How to Use Content Pillars to Shape Your Personal Brand as an Influencer

In the vast world of social media where every click, scroll and share is a chance to make a lasting impression, how do you leave an indelible mark on your audience? The answer lies in being strategic: using content pillars to carve out a fresh perspective to help you stand out amongst your competition. If you want to know more, join us as we dive into the transformative nature of content pillars and explore how you can use them to connect with your audience. 

What are content pillars?

Content pillars are a core set of topics and themes that form the foundation of your social media strategy. The framework helps determine and transform your digital presence into a coherent story that has the power to continually captivate your audience. 

Why are content pillars important?

Content pillars are the foundation of your content strategy and the guideposts for your content production. They help you focus your content on what matters most to your audience and what aligns with your goals. 

With social media platforms categorising content to help consumers discover content more easily, creating pillars that align with the categories associated with your niche will lead to a higher search ranking on social media search engines.  

Provides a framework for your content calendar

Content pillars help develop and organise your social media content. It is important to aim for 3-5 main pillars to prioritise the production of content that holds value and truly resonates with your audience. 

Create more relevant content 

Establishing topics of interest will provide a clear direction and focus on creating content that best aligns with your personal brand. For example, if you’re a fashion-focused influencer, your content pillars could be maximalist style, attending fashion shows and styling tips. 

Rather than scrambling for content or experiencing a creative block, content pillars can help you map out your content calendar for months on end.

Saves you time 

Content pillars help you streamline the creative process of making content. Instead of brainstorming new topics each week, you can refer to your pillars and the overarching themes which heavily reduces the decision time of content ideation. 

How do you create content pillars?

To set you up for social media success, we’ve compiled a list of our top tips for creating effective content pillars! 

Identify your target audience

Start by defining your niche to narrow down your content focus. From there, create a detailed audience profile that outlines the needs, wants, interests and behaviours of your intended audience. It also helps to engage with consumers of your niche via the comment section, discussion forums, and even DMs to further understand the type of content they prefer to engage with.

Consider your business goals 

Clarify your mission and the impact you wish to make on social media. Doing this will help you clearly outline your content strategy to help you achieve your goals. 

Determining clear KPIs such as engagement rate, brand awareness and conversion rates will hold you accountable as you can regularly track these to measure your progress.

Keyword research/brainstorm topics 

Keywords can help in the formation of your content pillars. Knowing popular keywords can help you identify core themes and trending topics of your chosen niche, which in turn can expand your content topic ideation.  

Competitor analysis 

Scoping the competition can help you discover the gaps and pain points of your audience. Identifying areas where you can offer unique perspectives or value propositions will set you apart from other influencers involved in the same niche as you.

Types of content pillars  

Content pillars generally fall into the following categories: 

Entertainment content 

Content that aims to capture attention and increase engagement. Examples include Day in the Life (DITL) and bite-sized reels. 

Educational content

Content that positions you as an expert and allows you to build trust with your audience. Examples include tutorials and Q&As.

Inspiring content 

Content that serves to build an emotional connection with your audience. Examples include sharing the behind-the-scenes of your life. 

Promotional content 

Content that markets the brands you love. This can include testimonials and collaborations. 

Summary

Content Pillars are a strategic way to map out your content and ensure that you never run dry of ideas. Creating content that aligns with your niche and the interests of your audience helps foster trust and ensures that your audience remains engaged in your personal brand.

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