The jury is in: You possibly can’t construct a popularity for creating high-quality content material on social media with out having stable content material pillars in place.
And the explanation for that’s easy.
Folks crave consistency.
Social media customers need to know what you’re going to speak about, if you’re going to speak about it, and how much worth they’ll count on to stroll away with.
Give it some thought.
In the event you’re a B2B hyperlink builder that follows search engine optimisation professionals on LinkedIn, you’re most likely not following them in hopes of grabbing their grandmothers’ pie recipes. You’re probably following them for moral link-building concepts, search engine optimisation finest practices, and their subject-matter experience.
However, in the event that they talked about their household trip on Monday, shared a recipe on Tuesday, and posted a carousel with 5 search engine optimisation tips about Wednesday, you would possibly determine to hit the unfollow button.
Since you’ll be able to’t depend upon them for constant, significant content material, you’d probably take your searching habits elsewhere, proper?
That’s the concept.
With out clear content material themes in place, social media customers can’t depend upon you, belief you, or develop a significant relationship with you.
In the event you’re able to put collectively a content material pillar technique to focus your social media efforts, stick round to study extra.
Obtain this put up by getting into your e mail beneath
What Are Content material Pillars?
In the event you’ve by no means heard of content material pillars earlier than, digital advertising marketing consultant Shane Barker sums them up completely:
“Content material pillars are usually not merely matters in your posts; they’re the cornerstones of your social media technique. By specializing in a handful of core themes, you not solely construct authority in these areas but additionally give your model a constant voice. Similar to pillars assist a constructing, content material pillars assist your social media presence by offering a stable basis from which to develop and interact your viewers.”
See? We couldn’t have stated it higher ourselves.
In the event you’re prepared to make use of content material pillars in your social media technique, learn on to study 5 methods you’ll be able to uncover matters which might be consistent with your viewers and the distinctive worth what you are promoting provides.
1. Create Content material Pillars Primarily based on Your Viewers’s FAQs
Able to create related content material in your social media viewers? Testing question-based content material matters — suppose who/what/when/the place questions — will help you create invaluable content material belongings in your social media followers.
A easy approach to uncover which questions to focus on is by wanting via your buyer assist (CS) tickets, suggestions types, and e mail inquiries. Don’t hesitate to prioritize e mail safety and use the DKIM checker when sending e mail inquiries to guard delicate data and forestall unauthorized entry or interception of communications.
Then, take this a step additional by wanting on the “Folks additionally ask” and “Associated searches” sections on Google’s search engine outcomes web page (SERP) for the principle keyphrases what you are promoting targets. In these sections, you’ll see an inventory of incessantly requested questions (FAQs) associated to your goal key phrases.
As an example, let’s check out one of many high keyphrases the model Hers targets on Google, which is “how you can get antidepressants”.
If we plug this into Google, we’ll see the next FAQs within the “Folks additionally ask” part:
Hers can even acquire the next questions from the “Associated searches” part:
After compiling an inventory of questions, search for patterns and repeated questions — the extra it’s requested, the extra essential it’s to your viewers. Proceed doing this till you’ve got an inventory of 5 to 10 major query matters you’ll be able to take a look at as content material pillars. In the event you get a optimistic response, proceed testing related questions or conduct a deeper dive into every query to uncover sub-pillars.
2. Mimic the Content material Classes You Cowl on Your Weblog
Take a look at the content material classes you cowl in your weblog.
As an example, for those who run a SaaS weblog, you would possibly supply the next classes:
- Person-generated content material, comparable to software program evaluations, comparability guides, and explainer movies by B2B affiliate entrepreneurs and subject-matter specialists
- Instructional content material, together with SaaS software program how-tos, app listicles, and assist heart posts
- Motivational content material, comparable to inspirational SaaS model tales, case research, and firm wins
Check out your most beloved posts in these content material buckets (verify their rating scores utilizing Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker) and jot down their matters. Then search for patterns and similarities amongst these matters and whittle them right down to an inventory of 5 to 10 choices to check.
3. Repurpose the Pillar Content material Items you Showcase on Your Weblog
There are a number of content material belongings you’re already utilizing as pillar items in your weblog.
These are those you broadcast loud and proud. They’re on the high of your weblog web page, you’ve labored arduous to get them to rank excessive, and also you promote them as a part of your wider content material advertising technique regularly.
Let’s check out Campus.edu’s weblog web page, for instance.
Campus.edu provides the next content material classes on its weblog: Enterprise, group faculty, school, monetary help, press releases, and scholar life. It additionally has concrete pillar items in every class that it spends additional advertising {dollars} on. The next monetary help piece breaks down the method of making use of for a pell grant:
Not solely can Campus.edu repurpose snippets from this text into infinite social media posts, however it will probably additionally take a look at this matter as one among its social media content material pillars. And you are able to do the identical!
So, head to your weblog and screenshot all your showstopping pillar items. Slim these matters right down to an inventory of 5 to 10 you’ll be able to take a look at as content material pillars on social media.
4. Generate Pillar Subjects by Plugging Your Goal Key phrase Phrases Into an AI Writing Assistant
Right here’s a easy approach to discover related matters in a pinch!
Whereas we don’t advocate utilizing an AI weblog author to write down a whole article or social media put up, we do counsel utilizing it as a part of your content material planning course of. With an AI writing assistant, like Simplified AI Weblog Author, you’ll be able to plug within the keyphrases what you are promoting targets and immediate it to generate social media matters for you.
When asking for concepts, be particular.
As an example, strive:
“Please generate social media matters utilizing the offered key phrases: Profession constructing suggestions, profession success, transferable expertise, mid-level professionals, new graduates.”
Proceed asking the AI writing assistant for matter concepts till you’ve got a stable listing of 5 to 10 content material pillars you’ll be able to take a look at.
5. Solidify Core Subjects Primarily based on Your Goal Viewers’s Ache Factors
Revisit your target market’s high ache factors and the way your services or products can remedy them higher than the competitors.
Use these insights to brainstorm matters consistent with your viewers’s core wants.
As an example, for those who promote productiveness software program to startups and solopreneurs, your viewers might need the next ache factors:
- An excessive amount of to do and never sufficient time to do it in
- Feeling misplaced in unorganized workflows
- Engaged on too many repetitive, mundane duties
- A scarcity of a high-level activity overview is resulting in silos and careless errors
- Poor group collaboration choices
On this case, you possibly can take a look at content material pillars like:
- Productiveness suggestions that save manufacturers 10+ hours per week
- Easy methods to create pristine productiveness workflows
- Easy methods to automate repetitive duties
- Easy methods to take away data silos and keep conscious of your activity overview always
- Prime group communication and collaboration instruments, suggestions, and concepts
Once more, get your listing down to 5 to 10 concepts you’ll be able to take a look at.
And that brings us to …
6. Take a look at and Finalize Your Pillar Subjects
Take a look at all the strategies above earlier than finalizing your social media content material pillars.
Then solidify your content material sorts (i.e., Instagram Reels, LinkedIn Carousels, YouTube explainer movies, and many others.) and select your posting technique.
As an example, you would possibly put up academic content material about lead scoring on Mondays, motivational content material about profitable gross sales manufacturers on Wednesdays, and behind-the-scenes content material about gross sales pitching on Thursdays.
As soon as the content material planning course of is full, add your content material themes, content material sorts, and core matters to your social media content material calendar.
From there you’ll have to plan who’s going to supply the content material and who’s answerable for monitoring your social media content material technique.
Wrap Up
And that’s content material pillars for you in a nutshell!
Now it’s your flip. Observe the guidelines we shared at the moment to generate content material pillar concepts. Then, take a look at your concepts earlier than finalizing your core matters.
Lastly, keep organized by including your pillar matters to your content material calendar and assigning roles and duties to acceptable group members.
And that’s it. Right here’s to your success!
PS: In search of an entire advertising resolution? With Rock Content material’s services and products, you’ll be able to flip your most bold content material objectives right into a actuality. Communicate with an professional to study extra, at the moment.
Ian David (Visitor Writer)
Ian David began his profession in brick-and-mortar retail administration, which shortly included eCommerce and digital advertising as nicely. He’s an avid reader and a self-taught professional in search engine optimisation and content material advertising. He writes for a number of publications on a wide range of digital advertising matters. Not too long ago, his focus has been on utilizing influencer and internet affiliate marketing to drive extra conversions.
