Stuck in a content rut?
Trying to figure out how to say what’s on your mind in the right way on the right platforms?
Grouping and organizing your ideas into content pillars is the go-to process successful marketing professionals use.
At FocusCopy, we use content pillars in client projects and our own. It allows us to zero in on a subject matter, splinter across platforms, and provide a one-stop educational stop for readers.
Content Pillar Basics: What Are Content Pillars?
Basically, a content pillar is a single long-form piece of content that you can break down into derivative sections.
You know all those marketing channels you’re struggling to fill?
You can utilize one large piece of content (the content pillar) and then break it down into smaller (quicker to read) pieces of content.
By focusing on a single content pillar, you can easily turn the sub-sections into additional blog posts, infographics, email newsletters, social media posts, and more. Moreover, this will help to reach your ideal audience through the different platforms where they linger – essentially helping customers find you!
As an example, do you know what an MSP is?
(Psst…it’s an acronym for Managed Service Provider, another term to define an IT expert you would want to hire for your business.)
While an MSP is extremely helpful in keeping a business’s networks optimized and secure, a content pillar helps to explain the “why” to customers.
So, in this instance, we could write a long-form content pillar blog about MSPs. In this blog, we may include sections such as:
- What is an MSP?
- Which tasks do MSPs handle?
- What questions should I ask a potential MSP?
- Signs your business needs an MSP
- Things to look for in an MSP
Now, we have one go-to blog that covers all the details.
But it gets better!
We can use each of these sections to write an entire short-form blog about that specific topic. Not only does this help answer any questions readers may have, but we get strategic with SEO, too.
Need help devising a content pillar plan? Get in touch to learn how FocusCopy can help you!
How To Efficiently Plan Content
I love a whiteboard moment! ClickUp’s whiteboard integration allows the FocusCopy team to visually brainstorm blog topics. Essentially, we’ll start with the main topic in the middle and branch off.
To change things up, let’s look at another example. Consider a health and wellness coach who wants to provide quality information on how readers can start living healthier lives. Let’s use “healthy living” as the central topic.
Within the whiteboard, I’ll branch out ideas of healthy living. These ideas may include the following:
- Meal planning to make healthy eating easier
- Quick exercises you can do at home
- Benefits of strength training
- How to stick to a bedtime routine
- Get your circadian rhythm in tune with the sun
- Which vegetables are best eaten seasonally
Honestly, my team could go on and on with a list like this! And what’s really cool (yes, this is cool to us!), we can easily branch out of each of those bulleted items above for additional content. All this to say, if you want to write about health and wellness, we are ready!
The idea is to write one long blog about healthy living. This long-form content pillar blog will include all of the items listed above. Then, we’ll write individual shorter blogs focused on each of the specific topics.
However, the whiteboard isn’t the only tool available to brainstorm. I personally love it because I’m able to create tasks within ClickUp directly from the whiteboard. This allows me to make the most of each moment of my time. Plus, my copywriters can get to work writing away as soon as their tasks are posted to the calendar.
The Benefits Of Content Pillars
Content pillars are more than just a way to utilize a brainstorming session. Here are a few of my favorite benefits of content pillars.
Streamline Content Organization
Figuring out how to organize content can sometimes be the most difficult task. While we have SOPs on SOPs, each client we work with has their own process. They may get their content ideas to us through topic review meetings, a single email with everything provided, or a sequence of attachments, references, and inspiration.
However, it’s our job as copywriters to bring that information together in a digestible format that our clients’ readers want to read. After all, with so much data at our fingertips, the copy has to be compelling, or readers will quickly move to the next blog.
Streamlining helps us organize the tasks on our end and how we organize the content in everything we write for clients, like blogs, newsletters, website copy, and more.
No time to brainstorm your content pillars and other copy needs? Reach out to FocusCopy and we’ll get started!
Effectively Provide Information About Your Business’s Offerings
Blogging is a not-so-secret tool that has a load of benefits. However, I’d argue the two most important benefits are:
- Offering credible information to readers to help them learn more about your business
- Increase SEO ranking to help your future clients find you on the internet
Consider a business that sells card games. They are cute enough to give as gifts and great to pack for vacations. But could you do more to incentivize readers to make a purchase with blogs that:
- Talk about the amazing memories made by sitting around a table with an old fashioned deck of cards
- Explain the rules for more complicated games
- Game night necessities like a music playlist, a themed cocktail, or a spread of easy-to-eat dips
- Game night no-go’s like fragile crystal wine glasses and messy meals
Providing this type of information in blogs gives your readers answers to their most common questions. Plus, it provides inspiration for a fun night with friends and family.
With a content pillar, you can write one long blog with everything your readers need to know about game nights. Then, you can splinter this info into content to engage your audience across all your different channels.
Boost SEO & Help Your Ideal Customers Find You
Marketing is a science. And it’s been proven that organic growth is more sustainable than abrasive in-your-face marketing tactics. That’s why we love SEO missions!
By writing a content pillar blog and more niche follow-up blogs, you put your business in a position to publish consistent material – both in terms of time and remaining true to your brand voice.
Plus, when you backlink your relevant blogs (and other credible sources) to each other, the SEO algorithm likes it. Which gives your brand the SEO boost it needs for a larger audience to find your business and convert into paying customers.
No Time For Content Pillar Brainstorming? Leave It To The Pros
Hearing the phrase “content pillars” may make a copywriter’s ears perk up, but we realize that not everyone feels the same way. And, we understand that, as a business owner, you have your hands full – to say the least.
Rather than dive into the task of writing a content pillar and then splintering it across your channels, hand it over to the experts. At FocusCopy, we take the dreaded task of writing off the heavy shoulders of small business owners.
Together, we can come up with a plan, and then my team will get to work producing quality copy that will help grow your business. Want to chat about content pillars and other copy for your business? Schedule some time to chat with me here.
