Social Media Content Pillars: The Secret to a Brand’s Social Media Success

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant demand for fresh, engaging content on social media? You’re not alone.

Juggling multiple platforms, campaigns, and goals can quickly become chaotic for social media managers. That’s where social media content pillars come in.

Think of content pillars as the foundation of your strategy—a set of core themes that guide everything you post.

Organising your content around these pillars allows you to stay consistent, save time, and ensure your posts resonate with your audience. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to create and use content pillars to build a focused, scalable social media strategy that delivers results.

Let’s dive in and make social media management simpler—and more impactful.

• What are social media content pillars?
• Why are content pillars useful for social media marketers?
• How to come up with a content pillar strategy?
• Examples of social media content pillars for different industries

What are social media content pillars?

Social media content pillars are the key themes or topics that form the backbone of your social media strategy.

Think of them as your brand’s content categories, each aligned with your audience’s interests and your business goals. These pillars ensure your content is consistent, relevant, and strategic, helping you avoid posting randomly or running out of ideas.

For example, a fitness brand might have content pillars like workouts, nutrition tips, success stories, and mental health. Each post, story, or video would tie back to one of these pillars, creating a cohesive and engaging brand presence.

The beauty of content pillars is that they provide structure while leaving room for creativity. They help you focus on what matters most, simplify planning, and ensure every piece of content aligns with your brand’s mission and audience needs.

By defining your social media content pillars, you’re laying the groundwork for a strategy that not only saves time but also keeps your audience coming back for more.

Why are content pillars useful for social media marketers?

Having social media goals is one thing, but when you're in the weeds of creating content for social media, it can be easy to forget why you're actually doing it.

Having specific themes or categories that each post or piece of content should align with can greatly simplify the process of creating valuable content that supports your social media goals.

Instead of guessing and creating purposeless posts, having content pillars allows you to create meaningful content that aligns with your social media KPIs.

Content pillars also bring a sense of organisation to your brand's social media content approach, making it easier to plan your content calendar. With specific content themes to work with, your content ideation process becomes faster and more focused.

Additionally, content pillars help your brand maintain consistency across different social media platforms, giving your brand a strong identity. By creating content that belongs to your brand, your followers will quickly learn what to expect and can follow along as you piece together your brand story.

How to come up with a content pillar strategy for your client's brand

As we've already mentioned, the content pillars that your brand or business decides on will vary depending on the industry you or your clients are in.

However, there are some concrete ways to start thinking about your approach:

1. Take a look at the brand's marketing personas
2. Carry out competitor research
3. Stay on top of the industry trends
4. Research current social media trends
5. Run a social media audit
6. Assign hashtags to each content pillar

1. Take a look at the brand's marketing personas

Knowing exactly who you're speaking to is essential for success in social media marketing. That's why it's so important to have a set of well-established marketing personas at your brand's disposal - they act as your north star for generating conversions!

To create effective content pillars for your client's brand social media strategy, you have to ask yourself some key questions:

• Which platforms are their target audience using?
• What topics is the target audience interested in?
• What values does this target audience hold?
• Which topics are educational and valuable to the target audience?
• How can my client's social media content help resolve the target audience's pain points?

The answers to these questions will help you to identify the kinds of content that their (or your) potential customer wants to see, and you'll be able to create content pillars from here.

2. Carry out competitor research

In order to truly understand your client's market, you must be aware of what their direct competitors are doing.

Make a list of the top five competitors in their industry, and head to their social media channels to check out what you're competing against. Note any competitor posts that have performed particularly well, and spot what sort of topics they're posting about and what social content performs well. Identify any gaps in their posting schedule and formulate your content pillars around them.

After this quick qualitative analysis, move on to social listening. Simply start typing in the keywords in the social media platform's search bar to uncover what topics are trending and what your competitors are posting about. This will allow you to track your competitors, stay on top of trending topics, and finally, be one step ahead of the competition.

Conducting competitor research is important, but it's important not to lose sight of your overall goals. Remember not to get too bogged down in comparison—you're only visiting their channels for ideas rather than plagiarising or copying. Social media content that's creative and original will always speak for itself!

3. Stay on top of the industry trends

Keeping abreast of industry trends on social media can majorly impact your content pillars. 

You can craft content that speaks to the audience's current interests by staying informed. This can result in increased engagement and growth for your client's social media channels.

Moreover, being in the know about industry developments can also serve as a catalyst for fresh and engaging content ideas. Including industry trends in your content pillars keeps your social media strategy current, relevant, and impactful.

Here are some effective ways to do that:

1. Follow industry leaders and influencers on social media to stay updated on news and developments.
2. Attend webinars and events to network with other professionals and learn about the latest trends.
3. Read trade publications and blogs regularly for valuable insights.
4. Use social media monitoring tools to track keywords, hashtags, and mentions.
5. Engage in online communities to interact with other professionals and stay informed.
6. Include subscribing to RSS feeds through your social media management tool's content curation feature.

By implementing these tips, you can stay ahead of the game and maintain a competitive advantage in your industry. Stay informed, stay ahead.

4. Research current social media trends

Staying attuned to dominant social media trends is crucial for building an impactful social media strategy. Here are five trends that are likely to endure:

• Short-form video content: Video continues to be a dominant force on social media, with formats like TikTok, Facebook and Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts making it easier for businesses to share eye-catching video content.
• Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing is a proven way to reach and engage target audiences. As the trend continues to surge, businesses are expected to increase their investments in influencer partnerships.
• Creating a strong community: Don't worry about the number of followers. Instead, focus on creating a loyal community. Invest additional time in crafting relevant topics that provide value and spark conversations.
• Interactive features: Interactive features, such as quizzes, polls, digital flipbooks, and augmented reality, are rising in popularity and provide a fun, engaging user experience.
• Social Commerce: The trend of buying and selling products through social media, known as social commerce, is rapidly expanding. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are making it easier for businesses to sell their products directly on the platform.

By incorporating these enduring trends into your social media content pillars, you can build a current and impactful strategy. Staying on top of dominant social media trends is key to creating a social media marketing strategy that connects with your target audience.

5. Audit the brand's social media channels to see what content works and what doesn't

Carrying out a social media audit is ideal for spotting trends and taking the pulse of your followers' content habits.

It's important to regularly look inwards at your own channels to identify the types of content that your followers are engaging with, and what's not working.

Once you've done your audit, you can start phasing out any continually unsuccessful content and posts and adjust your brand's content pillars accordingly.

Pro Tip >>> Use our social media audit templates tailored to specific features of each social media network:

• Instagram audit checklist
• Facebook Page and Group audit checklists
• LinkedIn Page and Profile audit checklists
• X (Twitter) audit checklist

6. Assign hashtags to each content pillar

Assigning hashtags to each social media content pillar can help you reach a wider audience and increase visibility on the platform.

Hashtags categorise and organise content, making it easier for users to discover relevant posts. When creating your hashtags, ensure they align with your content pillars and are relevant to your target audience.

You can use our niche hashtags for each social media channel to get started with your hashtag strategy:

• Instagram niche hashtags
• Facebook niche hashtags
• X (Twitter) niche hashtags
• LinkedIn niche hashtags
• TikTok niche hashtags

It's also a good idea to periodically change your hashtags to keep your content fresh and appealing to your audience.

By using hashtags effectively, you can maximise your reach on social media and drive engagement with your content pillars.

Pro tip: You can use Sendible's Content Library feature to save groups of best-performing hashtags for easy access.

Examples of social media content pillars for different industries

Your industry, goals, and audience shape your brand's ideal social media content pillars. Below are tailored suggestions for various industries, outlining common social media goals, the recommended number of content pillars, and specific pillar ideas.

• Multi-location businesses
• Retail
• Real estate
• Social media consultants
• Social media agencies
• Healthcare
• Higher education
• Franchise businesses
• Enterprise businesses
• Small business
• Hospitality
• E-commerce
• Nonprofits and charities
• Beauty and wellness
• Technology and software companies
• Fashion and apparel
• Food and beverage
• Travel and tourism
• Arts and entertainment

Multi-location businesses

Social Media Management For Multi-Location Businesses

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Goals: Maintain brand consistency, engage local communities, and drive traffic to physical locations.

Optimal number of pillars: 4–5

Pillars:

1. Brand-wide promotions and updates
2. Local events and community stories
3. Customer testimonials and reviews
4. Educational or how-to content (e.g., FAQs or service guides)
5. Behind-the-scenes or employee highlights

Retail

Goals: Showcase products, drive in-store and online sales, and build brand loyalty.

Optimal number of pillars: 4–6

Pillars:

1. Product spotlights and demos
2. Seasonal promotions and offers
3. Customer stories and reviews
4. Style or usage inspiration (e.g., "How to wear..." or "How to use...")
5. Behind-the-scenes (e.g., sourcing, packaging)
6. Educational content (e.g., sustainability initiatives, product care tips)

Real estate

Real Estate Social Media Marketing 101: 8 Ways to Get More Clients

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Goals: Generate leads, educate buyers and sellers, and build trust in the market.

Optimal number of pillars: 3–5

Pillars:

1. Property listings and virtual tours
2. Home-buying/selling tips and market insights
3. Local community highlights
4. Client success stories/testimonials
5. Real estate news and trends

Social media consultants

Goals: Showcase expertise, drive engagement, and attract new clients.

Optimal number of pillars: 3–4

Pillars:

1. Social media tips and hacks
2. Case studies and success stories
3. Industry news and trends
4. Tools and resources for marketers

Social media agencies

Goals: Attract clients, showcase creative campaigns, and establish authority.

Optimal number of pillars: 4–5

Pillars:

1. Client success stories and testimonials
2. Campaign showcases (case studies)
3. Social media trends and innovations
4. Agency culture and behind-the-scenes
5. Tips and tools for social media management

Healthcare

Healthcare and Social Media: A Marketing Guide for Health Professionals

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Goals: Educate patients, build trust, and humanize the brand.

Optimal number of pillars: 4–5

Pillars:

1. Health tips and educational content
2. Patient stories and testimonials
3. Community outreach and events
4. Behind-the-scenes (e.g., staff highlights, facility tours)
5. Industry news and updates

Higher education

From LinkedIn to TikTok: A Guide to Social Media for Universities

Read the guide

Goals: Increase enrollment, foster alumni engagement, and promote campus life.

Optimal number of pillars: 4–6

Pillars:

1. Campus news and events
2. Student life highlights (e.g., clubs, activities)
3. Alumni success stories
4. Academic achievements and programs
5. Admissions tips and deadlines
6. Behind-the-scenes content

Franchise businesses