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Drowning in generic social media posts? Tired of your content getting lost in the algorithm abyss? Have people stopped reading your blogs? Fear not, marketers! This blog spills all the tea on the secret weapon for crafting a targeted, impactful social media strategy: Content Pillars.
Imagine creating entertaining TikTok trends to engage young audiences while simultaneously publishing convincing LinkedIn posts that showcase your expertise and convert professionals. Sounds great, right? That’s the magic of content pillars!
This blog will help you understand the four pillars of content: Educate, Entertain, Convince, and Inspire. We’ll also show you how to tailor each pillar to different audiences and platforms, helping you target your content more efficiently and differentiate your posts for maximum impact. So buckle up, grab your tea (or coffee!), and get ready to experience the power of content marketing like never before!
First Step, Know Your Audience
Before diving into content creation, it’s crucial to understand your target audience. Who are they? What are their interests, pain points, and aspirations? By knowing your audience, you can tailor your content to resonate with them on a deeper level and increase engagement.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Demographics: What is their age, gender, location, and income level?
- Interests: What are their hobbies, passions, and favourite topics?
- Behaviors: How do they use social media? What kind of content do they engage with?
- Pain Points: What challenges or problems do they face?
- Goals: What are their aspirations or desired outcomes?
Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, you can create content that speaks directly to them and meets their needs.
What are the four pillars of content marketing?
Content pillars are designed to act as strategic anchors that bring clarity, focus, and impact to all content marketing, including social media. Having organised and planned content differentiated by different content pillars for your audience will not only help boost your brand image, but lead to targeted engagement.
Plus, pillars strengthen your brand identity! By consistently focusing on key themes, you become both a recognisable and trusted source.
Let’s take a deep dive…
Entertain
In the digital landscape, attention is currency, and entertainment is the key. The Entertain pillar stands as your social media secret weapon, transforming followers into fans through the power of laughter, engagement, and shareable moments. But entertainment isn’t just about posting funny cat videos (although, let’s be honest, those can work too). It’s about strategically using engaging content to connect with your audience on an emotional level.
Here are five easy steps you can do to create an Enterain pillar for your business:
1. Know Your Audience:
First things first, get rid of the one-size-fits-all approach. What entertains teenagers won’t necessarily resonate with professionals. Identify your target audience’s preferences, humour, and social media habits. Are they meme enthusiasts? Short content consumers? Do they crave behind-the-scenes glimpses? Tailor your content accordingly!
2. Embrace Different Formats:
Variety is the spice of life (and social media engagement). Explore different formats like funny reels, relatable GIFs, employee content, interactive polls, user-generated content challenges, and even live streams. Experiment and see what clicks with your audience.
3. Keep it Relevant (with a Twist):
Link your entertaining content to your brand values and message. Create parodies of industry trends, host Q&As with a quirky twist, or use humour to address customer pain points. You can even use this form of content to reinforce your dedication to serving your customer’s best interests. This keeps your audience engaged while subtly emphasising your brand identity.
4. Encourage Participation:
Make entertainment a two-way street. Encourage comments, shares, and user-generated content. Respond to interactions, run contests, and highlight audience contributions. This fosters a sense of community and keeps your audience coming back for more!
5. Track and Adapt:
Data is your best friend when it comes to content marketing (and honestly, marketing in general). Analyse what resonates with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly. See which formats, topics, and humour styles perform best and double down on what works. Remember, entertainment is an ongoing experiment, so be willing to adapt and evolve with the trends and the times.
Convince
Social media isn’t just about building brand awareness (although that’s important too!). The Convince pillar takes centre stage when you want to guide those interested eyes towards becoming paying customers. After all, you want to convert your browser into buyers! You can read more about this in our blog, How To Improve Your Conversion Rate.
So, what helps to convince your audience? Here’s another 5 easy steps you can take:
1. Leverage the Power of Proof:
Testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content are weapons of mass persuasion. Showcase them strategically. Feature customer success stories, positive quotes, and even product unboxings. Seeing others happy with your product builds trust and encourages action!
2. Highlight Product Benefits, Not Just Features:
Don’t just list features; emphasise the benefits that solve your audience’s problems or fulfil their need for the product or service. Use engaging visuals, clear explanations, and even customer testimonials to showcase how your product makes their lives better.
3. Flash the Sale Badge:
Listen, everybody loves a bargain. Promotions and discounts can be tempting, use them wisely! Highlight limited-time offers or exclusive deals for social media followers. This creates a sense of urgency and incentivises purchase. Remember, though, that discounts shouldn’t become your main strategy – focus on value first!
5. Live Commerce & Influencer Marketing:
Live product demonstrations and collaborations with trusted sources or even influencers can be powerful conversion tools. Real-time engagement, influencer recommendations, and exclusive offers can drive immediate purchasing decisions.
Educate
When it comes to posting content online, education isn’t just an option, it’s a cornerstone to conversion. The more you know, the more you’re likely to buy! The Educate pillar not only allows you to position yourself as a thought leader but build trust with your audience, and spark meaningful engagement.
Here are 5 useful tips and tricks on how you can tackle your Educate pillar:
1. Demystify Your Niche:
Break down complex topics into digestible, easy-to-understand content. Explain industry jargon, answer frequently asked questions, and offer helpful tips related to your niche. This establishes you as a reliable source of information and builds trust with your current and prospective clientele.
2. Change Up Your Content Formats:
Go beyond text-heavy posts. Explore infographics, how-to videos, explainer reels, or even live Q&A sessions. Different formats cater to different learning styles and keep your audience engaged, informed and up-to-date.
3. Showcase Your Expertise:
Share thought leadership content like blog posts, industry reports, or any publications. This not only allows you to create educational content but also direct traffic to other sources of information on your brand. Offer insights on current trends, analyse data, and provide unique perspectives. This positions you as a valuable resource and attracts potential customers.
4. Collaborate with Industry Peers:
Partner with other experts or influencers in your niche. Host joint webinars, participate in discussions, present collaborative talks, or co-create educational content. This expands your reach and taps into new audiences. It also never hurts to network and collaborate online, just FYI.
5. Don’t Leave Anyone On Read:
Many people don’t solely seek information from the main piece of content you publish, they will often go through comments, discussions and reviews. To provide more information to your audience, make sure you stay on top of any questions asked on any of your posts, and reply to any message requests!
Inspire
In the social media arena, inspiration is the fuel that ignites action for your brand. The Inspire pillar allows you to connect with your audience on an emotional level, motivate them to take action and build a loyal community around your business.
Remember, inspiration isn’t manipulation; it’s about genuine connection. Here’s your guide:
1. Share Stories of Human Connection:
Feature customer testimonials, employee spotlights, or even user-generated content that showcases your brand’s positive impact on people’s lives. Relatable stories evoke emotions and build trust.
2. Celebrate Your Community:
Highlight inspirational individuals or groups who embody your brand values. Feature their achievements using your product, share their stories, and showcase how they make a difference. This inspires your audience to get involved and contribute.
3. Highlight Your Brand’s Mission:
Share your purpose, values, and vision in a way that resonates with your audience’s aspirations. Demonstrate the positive impact you strive to make and how individuals can contribute. This will inspire them to join your journey—or even help when you’re looking to recruit!
By leveraging the Entertain, Convince, Educate, and Inspire pillars, you’ll:
- Engage with laughter, relatable formats, and interactive experiences.
- Build trust by showcasing expertise, providing value, and harnessing social proof.
- Empower your audience with knowledge, thought leadership, and diverse learning formats.
- Spark action through inspiring stories, community champions, and a shared purpose.
So, ditch the basic approaches to posting and embrace the power of content pillars. Craft a strategic, diverse, and engaging social media presence that resonates with your audience and helps you achieve incredible results. Remember, the journey starts with the first pillar you choose.