Content Pillars – How They Make Running a Social Media Account Easier

Running a social media account is no easy task.

I think we can admit that there’s a lot to think of. The optimal time, the right platform, the correct size… the list goes on. In this blog, I’d like to take a little bit of that stress off your back and discuss how to identify and use content pillars to help alleviate the stress of making social media content.

Don’t be ‘salesy’

Have you ever come across a business page that’s just way too salesy? You click on it and think “Wow, this page is bringing absolutely zero value to my life”. The thing is, social media is meant to be all about value and people can forget that because all they want to do is sell, sell, sell! Let’s take a real-life example, you walk into a car showroom and the salesman walks up and repeatedly asks you to purchase a car.

Salesman – “Buy this car”

You- “I’d like to learn more about what it offers”

Salesman- “Buy this car”

You- “Could you at least tell me the benefits of buying it”

Social media is the virtual showroom and if you’re going to build a community around your band, you should make sure you give them a truly authentic valuable experience with your content before selling to them.

Building Value with Content Pillars

Content Pillars are what make sure this happens. They are also used to ensure the balance is kept in the content you post which keeps your content fresh and interesting for the follower. So here’s an example of content pillars

• Promotion-This is where you sell, sell, and more sell (like the needy car salesman)
• Connection- This is where you connect with your audience and build relationships
• Educational-Giving your audience some free knowledge/value that they can take away.
• Conversation – Get your audience and community talking!

I want to dive a little deeper into those pillars. Remember that these are examples and you can create pillars however way you like. Although I’d be confident everyone needs the promotion pillar. Okay so, let’s get to some post examples.

Promotion

• Remind your followers about your products/services and show the steps it takes to sign up/buy them!
• Share an example of a recent transformation your product/service was able to bring for a client.
• Show an interesting way that your product/service can be used that customers may not know about.

Connection

• Share a recent business lesson you’ve learned, why it matters, and what you learned from it.
• Share what inspired you to create your product or service you sell for your business (what problems does it solve?)
• Share a throwback photo from when you were just starting your business and what you’ve learned.

Educational

• Turn some of the “Frequently Asked Questions” you get from your audience into a post.
• Share your favorite tip that has been helping you succeed in your industry this month.
• Share a “How to…” video or resource for something your audience needs help learning.

Conversational

• Share some words of encouragement for your audience and invite them to share their own as well
• Address a current issue or update in your industry, give your thoughts on it, and ask your audience to share theirs too.
• Tell the story of a recent challenge you faced in your business and how you overcame it.

Wrapping up

So the examples above should put you on the right track to the types of content you can post around your pillars. My suggestion would be to take the above and trial them for a month. You might learn that three of the four may work and introduce a fourth pillar of your own.

I will say that these will ensure your social media stays balanced while removing the stress of “what do we post”. When your content pillars are in place, you’ll be able to map out days, weeks, and months of content well in advance so that you can focus on the rest of the demands that social media will bring!