In today's digital era, social media has become an essential part of every business's marketing strategy. To succeed in this competitive landscape, it's crucial to have a well-defined content plan. That's where social media content pillars come into play. In this blog post, we'll discuss what content pillars are, why they're useful for small businesses and personal brands, and how to create a content pillar strategy for your brand.
What are Social Media Content Pillars?
Social media content pillars are the key topics or themes that make up the foundation of your brand's content strategy. They serve as the backbone of your social media presence, guiding the creation and curation of content that resonates with your target audience. Content pillars help you maintain consistency across your social platforms, ensuring that your content is always relevant and engaging.
Why are Content Pillars Useful for Small Businesses or Personal Brands?
Brands should strive to create themed, and consistent content that closely aligns with their values and mission and tells a story. If there’s a dissonance between brand and content, consumers will start to realise and find that the reason that they chose to follow you the first time has since veered.
Content pillars offer several benefits for small businesses and personal brands, including:
Consistency: By focusing on a few key topics, you can create a consistent brand image and voice across all your social media platforms. This helps to build trust and credibility with your audience.
Efficiency: With content pillars in place, you'll spend less time brainstorming ideas for new content and more time creating and promoting high-quality content that aligns with your brand's goals.
Relevance: Content pillars ensure that your social media content is always relevant to your audience's interests, increasing engagement and fostering a loyal following.
Flexibility: While content pillars provide a solid framework for your social media strategy, they also allow for flexibility and creativity. You can explore different content formats, such as blog posts, videos, and infographics, all within the context of your pillars.
How to Come Up with a Content Pillar Strategy for Your Brand
Creating a content pillar strategy for your brand involves identifying the key topics that resonate with your target audience and align with your brand's goals. Here's a step-by-step process to help you get started:
#1: Define your target audience:
Before you can create content pillars, you need to understand who your target audience is. Consider these points for your target audience group(s):
Demographics: What is their background?
Interests: What they like – and what they don’t!
Dislikes: What are their pain points?
Usefulness & Relevance: Which content resonates with them
#2: Analyze your existing content:
And we are not just talking about the content... If you haven’t yet, review your analytics! This information can provide some handy clues about what is working in your content strategy, and what’s not. If you want to make the most of your social media marketing, it’s important to review your analytics in detail.
This is where you review your current social media content and identify any common themes or topics. This can help you determine what's working well and what areas may need improvement.
#3: Identify your brand's unique selling points (USPs):
Consider what sets your brand apart from the competition and how you can communicate these USPs through your content pillars.
#4: Brainstorm content pillar ideas:
Based on your target audience, existing content, and USPs, brainstorm a list of potential content pillars. Aim for 3-5 broad topics that can be broken down into more specific subtopics. Narrow down your list of content pillar ideas, ensuring that they align with your brand's goals and resonate with your target audience. Remember, it's better to have a few strong pillars than several weak ones.
Content pillars are the foundation upon which you build your social presence. By focusing on three key aspects—educational, relatable, and entertaining—we can create content that truly resonates with our target audience.
Educational Content: Sharing valuable tips, how-tos, and industry insights can help establish your brand as a reliable source of knowledge. An informed audience is more likely to trust and recommend your brand to others.
Relatable Content: Authenticity is key in connecting with your audience. Share stories that showcase your brand's values, and don't be afraid to show the human side of your business. By finding common ground, your audience will feel more engaged and part of your community.
Entertaining Content: Light-hearted and fun content can give your audience a reason to smile or laugh. Engaging and enjoyable content is more likely to be shared and helps create a lively social media presence.
#5: Analyze the competition:
What are trending topics that your competitors are posting about? Which topics garner more interest from your target audience?
You can do this by manually checking your competitor’s content to see what’s resonating with their target audience. You can also use tools like Semrush, Ubersuggest, Sked Social to see how you stack up against the competition.
#6: Create a content calendar:
With your content pillars in place, develop a content calendar that outlines when and how often you'll post on each social media platform. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your content remains consistent and relevant.
#7: Measure and adjust:
Regularly review your social media analytics to determine the success of your content pillar strategy. Adjust your pillars as needed based on engagement, reach, and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
By implementing a content pillar strategy for your small business or personal brand, you'll create a solid foundation for your social media presence, making it easier to produce consistent, relevant, and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
Want a social media strategy that attracts the right people to your brand? Drop us an email at hello@spoilmrkt.com today and we'll get you started!