Developing a content plan is often one of the most challenging aspects of refining a marketing strategy. Even the most experienced marketing professionals with intimate knowledge of their niches can struggle to define new topics to captivate and engage their audiences.
Content pillars are a solution for this.
With defined core ideas, you have a starting point for every brainstorming session, strategy meeting, and content you produce.
The Concept of Content Pillars
If your content is a building, then content pillars are the structures that hold it all together. But, going beyond the metaphor, content pillars also generate new ideas, expanding your marketing footprint.
Content pillars are core ideas that reflect your brand values, objectives, and audience. Used effectively, they can efficiently drive your content generation, ensuring you always have fresh ideas to engage your audience.
- These pillars ensure consistency by helping you maintain a familiar brand voice across all your content channels.
- They ensure relevance by forcing you to compare every potential topic idea to the pillars and determine whether it fits.
- Pillars improve efficiency in generating ideas. You never start from zero because the core goals, themes, and concepts are pre-defined.
- Content pillars positively impact SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because they help you build relevant topic clusters that can improve search engine rankings through authority and interrelated content.
Understanding content pillars is the first step. A little effort is required to utilize them to their potential and see the benefits in your marketing strategy.
Actionable Steps to Make Content Pillars Worthwhile
From identifying pillars to making them work for you, some simple steps can help you plan your content strategy and never be left searching for ideas again.
- Identify Your Content Pillars
Although it seems simple, this step requires you to return to high-level basics. If you haven’t used pillars, this could help you reconceptualize your brand and the best ways to market it.
- Analyze your brand’s overall mission, services, and products. Consider how these relate to your audience’s needs or desires.
Most brands can define their pillars with around five core topics. There’s room for refinement and specialization further down the chain, so don’t be overly specific or add any complications in this step.
- Define the Subtopics
Pillars include subtopics before developing headlines and actual content topics. Subtopics dive deeper into specific aspects of the main themes. This is your chance to expand ideas while keeping them relevant to each pillar.
- Create a Content Plan with a Calendar
With pillars and subtopics defined, you need to implement a content plan. Regular content keeps audiences engaged and benefits SEO. Cover subtopics with unique blogs, social media posts, and other content on a rotating schedule. Alternate between pillars to give a broader overview of your brand and message. This also creates the best opportunities to link content published on your website and other channels.
The calendar aspect is vital. Content pillars support a content plan, and your content plan must be consistent. Define dates for when you post content related to each pillar and subtopic. Discipline is important. You can lose momentum when you don’t maintain a regular posting schedule. Your calendar must include all channels, including your website, guest blogs, social media, and anywhere else you publish.
The challenge of regular content marketing is something that many brands struggle with. If you don’t have resources in-house to develop and publish content, you can get great results working with an experienced marketing company.
- Pillars Can Help You Repurpose Content Ideas
Long-form content is often suitable for generating small pieces for social media and other channels. The reverse is also true, with basic social media ideas making great starting points for detailed blogs. Pillars can help you repurpose content for other channels as you transfer topics and ideas to different platforms. An infographic on social media could become a detailed blog. Insights from your long-form content could become daily Facebook updates or video shorts.
The potential of repurposing content ideas is vast. The key is to offer something unique to diverse audiences rather than recycling content through the same channels.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Analyze and Adapt
Despite the visual implication, pillars aren’t set in stone. You can adapt and adjust them as your needs change. Various elements of your pillars will likely remain as long as you have a consistent brand in a specific niche. However, if some concepts don’t work and don’t engage your audience, then drop them for something that does. Marketing requires that you continually refine your message into something that inspires your audience to act.
A Simple Concept That Can Elevate Your Marketing
Content pillars are a unique way to visualize and refine your marketing strategy. They bring structure to the sometimes haphazard nature of content creation, ensuring that every dollar and minute you spend developing content is valuable for your business and your audience.
Content marketing is a skill that can enhance your marketing strategy and improve your return on investment. You’re the expert on your brand, but you might not have the time or resources to create engaging content. Don’t let this hold you back from having regular conversations with your audience. With the help of a dedicated marketing team, you can define and develop your pillars, create regular content, publish it, and analyze the results.
Captive Web Media offers a range of content marketing and general marketing services in the digital space. We provide the services to elevate your brand and achieve your goals. Talk to us to see how we can maximize your resources to improve your content marketing and brand reach.
