Choosing Content Pillars for Your Social Media Strategy

Stuck on what type of content you should be posting for your beauty business? Your Instagram strategy may be missing content pillars.

What are content pillars?

Content pillars in the context of social media marketing are the themes or categories that each piece of content falls into. You may also hear them be called content buckets or content themes. They serve as an overall theme for the purpose of your content. The pillars help to answer the question “What should I post today and why?”

Types of content pillars

Five popular content pillars that are often used in Instagram strategies include promotion, education, entertainment, engagement & community, and inspiration. The promotion pillar includes content that specifically promotes a product or service. It has a clear call to action that asks your audience to purchase something. The education content pillar includes content that teaches your audience how to do something. The entertainment content pillar includes content that entertains your audience. Engagement & community includes content that drives engagement and builds connections within your audience. Lastly, the inspiration pillar includes content that inspires your audience to complete a task or take action.

Here are content examples for each content pillar:

Promotion - Client photos & videos, product photos & videos, reviews, and salon photos. These posts should have a clear call to action that tells them to purchase a product or book a service.

Education - Beauty tips related to your industry, product demos, and tutorials. Your followers should learn something after reading your post.

Entertainment - Funny reels, memes, and videos related to the beauty service you offer.

Engagement & Community - Memes, relatable posts, Q & A sessions, and conversation starters. This type of content encourages your audience to engage and connect with you.

Inspiration - Your personal story. How did you get where you are today? What advice can you give that can inspire your audience?

How to choose your content pillars

The content pillars you use in your strategy depend on your goals. I suggest using a mix of all of the pillars while using some more heavily than others. For example, if you want to book more clients, you should create a lot of promotion-style content. If you want to be seen as an expert and sell a course, you should create educational content. The pillar you use the most will change based on goals.

Your business and Instagram goals will determine your content pillars. Your content pillars will then determine the type of content you create. Answering the question, “What should I post today?”