Content is a powerful and cost-effective way to connect with your audience and deliver messaging that aligns with your brand values. Coming up with ideas for content consistently can take time and effort. Establishing content pillars helps organize your thoughts and makes it easier to produce messaging that will resonate.
Here are seven content pillars that have proven effective on websites, blogs, social media, and email marketing messages.
Education
Generating content ideas becomes much easier if you are committed to educating your audience. Instead of constantly dreaming up clever content concepts, you can focus on your customer.
A great way to teach your audience is through Q&A content. You show empathy and understanding by acknowledging, addressing, and answering their most pressing questions about your brand, products, services, and more. Education is vital in becoming a customer-focused company. Your audience will quickly know, like, and trust you if you consistently produce information-rich content.
Trust
Consumers and businesses increasingly turn to the Internet and social media for research. They want to know more about brands, products, and services from the organizations and enterprises themselves.
Trust-building content can come in many forms. Here are some examples of how to show trust within a few types of careers:
Realtors can post photos of handing over the keys on move-in day (mimosas are optional)
IT firms can post testimonials from happy customers
Renovation contractors can show before and after photos and include testimonials from clients
Providing proof that shows your brand promise in action makes for compelling, persuasive content. And the best part is, there’s no selling required!
Promotion
People want to buy products and services, so promotion is okay—to a point. The main thing is your audience doesn’t want the content to feel pushy, sleazy, or sales-y. Ideally, you’ll have captivating messages to share that build brand awareness and affinity, so when it comes time to push out sales messaging, your audience is ready. Keep the messages short, punchy, and visual to boost engagement.
Culture
Culture is one of the most fun pillars, as you can let your creativity, imagination, and sense of play run wild. Every business and organization has its own culture and quirks. Showcasing this uniqueness enables customers to connect with your brand in a way that money can’t buy.
Blog Promotion
Social media channels such as Instagram are ideal for promoting your blog. Successful blog promotion requires posting bite-sized snippets of your blog content. You can turn any text-based content into a graphical quote, snippet, or excerpt and share it on social media for a one-two promotional punch.
Inspiration
People always seek ideas to improve themselves, their lives, and their businesses. By posting aspirational messages and imagery, you help prospects and customers imagine their life after using your product, service, or solution. This content pillar can be very magnetic as it attracts people to something they want.
Motivation
Similar to inspiration, motivation connects on a more personal level with your audience. This pillar aims to make the audience feel something and take action based on your content. Stories work well for this pillar, showing how people overcame challenges or limitations to achieve something.
Use Content Pillars
These pillars will help you generate content ideas and help your messaging remain consistent. When you have a plan for your content, it shows.
Which of these content pillars does your audience respond to most?