If you’ve spent any time on social media trying to understand content pillars, you’ve probably come across many intentionally vague explanations.
Well, we are going to rectify this today.
In this blog post, we share what content pillars are, why we consider them an important part of a solid social media strategy, and how to find your content pillars.
Make sure you stick around to the end because we share specific examples of content pillars we would pick for a florist, a skincare brand, and a restaurant.
So… What Are Content Pillars?
Content pillars, in their simplest form, are topics you post about.
Each content pillar should support your business goals. Within each content pillar, you have different content ideas.
Let’s look at an example.
If you own a clothing brand, you might have the content pillar “Product Highlights”. Within that content pillar, you have the content ideas “New arrivals”, “best-sellers”, “product features” and “benefits”. The goal of this content pillar might be “Promote products and inform customers about new collections, driving sales and engagement”.
Every time you plan content, you come back to your content pillars.
We typically recommend to find 3-5 content pillars for your brand.
Remember, each content pillar has a few content ideas, making for a big list of content ideas every time you sit down to plan content.
Once you have your content pillars with content ideas, planning content becomes very structured and quick.
Why Are Content Pillars Important?
Having clear content pillars will help you create content that’s consistent in your brand messaging and type of posts you create.
Social media isn’t just about posting content, you always want to consider your target audience and how content will resonate with them. Having clear content pillars will help you create content that’s relevant to your target audience.
Content pillars make your life so much easier in terms of planning content. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what you should post about, you probably don’t have clearly defined content pillars in place. Good news - you’re in the right place to fix that!
You can track the performance of different content pillars to see which content resonates most with your target audience. Remember, content pillars aren’t set in stone. If you notice a specific content pillar continuously underperforming, it might be a sign to update your content pillars.
How to Find the Right Content Pillars
1. Understand Your Audience
The first step is to understand your audience, their interests, and painpoints. The more you know about your audience, the better you can create content that resonates with them.
2. Define Your Goals for Social Media
Each content pillar should support your goals. Knowing your goals for social media ensures you pick content pillars that serve a purpose.
3. Define Content Pillars
Next, it’s time to work on your content pillars.
In the beginning, it can be helpful to write down any ideas that come to mind, you can always narrow it down after.
Aim for 3-5 content pillars.
Consult your notes from the previous two steps (audience insights & goals) to ensure the content pillars are relevant and support your goals.
4. Brainstorm Content Ideas
Once you have decided on your content pillars, consider each content pillar and ask yourself what type of content you can post for this topic. Take note of all your ideas.
5. Hashtag Research
The hardest part is done! At this point, it’s time to research hashtags for each content pillar.
We like to create multiple hashtag sets for each content pillar to switch things up.
For each hashtag set, use a mixture of broad hashtags and niche hashtags.
6. Track Analytics & Adjust As Needed
This last step actually happens weeks after the other steps.
Once you have defined your content pillars, start creating content around them for a few weeks at least.
Keep track of the performance of different content pillars. If you notice a specific content pillar is constantly performing worse than the rest, it might mean it doesn’t resonate with your audience.
Go back to the drawing board and brainstorm a new content pillar to replace the underperforming one.
Examples of Content Pillars
1. Flower Boutique
Pillar 1: Flower Maintenance & Tips
Content Ideas: How to keep flowers fresh longer, tips for DIY flower arrangements, picking the right arrangement, best way to cut flowers
Goal: Educate and provide value to customers, establishing the brand as an expert.
Pillar 2: Seasonal Arrangements
Content Ideas: Flower arrangements for holidays, Holiday reminders
Goal: Drive sales of seasonal arrangements by reminding customers of upcoming Holidays.
Pillar 3: Customer Stories
Content Ideas: Testimonials from customers, user-generated content.
Goal: Build trust by highlighting real customers.
Pillar 4: Behind-the-Scenes
Content Ideas: Day in the life of a florist, sourcing flowers, prepping flowers, making flower arrangements.
Goal: Create a personal connection with the audience.
2. Skincare Brand
Pillar 1: Skincare Tips and Advice
Content Ideas: How-to guides, skincare routines, addressing common skin concerns.
Goal: Educate the audience and position the brand as an expert.
Pillar 2: Product Highlights
Content Ideas: Detailed product breakdown, new product launches, explaining ingredient benefits.
Goal: Promote products and share their benefits and uses.
Pillar 3: Customer Testimonials and Reviews
Content Ideas: Reviews, before-and-after photos, influencer partnerships, and user-generated content.
Goal: Build credibility and trust through real-life customer stories.
Pillar 4: Behind-the-Scenes
Content Ideas: A day at the lab, R&D stories, testing samples, quality control.
Goal: Humanize the brand and show dedication to quality.
3. Restaurant
Pillar 1: Menu Highlights
Content Ideas: Most popular dishes, new menu items, seasonal specials, specialty cocktails.
Goal: Interest customers in the menu to drive reservations.
Pillar 2: Chef’s Corner
Content Ideas: Recipes, cooking tips from the chef, behind-the-scenes in the kitchen.
Goal: Showcase the skill of the culinary team to add a personal touch.
Pillar 3: Customer Experiences
Content Ideas: Photos of the restaurant, meals and drinks from customers, user-generated content.
Goal: Establish trust with customers.
Pillar 4: Event Venue
Content Ideas: Show event setup, fun events, and testimonials from customers who have rented the space
Goal: Establish the restaurant as a popular event venue and drive bookings.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap!
Content pillars are often overcomplicated - for no good reason.
Organizing your content calendar with content pillars will make planning content a breeze and ensure that each piece of content you create a) supports your business goals and b) resonates with your target audience.
If you have any questions or need help finding the right content pillars for your business, leave a comment below!
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