Content Pillars Overview

Developing content pillars does not need to be a difficult task. Time and time again, I see small biz owners fall flat on their faces because they are spread too thin trying to develop a variety of content for all the world platforms.

For small business owners across all industries – listen up! Let’s go back to basics with this review of how to set yourself up for success in the long-term. This is an all too simple step to skip, and I don’t want you to burn out from having to create content for your community.

Content Pillar Ideas

Content Pillar 1: Conversion

To begin, pillar one is based on sharing your top offerings. This is the pillar to SELL! Share your newest product or promote the waitlist for that new program you have coming out. With a mixture of teasing what is to come and sharing sales, this is the pillar to push out your products and services. While you should ensure you hit the other posts that exist, you need to share your offers with your audience.

Marisa’s Top Tip: Make sure that you show them the value that comes with their investment, too! If you have a large 4 figure price tag, tell your audience how their investment will be doubled or tripled. How is it going to serve them beyond just making their biz life simpler?

Content Pillar 2: Education

Equally as important, education! Without fail, this is the pillar that will help to reach new followers. Providing VALUE builds trust with new followers and those who might be on the fence about working with you. Proving your shit is not only essential to showcase to future clients but also to help convince those who follow you to continue along with your journey. Sharing these value bombs + introducing your best nuggets of knowledge is like a goldmine for your audience… they’ll love it!

Coming across a valuable piece of content can convince someone to follow you. They might also hold on to that piece of content for later reference, as they see the value. On Instagram, you might even see an increased amount of saves on these posts!

Content Pillar 3: Entertainment

To avoid that failure, you can’t forget to entertain your audience! No group of humans like when salesy content gets shoved in their face all the time. Ensure that you share your favorite memes or even take advantage of Instagram Reels to show off some transparency.

Speaking of transparency, your audience loves it. To take it a step further, never be afraid of showing off what is going on behind the scenes and even sharing your failures. As a creator, you will stand out because of what you are communicating with your audience.

Content Pillar 4: Engagement

Next up, it’s time to ask questions + illicit a response! I like to think about engagement posts like my little science lab. If you’re looking for some ideas, look at these fun conversation starters to produce content. These posts are the way to try out new ideas that you have and even sneak in a little question that might tease your audience about a new offer.

You could take this a step further by using a call to action (CTA) of “Tag 3 friends if…” or “Tell me your favorite…”. A powerful CTA that drives a longer comment is the goal with this piece of content and is not shy away from. However, remember that it is vital that you keep these questions simple + to the point. Your audience can see through fluffy BS, so keep it straight to the point and stimulate a small conversation in your comments.

Planning with Content Pillars

While there are many ways to go about planning your monthly content, let’s focus on one — themes! On a weekly or monthly basis, you may decide to establish a theme you want to focus on. For example, in my biz, I might determine that June is the month I want to spend some time focusing on Pinterest growth. Throughout the month, I’ll share educational snippets, how my services can help my followers, and even some jokes to keep them laughing.

Using various content pillars with whatever theme you may decide upon makes both your audience happier with what you are producing and helps to avoid creator burnout. There is no worse feeling than wanting to give up on creating for your own business -and I know that following this pillar framework will help you to combat those feelings.

Next Steps with Content Pillars

If you feel stuck with creating content pillars for your business or there is too much content creation on your plate, it’s time to onboard an expert! Shameless plug… but my social media services would be perfect for your content creation woes. Let me help you get unstuck from that position you are in right now and save you some time in the process.