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Building a brand can be daunting, and trying to stay relevant can sometimes feel as though you are constantly reinventing yourself.
ALEXANDRA BOURNESOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE
When it comes to having an online presence – whether it is for a brand, individual influencer or content creator – it is crucial to establish and maintain content pillars. Our content pillars are our overarching topics and themes that center around a brand or individual’s identity, core values and objectives.
Our content pillars are what set us apart from our competitors and are what we use to create an engaged and trusting audience to buy our products or services. When introducing a brand or an individual to an audience, it’s all about consistency, you want to give your audience the opportunity to understand why they are following you, and what they are getting out of it. By staying consistent, we can also maintain a level of reliability.
Content pillars are also imperative when it comes to content planning and strategy. It gives a brand or influencer a steady stream of content that is relevant, valuable to your audience, and begins to establish you as an authority within your industry. While it will provide you with a framework, you still have the ability to explore various angles and styles while still staying true to overarching themes.
So, as an example, let’s create content pillars for a skincare brand. This skincare brand offers 5-6 affordable products, utilizes only natural ingredients, and focuses on minimizing breakouts, with a focus on an audience of younger females.
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Education – Educating the audience on the ingredients, the benefits of the product, how to use them and when to use them. This pillar would be great for video content to show skincare routines, a walk through of the key benefits of a product, and before and after examples.
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Customer stories and testimonials – This is going to be what drives sales the most, as it demonstrates your audience of potential customers how well the product actually works.
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Lifestyle – Creating a lifestyle community can bring people across the health and wellness space together. Sharing different recipes, ingredients and exercise that promote a healthy lifestyle and assist with having good skin further adds to messaging around the brand’s core values.
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The product – Ensure your audience is familiar with the brand by placing the product, brand colors and logos in as many frames as possible. This helps with brand recognition and authenticity.
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Promotions and offerings – This doesn’t have to be a large part of the brand, but anytime there is a bundle or a sale it is a great way to entice new customers who have hesitated to make a purchase.
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Trends and pop culture tie-ins – As we are targeting Gen Z and Millennials, it always helps to make the brand as relatable as possible. Talk about things that are trending or utilize music and visuals that are popular at that time. For example, many Gen Z and Millennials love Hailey Bieber, and are always following along with her latest skincare and makeup tips and trends – this would be great to re-share with your audience and demonstrate how your product could replicate the look or routine.
Building a brand can be daunting, and trying to stay relevant can sometimes feel as though you are constantly reinventing yourself. By sticking to your content pillars, you minimize any risk of drifting from your core messaging, and ensure consistency for your audience. It provides structure and helps you navigate the digital space, while still allowing you to adapt and evolve as your brand does.
