general list of ideas that can apply to any business out there as well as any niche. But I also want to give you a peek into my content pillars.
Real-world examples help me grasp concepts better. I hope this helps you understand what content pillars for social media are and how you strengthen and streamline your content marketing game!
General List Of Content Pillar Ideas
- Educate — Share a small piece of your wisdom, expertise, or insights with your audience. The most important thing to remember is that this should always be something your ideal audience is interested in!
- Entertain — Give your followers a peek at your personality. Half the fun of creating content is breathing life into it with stuff that makes you giggle, eye roll, or go giddy. They can relate to it!
- Relate — Step inside your target audience’s shoes. Relate to them by sharing an experience they know or are familiar with.
- Inspire — Give your followers some inspiration to succeed. They’ve got this! Share an inspiring story, article, or experience.
- Promote — Share your offers in a way to drum up interest in an upcoming launch, a waitlist, or a freebie.
- Results — Share a testimonial, compelling case study, or milestone/win with your audience!
Tip: Need some ideas for what to post next on social media? Check out my content prompts!
Example List Of My Content Pillars
- Blogging — Since I’ve shifted my marketing strategy toward blogging, I’ve added ‘blogging’ to my content pillar roster.
- Email Lists — I call myself an Email & Blog Copywriter, so this is also a non-negotiable part of my pillars.
- Marketing for Introverts — It’s in the name. The Copy Sloth is created to provide the best marketing tips for introverts. They’re my people! This also can double as a nice brand awareness pillar for me.
- Promotional — This pillar is a staple for every business owner, so it shouldn’t shock anyone why it’s on my list. You’ve got to have a seat at your content table for promoting your offers. Planning for this content makes it easier to remember to sell them.
This post was all about content pillars for social media.
