Content pillars - the key to creating effective social media content
Q: I feel overwhelmed when it comes to creating social media content for my yoga studio - I have no idea where to start.
A: This is a common concern I hear from small business owners so I thought I’d write a short blog and provide some quick tips.
The issue:
Yoga is a broad and complex topic! There are hundreds of poses, variations of poses and the ancient philosophy too. The benefits are also multifaceted - physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual. The possibilities appear to be endless and while you may think this would make content creation easy, It doesn’t.
Like finding a needle in the haystack, deciding what to post or create can feel incredibly daunting…
One of the good things about Iyengar yoga is that it has certain characteristics such as a focus on alignment, props, sequencing and timing. These provide some messages we can focus on - or just more things to talk about?!
Fortunately (!) our time and resources are limited, as is the time and attention span of our followers. Thinking strategically and prioritising your focus is essential to get the best return for your investment. That is your time and energy - or money if you’re paying a professional.
This is why setting out content pillars can be helpful.
What are content pillars?
Sometimes referred to as ‘buckets’, content pillars are 3 - 5 key topics or themes you choose to represent your brand or business, and provide a clear direction for your content marketing.
Using Oh My Yoga as an example, my 5 content pillars are:
my yoga journey - sharing my personal story and experience helps create a connection and relationship with my students and followers. I share photos and videos of my practice, along with personal reflections.
classes and events - these posts may be of higher importance and will feature more regularly if you run a studio.
nature photos - the nature, sunset/ sunrise and beach/ ocean photos are intended to invoke a feeling - like practicing yoga, getting outdoors into nature helps me find and create space and clarity, and keeps me balanced.
poetry - to me the experience of reading a poem is similar to the practice of yoga, both can deliver a profound emotional and spiritual experience, and new perspectives. I don’t ever explain this but hope the poems speak for themselves.
quotes - there’s already lots of great content available, so why not use it! Whether it’s from BKS Iyengar or another well known personality, the yoga and wellbeing quotes I share are a quick reminder for myself as much as it’s for my followers.
Other yoga-related content pillar ideas - student testimonials, pose of the week, blog posts, news articles and book recommendations, video tutorials, philosophy and yoga sutras.
Non-yoga related content pillars ideas - music, art, dance, food and nutrition, Ayurveda, animals/ pets and local community news.
How do you come up with content pillars?
Ideally, your content pillars will be informed or at least inspired by your overall business goals and purpose:
goals - this is linked to what you do/ offer; for example, how many classes, students and revenue do you need to be profitable/ sustainable? This is usually easy to measure and monitor.
purpose - the why; this is the reason behind what you do? What drives you to practice yoga, run a studio or teach classes? Your purpose may be less tangible or easy to measure and monitor, but this is actually why students will come to you! .
Image from Start with Why by Simon Sinek - definitely worth a read!
The image above uses Apple as an example; here’s Oh My Yoga as another example:
what = small group Iyengar yoga classes
why = creating space and clarity in body and mind
A beauty clinic example:
what = skin therapy services and products
why = helping people look beautiful and feel confident
And a mechanic:
what = motor vehicle servicing and repairs
why = providing safety and piece of mind on life’s journey
Once you are clear on the what and why, you can brainstorm and choose content pillars that are in line with these goals and purpose. A simple way to do this - jot down everything you can think of and then gather similar or related topics together into groups until you only have 3 - 5.
There’s actually no set rule about how many pillars you can have - just remember the whole point is to streamline and focus your content creating efforts and clearly communicate your unique point of difference. The trick is to keep it simple - give it 3 - 6 months, then review your results and update if needed. Remember: nothing stays the same or lasts forever!
Need more help or advice with your social media marketing? Get in touch for a personal consultation session.
