Smarter Content Pillars: How to Tie Social Media to Real Business Goals
You may have been pitched content pillars all wrong
As business owners, we are told by marketing professionals that in order to be relevant on social media, we need to create content pillars.
What are content pillars?
A content pillar is a key theme or topic that guides the content you create for your brand’s social media channels, blogs, and emails. Often called “content buckets,” they outline the categories that each piece of content falls into so you can keep your content fresh and focused on relevant topics. - Reference: Shopify
But here’s why content pillars don’t work:
it doesn’t help you learn how to measure social media results
If they are too specific, they limit your creativity and ability to adjust – a key tribute to being a marketer
You can not draw them to your bottom line, fully being able to get what you want out of social media
And if that’s not enough, According to a 2025 Sprout Social Index, only 30% of marketers believe they can accurately measure the return on investment (ROI) from social media. This is also coming from 97% of business leaders believing social media is valuable.
The solution is within your power
I’ll be the first to say, as a marketer, I don’t see the full value they bring to clients. They allow you to stay consistent on social. But these days, being consistent is not enough.
The good news is that there is a way to make your content pillars perform for you.
The even better news is that you can do this work yourself.
And the great news is, it only requires one change to make it happen.
how to make content pillars work - Being KPI driven
Believe it or not, there is only one key difference when it comes to creating the perfect pillars to make them less fluffy. This approach may cause you to think about what you want to see in your socials.
The best way to do so is to take the KPI approach.
Instead of putting pillars together that are around a certain topic, put pillars around more measurable factors that you can track their performance and shift where you need to.
Don’t get me wrong. Making specific content pillars support filling up your social calendar with content that is replicable, but not scalable.
So attaching a metric to each pillar will help you know what to look for, where to adjust, and leave room for you to pivot your content to the ever-changing landscape that social media brings.
“So attaching a metric to each pillar will help you know what to look for, where to adjust, and leaves room for you to pivot your content to the ever-changing landscape that social media brings.”
Not only will this show you what your content should do, but you can let the numbers talk.
If one is showing higher performance in that pillar. Then there is something there that people like to see. It can then be replicated –or even improved. Making your social media efforts less complicated and more – simple.
Putting our words to your own business
Now that we told you to change this one perspective about your socials, let’s help you put your own unique content pillars together.
Here are two exercises that you can do to get the ball rolling:
Conduct your own social media audit.
For our clients, we offer a service that deep dives into the performance of your handles. But what we also do is take a look at your posts and bundle them into common themes. You could do the same!
Go through your last 20-50 posts, and grab posts that stand out. And we challenge you to look at what is working for them, not based on what you like, but on the actions it made your audience do.
Example: “On this post, I got 10 followers!”, “Whenever I post something like this, I tend to get people asking about my consultation services.”
After categorizing them, name those piles/buckets, and you have your own content pillars!
Simplify your offer (Service-based)
One of the hardest things for businesses that are service-based is being able to productise their service online.
We mean, make it simple to grasp – and easy to obtain.
We mean, make it simple to grasp – and easy to obtain.
Once you do that, you can easily make content around it. Whether that is showing the behind-the-scenes of how you created it, or putting up a post that is meant to drive followers to act.
Real-world Example
Real-world Example
Here is a breakdown of a very simple content strategy for small businesses.
Intention: getting new customers to DM me to book their free consultation for my curly haircut service at my hair salon.
Pillars:
Pillar one - geared towards new followers
Key performance indicators (KPIs): Follows, reach, shares
Commonalities - emotionally charged content that speaks to the nuances of learning about your textured hair and the frustrations around maintenance.
Content that falls under this pillar - video memes, trending audio voice overs from beloved sitcoms that match my brand and audience, and content that makes my audience laugh
CTA: “Share with a curly girly that can relate.”
Pillar two - Meant to increase DMs to my inbox
Key performance indicators - DMs
Commonalities - A simple post that shows the logistics, makes it simple for them to book, and minimises risks or hurdles to hit “message”.
Content that fall under this pillar - Showing the consultations with my clients, Testimonies from my promoted service, Showing a short snippet of the process of putting someone through their service from start to finish.
CTA: “Book a free consultation! DM me for more info.”
Pillar three - After-sales nurture, create life-long customers
Key performance indicators - likes, comments
Commonalities - content that puts me as a thought leader that proves that I have something in common with my audience.
Share values that my audience and I both share. They get to know me as a hairstylist and business owner. The day in the life of a woman-owned hair salon business owner, posts that state why using natural and cruelty-free hair products matter.
CTA: “Comment your favourite [BLANK] product”
final thoughts
By changing this one aspect of your content pillars you are then able to accomplish a number of things:
Still being able to fill your calendar without spinning your wheels.
Are finally making social media posts that drive results
Quantify why one post is performing better/worse than others.
Pivot your strategy, message, and content when needed.
Turning your head away from vanity metrics that don’t matter.
Not feeling like you are being tied to advice from other professionals. Bringing you – more confidence.
That feels a little less fluffy right?
By using this method, you are treating your social media like a business channel. And you are then using it to bring you the results you are looking for.
Maybe you want more expertise, guidance, or someone to do the work for you
I understand that looking at this requires more legwork, especially if it’s looking like you might need a social overhaul.
Let me help.
If you are the person that wants to give social media a go but might benefit from tips or quick wins. Join our newsletter:
Call in the experts
You didn’t start your business just so you can be a social media expert. And you are smart to start thinking about how you can use every platform better.
I started my business to help small businesses like you. Who want to learn more, who love what they do, and want someone to take over so they can go back to being the heart of their company.
Here are what other clients have to say:
"Great creativity and out of the box thinking.. Will work with McKenna more. Has increased our reach!!”
"McKenna was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her talent lies in social media strategy, and she has gone above and beyond. She is professional, knowledgeable, creative, and really understood our audience. Let me know when you expand your services!"
Take the easy first step, and contact me to see what availability looks like for a discovery call:
Social media strategy for small businesses is what we do best. 🤍
