Get Clear About Your Brand Pillars vs. Content Pillars

You might have a logo, website and marketing strategy, but if you are questioning what the heck brand pillars and content pillars are, then there is some work to be done. Building a successful business relies on a well-organized foundation of these pillars, which help you maintain a consistent voice and ensure you create content that is focused and effective.  

But what are brand pillars anyways? And are they really different from content pillars? 

In short, yes. These two parts of your business are different, but overlap in a lot of important ways. To break it down: 

Brand Pillars: Your company’s core values and characteristics. They define your brand’s identity and personality and serve as the foundation for all marketing efforts, helping you maintain a consistent voice threaded throughout your message.  

Content Pillars: Broad, core themes you will cover in your marketing content. They provide a framework that makes it easy to organize said content and focus your efforts. For instance, if you are a wellness-based business, you may have content pillars such as recipes, success stories and personalized workouts.   

An even easier way to think about it: Your brand pillars are your “why.” Your content pillars are your “what” when it comes to marketing strategy.  

Why do you need them? 

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, wondering what content you will post to keep up engagement in your online communities? What about the need to keep things fresh and interesting? It’s easy to get bogged down in the mires of social media (and other forms of digital and print marketing), but having a strong foundation will help your brand withstand the test of time.  

Brand pillars will guide you and your team when you are considering what your target market is looking for when it comes to your brand’s voice and personality. Content pillars will help you easily organize your content so that you can create calendars, work on batching and use other time-saving skills.   

Okay, so how do we create these and fold them into a marketing strategy? 

Brand pillars should come first, after you have done considerable target market research. You will also want to look into what your competitors are doing. Understand the psychographics and demographics of your market so that you can speak to them with honesty, authority and in a way that will build trust. From here, find where your brand and your target market intersect. Why are you going into business? What are your values? How do you want your audience to see you? 

Having trouble with this first step? We are here to take the load off your plate with thorough marketing research and expert understanding of branding, marketing and more. Head here to contact us! 

Content pillars also rely on solid target market research to be successful. With that as a background, and a thorough understanding of your brand pillars, you can begin to flesh out the content offerings that would resonate with your audience. Understanding trends on social media as well as within your industry is crucial here. You will also want to run a social media audit as you go, to see what resonates most with your audience. Keep up with those measurables and track your brand’s progress! 

Don’t know how to do that? We offer full service strategic marketing from start to finish, including setting up your brand as well as running quarterly reports to track your growth and progress! 

Aim for considering about 4-5 pillars each under both branding and content. By laying a sturdy foundation, you will help your business grow its engagement at a steady pace without relying solely on luck or the algorithm. And remember, it will take consistent efforts by you and your team to grow and nurture your online communities, customer relationships and leads generated through strategic and effective marketing.  

How You Know You Need a New Website

Need a new website

The signs are popping up all around you. You start to feel like things are slowing down with your business, and you can’t quite put a finger on it. You hate going on your website because it looks outdated. You start to wonder if you need a new website or just a vacation.  

You need a new website 

If any of the above have been happening to you, it is probably time to consider updating your website or doing a complete overhaul. In today’s world, where things seem to be moving at hyper speed, websites go out of date quickly. That isn’t to say that brands don’t have staying power. Rather, we need to keep up with our consumers if we are going to offer them a great experience with our product, service, website or brand.  

Here are some tried and true signs that it is time to get a new website:

Your website is old or no longer aligns with your brand 

If your website looks old (or IS old, meaning more than three-years old) it may be time for an update. You also want to make sure the content on your site aligns with any branding changes you have had. Most business owners understand keeping their logo up-to-date on their site, but things like voice and messaging also need to be tweaked to ensure they are the same across all platforms.  

Your website has a confusing user experience 

If the navigation on your website is no longer serving your customers, it is definitely time for an update. User experience is everything, so making it both functional and visually pleasing will only help your brand to retain those loyal customers and attract new ones. Out with the slow loading pages and in with the more timely, clean and functional navigation! 

Your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices 

A large chunk of your customers will come to your site via mobile device, so if your website was created mainly for desktop being the main point of entry, it’s time to revamp. Why? Because not all websites  automatically convert from desktop to user-friendly mobile and if your customer is having a difficult user experience on your site, you can bet they probably won’t purchase from you.  

You aren’t nailing it in the inbound marketing department 

What meets customers when they log on to your website? Is it simply informational? If so, it is time to update your content and create an experience they will enjoy when interacting with your brand. Inbound marketing simply refers to making sure consumers who flock to your website will be met with engaging, educational content that will lead them to a purchasing decision.  

You have a high bounce rate 

We’ve saved the most important marker for last. Bounce rate is the percentage of people who visit your site only once and then leave (quickly). Whether they were turned away by something or didn’t find it appealing or easy to use, we don’t know. What we do know, however, is that you can’t make customers out of single-page visitors. It is important to know your bounce rate and act swiftly if you see it creeping into the 70-90% range consistently.  

Want to take your website from zero to hero? Chat with us to find out more about what we offer or check out our Entrepreneurial Pathway Program for a full list of package options, priced just for business owners.  

Two Words: User Experience

When your customers land on your website’s home page, what awaits them? With any luck (and a whole bunch of research and design expertise), they will be pleasantly surprised to find something both visually pleasing and easy to navigate. User experience is everything when it comes to building a website … but many times we forget the who, what, why and how of website design.  

Design your website for a supremely satisfying user experience 

Not every single company who claims website design and development expertise actually understands designing something specific to your target market. It may be up to you to keep everyone moving in the same direction. Whether you use someone in-house or outsource your website building and design, there are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to offer a great user experience: 

Avoid clutter 

Who doesn’t love the old K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) strategy? It is good for everything from website design to vacationing with children. Clutter and complexity are not what your target market wants to stumble upon when they head to your website. Instead, make sure the visual presentation looks balanced and clear. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to adopt a minimalistic approach, but keeping things simple and straightforward will make customers more likely to peruse your site.  

Design for mobile first 

Some web designers get the heady idea that their beautiful site will be viewed on a large desktop screen. However, more than 50 percent  of web visits occur on mobile devices, with that number steadily rising. Make sure your website is optimized for viewing (and USING) on those handy computers we carry in our pockets. Your customers are much more likely to purchase your product or service if they can do it easily from their phone instead of waiting until they reach their desktop or laptop.  

Encourage scrolling 

As your site becomes a reality, it is important to make sure you offer the chance for consumers to scroll. Needing to click from page to page and product to product is difficult for users and increases loading times. That doesn’t mean you should give everything up on the landing page and forget about the rest of the site, though. Just give them tidbits of information in a format that is easier to scroll through (especially on mobile) so they can spend more leisurely time exploring your brand. Check out the site we built for our client, Martin Overhead Doors, for a great example of offering enough info on the first page that consumers will only need to click through a few times before knowing what they want. 

Be intentional with your visuals

As a strategic marketing firm, it is painful to see websites that do NOT align with the brand’s vision and voice. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the image you want to portray to your customers. That means being intentional about all visuals and images (even stock photos) that you stick onto your site. The more consistent everything is, the better the user experience and the more trustworthy your brand will be.  

Building a website is complicated. We could write many more blogs about the trimmings and trappings of getting it up and running. If you feel overwhelmed even thinking about it, check out our Entrepreneurial Pathway Program for more information on website development options we offer. Whether you just need someone to help with finishing touches or you need it built from the ground up, we are here to ensure your customers get that great user experience that will bring them back time and time again.