Use these pillars to support your brand mission and never have post paralysis EVER again!
Showing up online can be very intimidating. Many people worry that people won't care about what they have to say. They worry about looking silly or people talking about them. Or they just have absolutely no idea what to post. For starters, let me just say, there is a market and an audience for EVERY single kind of interest and niche. There are people (Anna) who enjoy watching videos of people cleaning their homes and putting their groceries away. The right people are going to be interested.
Secondly, creating content is nothing other than sharing the knowledge that's already in your head in a way that's appealing and useful to others. Lucky for you, I have a framework that you can follow to ensure that you will ALWAYS know what to share with your audience AND have it actively work for you in building a know, like, and trust relationship that leads to sales.
This brings us to the first step, decide on your content pillars.
These are representing 5 topics/interests that reflect you and your business. These are the topics you can always rely on for content, they are unique to you, and it's what your audience can expect to see from you when they land on your page.
The main point is to make sure every piece of content you put out, all ties back to your overall mission. What is the CORE of your business? Why are you out here doing the work that you do? These pillars are meant to strengthen the foundation of your brand and business and reinforce the goal. Here’s how to choose your 5 content pillars.
Roof: Understand your “why”/overall mission
There is a very specific reason that you started your brand. A mission that you are setting out to accomplish and using your knowledge and skillset to do so. Try to simplify this mission to its most basic point.
For example, with Anna Clarice, my overall, main mission is to help as many women as possible create online businesses so that they can make more money doing what they love.
Having this very simple “roof” to refer back to, deciding on your content pillars will get really easy, really fast.
Pillar 1: Are you “walking the walk”?
It is so much easier for your ideal clients to trust you if they can see that you are actively in a place they want to be, doing the things you want to be doing. You want to be seen as “walking the walk”, so this pillar should represent you achieving the mission you’re setting out to do for others.
For example, I reinforce the message of women entrepreneurship by posting about my life as a work-from-home entrepreneur. I show my office, I express different situations where having freedom of schedule has really served me, I share #relatable work from home content.
This pillar is kind of a freebie because pretty much anyone, in any industry can have a “lifestyle” pillar.
Pillar 2: What is something you already do all of the time?
Your content pillars should represent topics and things that you already do. They should be natural and can easily be incorporated into your content. So think about some things that you already do every day and how that can relate back to your business mission.
For example, I already do a lot of small business shopping. I love local food joints, Etsy products, shopping at small business boutiques. Plus, my business is all about supporting women entrepreneurship so it relates back to my core mission.
When it comes to business, I try to use the path of least resistance as much as possible. Don’t overthink this one.
Pillar 3: How can you educate your audience?
It’s always good to have an “education” pillar because it will do a lot of leg work in positioning you as an authority in your field. Teaching and providing valuable information will go a long way in building a know, like, and trust relationship with your ideal clients. For marketing purposes, I recommend branding this content and giving it a label so people can easily follow it.
For example, I share free online business advice every day on my Instagram account. I design them as carousel posts with a cover. This way my audience can get used to seeing those posts and they will associate me and my brand with them.
Remember that the information you’re sharing should always circle back to your overall brand mission. You can educate in your IG story, through LIVES, posts, photos, etc. Just as long as you’re putting it out there!
Pillar 4: Are you doing anything aspirational?
We as a society look up to brands for inspiration and aspirational content. Even if you think you’re life isn’t all that interesting, I can assure you, there’s SOMETHING about your life that people will find impressive.
For example, I create a lot of content around leaving my 9-5 job for full-time entrepreneurship. This is a major milestone for most people and being able to say that I actually did it, boosts my credibility with my audience.
It’s not about “showing off”, it’s about showing people what’s possible for them too.
Pillar 5: Personal values.
For this last one, we are going to go deep. I want you to think about some core values that you actively practice in your day-to-day life. Beyond money, freedom of schedule, status, fame, etc. I’m talking deep, deep. What are some beliefs that make you, you?
For example, I’m all about women being treated equally and calling out double standards in our society. Sexist shit and toxic “norms” piss me off, so this naturally became a content pillar. I share reels and TikToks sharing this kind of information and talking about these types of controversial topics all the time. This relates back to my mission of women choosing themselves and having fair opportunities in life.
That being said, this doesn’t have to be about “stirring the pot” or creating controversy. It just needs to be something that you deeply believe in and that you’re passionate about. That also relates back to your overall mission.
If you can get super clear about your overall brand mission and the 5 content pillars to support it, you’ll find that you ALWAYS have content to share on social media and/or your content platforms. This is also a sound-proof strategy because every single piece of work you put out into the world is actively supporting your brand, attracting your ideal clients, and will ultimately convert to sales.
I hope that this post was helpful, if you’re looking for more in-depth help with building your online business, check out the Shine Fucking Bright group coaching program!
We go through my 6-week Online Business Blueprint and bring your brand and vision to life!
