At the end of this blog, I want you to be able to draw up your content plan in a day! Yup! Bold statement over there but this really shouldn’t be overwhelming. Content should not take up all of your time and that’s what I want to teach you today. The science, the formula, and how you can efficiently draw up a content plan that will not only get you sales and traffic to your online business but also serve your audience and help you create meaningful connections and lifelong customers.
This is a basic outline and if you’ve ever wondered how to plan content strategically then by the end of this you will know how!
What are content pillars?
In the content club I use these 5 main content pillars for you to help base your content on they are:
1 - Educate & inform
2 - Fun & engage
3 - Connect & inspire
4 - Sell & promote
5 - Brand & biz
Each content pillar can then have sub-topics which you can create content from.
Using content pillars like this is an easy way to make sure you are touching on all the “bases” when it comes to making quality content.
Each business is different and you might only choose 3 content pillars to work from and build your online presence around.
Why Content pillars
Content pillars help you plan your content and put a mix of content out there that will ultimately help you connect better with your audience. You have already created your product or service and now you want to build your brand get more clients or sell more products. To do that you need to consistently post a mix of content that will do all these things for you.
This as a whole can feel overwhelming and that’s why putting it into content pillars and working from there is a fantastic way to simplify the process. It helps you gain clarity and feel more confident in what you’re posting
So by sticking to a content pillar strategy you will be:
⭐️ Saving time
⭐️ Gaining more clarity on the content you post
⭐️ Have more confidence in the content you put out there
⭐️ Plan ahead more efficiently
Content Pillars explained and examples of posts for each
To give you a more clear idea of each content pillar and how they will serve not only your audience but your business I have explained them below and given you examples of each one.
1 - Fun & engage:
These are designed to spark and inject humor into your feed. These posts also allow you to support, share, and engage with your audience and the people that motivate you. Have a little fun with it.
Examples of content around this pillar would be: - Share a fun reel/tik tok - Share what you always have in your work drawer - Talk about 5 things you can’t leave the house without - Share your weekend plans
2 - Sell & promote:
At the end of the day, you want to sell more, right? These posts are all strategically curated to allow you to do just that. No one likes sleazy salesmen, and these posts help you come across organically and naturally in your sales method.
Examples of content around this pillar would be:
- Share reviews of your bestseller
- Talk about a new product launching soon
- Share your packaging and what makes it unique
- Share a special offer or discount you have
3 - Connect & inspire:
This is all about connecting with your audience on a deeper level where they can relate to you. These are posts that get them to know the real you. When people care about you they are more likely to trust you and stay loyal.
Examples of content around this pillar would be:
- Share a struggle you have overcome as a business owner
- Share something you love to do besides running your business
- Talk about a customer or someone you have worked with that has become a close friend
- Share 3 fun facts about you and ask your audience to comment on a fun fact about themselves
4 - Brand & biz:
This is all about creating content that connects and getting your audience to understand who you are, why you do what you do, and the story
behind your business. You are building your humanized brand with these strategic posts.
Examples of content around this pillar would be:
- Share your business brand story
- Chat about your mission statement
- Share values you strongly instill in your business
- Share what makes you unique from your competitors (qualifications/experience)
5 - Educate & inform:
These posts are designed to build trust with you and your audience by providing them with FREE value. These should be your most "saved posts."
You want your audience to see you as the expert and "go-to" gal in your niche.
Examples of content around this pillar would be: - Share a tip, trick, or hack related to your niche - Do a post asking your audience to comment on questions they might have about your business and comment on your answers - Share 4 places you go to for information inside your industry, for example, a blog, podcast, youtube channel.
Industry examples
You might be looking at all this information and be thinking "Ok, Cate I got it, but I'm not sure how this would fit into my industry". Let me give you 2 examples of a product and service-based business,
Fitness & wellness coach
Let’s take a look at how you would use these pillars and the content you could create if you were in the Fitness & wellness industry
Educate & inform - Share knowledge you have about different types of exercises and foods for your health
Connect & inspire - Share your fitness or health journey
Sell & promote - Share testimonials of working with clients or programs that you offer
Brand & biz - Talk about why you started in this industry and what your WHY is behind your business
Fun & engage - Do funny reels related to your niche, share exercise or wellness challenges, and fun workouts that your audience can follow along with. Product seller - craft supplies
Now let’s look at how you could use these as a product seller.
Educate & inform - Share crafting hacks and techniques with your audience
Connect & inspire - Share your journey with crafting, how it might help you with your mental help or other aspects of your life.
Brand & biz - Talk about what you value in your business when selling products to clients and share future goals and aspirations you have for your crafting business
Sell & promote - Share coupon codes or discounts for your shop or any new products you have made.
Fun & engage - chat about the funny struggles of a crafter
As you can see with the pillars it's so easy to adjust it to your niche and once you are clear on them your content creation time really can be cut in half.
A simple strategy to get started today
1) Make sure you understand the content pillars and decide which ones yours will be as well as your main topics. Download the free content pillar guide & captions to get you started and your creative juices flowing.
2) Brain dump ideas for each content pillar. Spend a good hour or two writing down all the content ideas you might have and the different categories that they might fall under. Don’t stress too much if it’s all over the place.
3) Finalise your categories and topics. Put all the ideas you wrote down under relevant categories that will fall under the content pillars I mentioned earlier.
4) Use a calendar to plan your monthly content. My list of 200 content ideas for ALL BUSINESS OWNERS comes with FREE planning worksheets, you can grab it OVER HERE! 5) Once you have planned your content and have a clear strategy for the month ahead you can take a day or two if you need (there is no hard or fast rule) to create the content. Write your captions, create any graphics you need, and schedule it using a content scheduling app or pop it in something like your google drive for when you are ready to post.
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