Can Content pillars or content buckets help you in your business?

Phrases like content pillars, content buckets or content segments are probably something that you have heard a lot. Marketers refer to them often. You may already be using some in your business. Or maybe you are totally confused by what they are and how they can help you move forwards with your social media efforts and broader marketing activities.

What are content pillars?

Content pillars are simply content topics that you will have conversations with your audience about. They are basically buckets of conversation. Themes. Topics.

With any client I work with, we usually start with clarifying their business purpose and goals, and the value they bring, move on to their target customer and then start to talk about key messages and the helpful content they can share. That’s when content pillars come into play.

If you can categorise your thoughts around what matters to your audience under a handful of topics, you’ll find it so much easier to create content and offer a rounded conversation. Because at the end of the day nobody wants to stand at a garden party listening to someone just prattle on about themselves and what they have to offer. There’s more to the conversation. There’s more to chat about.

Graphic showing 5 blue buckets

The Content pillars I use in my business (example content buckets for service businesses)

My own content pillars look like this.

  1. A content inspiration bucket – this is my prompt to share content ideas and inspiration for my audience. My weekly Monday morning edition of The Content Draft comes from here. Content ideas for the week. I also share accounts to look at for inspiration, reels ideas and other inspiration.
  2. A content tips bucket – this blog for example. I provide helpful educational content to assist my community. Time saving tactics, ways to manage content. Tools to help you deliver content that your audience really loves.
  3. Instagram tips, news and updates. I aim to make navigating Instagram and marketing your business on the app a whole lot easier with the content I share here.
  4. A connection bucket – where I strive to build the know like and trust. Regular introduction posts, insights into my world, a fun reel… I find vehicles to give my community something to connect with. People choose to work with me, because I am me. There will be people who choose to work with you or buy from you because of who you are and what you stand for.
  5. A promotion or selling bucket – because just like you, I am not putting effort into running an Instagram account and various other marketing channels just to be nice. This is how I earn a living and contribute to our family… and so I need to regularly tell people how they can work with me.
  6. Then I have a community bucket which I dip in and out of, collaborating with others, sharing and generally helping others get their messages out there too. My community bucket should also have more sustainability and eco info in it, as that is vitally important to who I am as a person.

Content pillars for product businesses & retailers

As a product business your content pillars might look something like this.

  1. About your business. This could include behind the scenes, you and your team, the people you work with, your inspiration, your goals and dreams, what you stand for.
  2. Tips and hacks. Whatever you sell, you are an expert in your field. What educational content can you share? 5 ways to do x, The quickest way to x.
  3. Lifestyle (whatever is relevant. Geographical, fitness, selfcare, recipes, sustainability). If you sell candles, share ideas and tips around selfcare. If you sell tshirts, think about sharing outfit styling ideas.
  4. UGC. User generated content. Can you share images from your customers with their permission? Your product in situ. This is inspirational content that helps your target audience understand how the product will help them or how it might look.
  5. Sell. You will likely sell through a large proportion of your content, so across the buckets, but may need some specific content for sales too. This might include email signups, reviews/testimonials, sales and promotions etc

In summary, content pillars are really just a way to help you manage your content. They are a vehicle to map out your ideas, to organise your thoughts and to make sure you are having a broad conversation.

Think of the themes or topics that your audience is interested in hearing from you about. How can you help them? How can you inspire them? How can you assist them in discovering new ways of adding positive influences to their worlds. Start with the themes of your conversation as titles for the pillars and fill each pillar up with ideas.

 

Need more help?

If you need help making a start with your content, mapping out your content pillars and conversation topics then book a 121 session with me or register your interest for the September intake of The Content Course. It’s 3 week’s to finding content calm, where you’ll build a library of content, plan for month’s ahead and get the content prepped and ready to go.