What's your Content Strategy?

And why it matters, if you want success in your biz.

Building your content strategy is very much like building a home...it starts with a vision.

"Content builds relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust drives revenue."- Andrew Davis.

In Uni, I had an economics lecturer who used to say, "When concepts can be converted into cash...that's Brilliance!

Do you agree?

Or Nah?

Here's a little known factoid: 3-4 persons account for almost 90% of a company's sales. Not sure? Think about your own loyal, repeat customers, who have referred others to take advantage of your products/services.

Okay...now you're getting it.

Here's the thing- it's easy to get caught up working IN your business. But if you want to start working ON your business-and getting the real digits...then you'll need a content strategy, with content pillars...ya feel me?

"People don't buy what you do; they buy WHY you do it. And WHAT you do simply proves what you believe"- Simon Sinek.

So let's get started on your content marketing content pillars.

What are Content Pillars?

Simply put, your pillars are a set of theories, or topics that your brand will be using to create posts.

Some popular themes might include:

• Self-care and Wellness;

• Company Updates (including new product releases);

• Customer/Client Testimonials;

• Blog Promotion;

• Relatable industry humor (See vid above).

Keep in mind however, that some content pillars work better in some industries than others-it's not a perfect science, and you'll have to do some tweaking until you get the right fit.

For instance, self-care and wellness may work better with beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands, while more traditional brands may rely heavier on testimonials.

Nevertheless, each pillar will always be guided by the type of content your ideal/prospective customers or clients want to see.

Below are 5 basic content pillars that work across industries:

• Promotional;

• Educational;

• Community;

• Entertainment;

• Engagement.

Every opportunity should taken to include your brand in your clients' day-to-day.

Why are content pillars useful for small business owners?

Here's 4 good reasons:

• Reason 1: It allows you to have specific themes/buckets that each piece of content will fall into. This helps you start creating meaningful content-rather than posting; fingers crossed, with no specific idea about what will actually work (also known as "spray and pray").

• Reason 2: It helps you organize your social media strategy-using a content calendar- which allows you to set specific themes-so you can spend more time on research, resulting in better, more purposeful posts. It also alleviates the panic of "What the hell am I going to say TODAY? which often results in burnout.

• Reason 3: It speeds up your "Ideation Process". Most times when you say you don't know what to post, it's because you don't have a "Process" to get you started. Having themes allows you to focus on your targeted audience-and what THEY most want to consume-from YOU!

• Reason 4: It allows you to remain consistent. Whether it's Reels, Static posts, Stories, or Carousels, you can "stay on message". It also helps you to strengthen your brand identity, since you'll be creating content that resonates with your "Tribe".

"Traditional Marketing talks AT people; Content Marketing talks WITH them"-Unknown

So now we come to the meat of the matter, namely, HOW to come up with your content pillars...

Start here:👇🏾

👉🏾What's your brand persona?

In other words:

• Who are you talking to?

• What's their buying habits?

• Where do they hang out?

• What keeps them up at night?

To get to this, you'll need to create a profile (or 3) of your "Ideal" or "Targeted" Customer or Client. This helps you craft messages that will appeal to them (and ONLY them).

To help you get started, you'll need to focus on :

• What platforms they're using;

• What topics they're interested in;

• Their values;

• What they find educational;

• How your content will help them manage/conquer their pain points;

Keep in mind, that this isn't just demographic info-you'll have to do some psychosocial digging as well. The clearer the picture, the easier it will become to get your content aligned with them-helping them become advocates of your brand.

Look at it as going deep (niching) instead of trying to cast a wide net.

Think of it as a "Gourmet Offering"- a signature product or service that's created for a select few.

👉🏾Checkout what your competition's doing.

Often, I'll ask a client, "Who are your competitor's within a 15 mile radius?" Often the response is...yeah, you guessed it..."Crickets".🦗🦗

So let me share why this matters-let's call it "The Gap"- aka, what they're doing/not doing well or enough.

Want to find it?

Step 1: Make a list of 5 competitors in your immediate space;

Step 2: Go to their social media channels;

Step 3: See what posts they've done well with;

Step 4: Make a note of what topics they're posting on their feed;

Step 5: Identify what they're NOT doing-check out the comments to see what questions their followers are asking-and most of all, how those concerns are being addressed-or not.

Step 6: FILL.THE.GAP.

"The strength of your social media is determined by the strength of your content"-Unknown

And finally...

👉🏾Audit your own brand.

It's equally important you audit your own. If you feel you're too close to the forest, have someone who you trust to do it for you. Look at what YOU'RE also doing well, and if you haven't figured out your core values as yet-this would be a good place to start (that's another post!). If you're seeing a disconnect-or if you're dropping the ball altogether-adjust accordingly-and get back on track!

So here it is, a short course on finding your content pillars and crafting a cohesive content strategy for your brand.

If there's anything else you think I should touch on in this area-please, reach out; I'd love to help! And while you're about it, go ahead and book your 1:1 session here - and let's figure out what works for your brand,