A large part of managing a social media account is to have a content pillar. Whether you’re an influencer, a business owner or even an individual trying to build a platform where you can share your thoughts and ideas, having a content pillar will help enhance your social media. It’s how we can ensure that whatever you’re focusing on will get seen and heard by your target audience. In this blog, we will dive deep into what social media content pillars are, exploring their significance and the different types you can apply to your social media.
What is a Content Pillar?
A content pillar, as the name suggests, acts as pillars holding up the content you put online. It’s an essential component you can decide on in your brand’s strategy phase. Content pillars should basically reflect what your brand wants to communicate or focus on. For instance, a clothing brand would want to focus on their unique selling points (USP) such as fit or fabric and their promotions to push sales. Your brand’s content pillars should align with your values and goals while aligning with the platform you’re using. This is because social media content pillars and website content pillars might differ depending on the audience for each of those platforms and what your brand needs to convey. Now that we have the gist of social media content pillars, let’s get into why they’re important in the enhancement and upkeep of your social media.
Importance of Social Media Content Pillars
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Ensures Consistency
Imagine your favourite restaurant suddenly decides to change its menu every day without any rhyme or reason. It would be confusing and frustrating, right? Similarly, social media content that lacks consistency can leave your audience bewildered. Social media content pillars help people know what your brand is about, establishing a consistent brand message. This consistency ultimately leads to trust between consumers and your brand, increasing reliability and loyalty as well.
As an example, let’s take a look at one of the social media accounts we manage, Original Sprout Singapore. Their content pillars consist of product USPs, products’ educational content, lifestyle images and product showcases. This ensures that content for their social media is consistent all throughout, maintaining their brand voice, colours and overall visual guidelines.
Source: Original Sprout SG
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Audience Engagement and Retention
When you provide engaging content and valuable information through a well-thought-out content pillar, it’ll ensure that your audience is captured and keeps coming back to find out more. Content that invites the audience to interact or content that is valuable to your target audience is part of this. Whether it’s in-depth guides or informative infographics, this kind of content not only engages your audience but also encourages them to stick around. It positions you as an authority in your field, making your audience choose you over others in the market.
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Efficient Content Creation
Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to social media management. Using content pillars make your content creation process easier by providing a structured approach. This, in turn, saves time and resources, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your business or personal brand.
Types of Social Media Content Pillars
Now that we understand the importance of social media content pillars, let’s dive into the different types:
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Promotional Content
Promotional content is all about showcasing your products, services, or events. It encourages your audience to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up. Examples include promotions, limited-time offers, and giveaways. This type of content is crucial for driving conversions and sales. No matter what brand you are, any promotional campaign will prove to be useful in pulling in consumers either for awareness or conversions.
One of the promotional content that we’ve curated includes this content for UniProp Malaysia. Since they’re an up and coming all-in-one property app, we worked alongside them to come up with a campaign to encourage people to download and use the app!
Source: UniProp MY
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Engaging Content
Engaging content aims to spark interaction and conversation with your audience. It increases user engagement with your brand or profile, which can lead to higher visibility and a stronger community. Types of engaging content include polls, surveys, and interactive quizzes.
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Educational Content
Educational content is meant to inform and teach your audience about a particular subject. It provides valuable insights and knowledge, positioning you as an authority in your field. Examples of educational content include how-to guides, tutorials, and informative infographics.
Source: Sunsweet SG
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Inspirational Content
Inspirational content is all about motivating and uplifting your audience. This can be achieved by sharing stories, quotes, or experiences that evoke positive emotions. Success stories of individuals or businesses, personal growth stories and tips, and motivational quotes fall into this category.
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Entertaining Content
Entertaining content is meant to amuse and captivate your audience. It often uses humour, storytelling, or creative elements to engage viewers. Examples include funny memes, behind-the-scenes glimpses with humorous moments, and short, entertaining videos. This type of content keeps your audience entertained and coming back for more. This is why TikTok is such a preferred platform for entertainment. They’re videos with entertaining content compressed into a short form. Aside from TikTok, Instagram also has a feature for short form videos called Reels. Take a look at one of our Reels that we attempted just for laughs:
Source: CR8 Consultancy
How to Create Social Media Content Pillars
Now that we’ve covered the types of content pillars, let’s discuss how to create them:
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Define Objectives and Target Audience
Understanding your goals and who you’re trying to reach is essential to shape your content strategy. Define your objectives clearly, whether it’s to boost sales, increase brand awareness, or educate your audience. Once your objectives are in place, identify your target audience, understanding their preferences, needs, and pain points. Not only will this help you with your content pillars but also make your content reach the right audience.
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Choose 3-5 Primary Content Pillars
Selecting the right content pillars is the heart of your strategy. Focus on 3-5 primary pillars that align with your brand’s objectives and resonate with your target audience. Keep in mind that these pillars should be flexible enough to allow for creativity and variety within each category.
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Diversify Content Formats Within Each Pillar
Within each content pillar, diversify your content formats to keep your audience engaged. Use various formats, such as videos, images, infographics, blog posts, and live streams. This variety not only appeals to different audience preferences but also keeps your feed visually interesting.
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Set Guidelines for Tone, Style, and Branding
Consistency in your messaging and presentation is essential for maintaining a brand identity. Set clear guidelines for the tone of your content, the style of your visuals, and how your branding elements should be incorporated. This ensures that your audience easily recognizes your content. This typically forms your brand guideline as an end result.
Source: ST Dalfour SG
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Monitor and Adjust Based on Performance
Regularly review your content’s performance by analysing metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. Use these insights to make necessary adjustments to your content strategy. By monitoring performance, you can stay on track to meet your objectives, satisfy your audience and continue to refine your content pillars.
Let’s Wrap Things Up
As its label suggests, a content pillar is what holds your social media together. With properly-planned social media content pillars, any business or personal brand can enhance their social media presence which contributes to how well your brand is seen and accepted by your target audience. If you’re still unsure or unclear on how you can build your social media content pillars, we’re always ready to offer our consultations! With over 8 years in the branding and digital marketing industry, we are always excited to start a new social media strategy with our clients. Feel free to reach out to us for your brand new and efficiently-built social media content management.
Determine your social media content pillars today! Give us a call.
