What are Content Pillars and Why Do I Care?

Content Pillars are the foundation to any good digital marketing strategy. They facilitate a strong foundation, from which one can build a consistent and engaging narrative. But how does any of that relate to you? Why should you care about ‘building a narrative’ or ‘facilitating a strong foundation’? It’s no secret that creative content can engage your audience and boost online awareness of a brand or individual, but there must also be planning, thought and effort for the growth to be sustained.

Within an influencer or brand journey, there will be variations on the style and process of creating content pillars.

A content pillar is a substantial, meaningful and informative piece of content on a particular theme/topic that can be divided into many divergent areas, pieces, and materials. Every business and influencer should plan and utilise defined content pillars, as a way to produce consistent content that connects with your unique audience.

There are a few common mistakes that trip people up is the idea that more is more. This is rarely accurate, as consumers would prefer less regular content that’s exceptional than a new upload everyday with no meaning or value. This is where content pillars are a helpful device in framing your content plan, unearthing the most important values to allow your content to shine. Choosing content pillars that align with your personal brand and your existing audience is a great place to start.

To become successful within the digital marketing space, the audience needs to trust you as a personal brand or business.

This can be built and cultivated with a variety of methods, including audience engagement (replying to comments, messages and basically just interacting with your followers), or producing trustworthy and informative content that solidifies your place in the market. The more personal integrity and truth you allow while creating your content pillars, the better your audience will connect and engage with it.

At PRMG, we’ve created a Content Pillar Worksheet which guides influencers or brands through the journey of creating specific pillars that align with their personal values. For example, we walk you through the process of mapping out the most important topics or values, then lensing that through various different platforms. If your content pillars are solid and well considered, the content you produce will be evergreen - meaning it will hold its relevance and value on a long term basis. This demonstrates value to the audience, and will bring new followers/customers on board with your online presence/brand.

Focusing on what hold value for you/your business is the best way to For example, if you run a food blog, you can think about why it’s important to share recipes and tips. If you’re a vlogger and you post about your everyday life, you can dive into what’s important to you - and, in turn, your followers. While the goal is always to grow our audience base and increase content interaction online, there’s a lot to be said for catering to and understanding which themes your current followers enjoy.  This way, you’re more likely to attract more engagement through your exisiting audience while also opening up similar pockets in the market.

Once you’ve outlined your initial content pillars, it opens up endless possibilities in terms of new content creation ideas.

By creating a baseline of personal values and overarching themes, the content can  transform and grow with your ideas. The care you take when creating a consistent and personal digital footprint has the ability to increase your audience/customer engagement exponentially. Overall profile trust and awareness will be substantial with the right foundations, and the content can made through different mediums and marketed across various platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Another important step within our Content Pillar Worksheet is deciding which platforms and methods to create content on. This can seem like a basic concept, but it’s worth considering a large range of options when creating new content. With new and innovative ways to penetrate the digital space everyday, influencers and brands need to stay ahead of the curve, so using platforms like TikTok, Podcasts and Instagram are a great way to connect with new audiences.

Check below for access to the PRMG Content Pillar Worksheet, which offers a step by step guide to creating content pillars, as well as more explanation around the benefits of engaging with your audience. Good luck and happy content creating!