No matter your business or profession, creating content for your social media presence is all about producing material that resonates with your audience. It’s about finding fresh ideas and knowing where to get inspiration from. Let’s explore different ways you can flow with ideas for your posts.

Personally, I find it very effective not to wait for inspiration to strike. I sit down and challenge myself to come up with something. The discipline of sitting and starting to think about the next post is far more productive than waiting for inspiration to come magically. However, I always stay alert for ideas that pop into my mind throughout the day, and I make sure to write them down. I’ve built a library of content ideas that helps fuel my creativity when I feel blank which, to be honest, is rare. My challenge is that my thoughts are constantly interrupted by new ideas. While this is great for creativity, it can also be distracting and exhausting!

How Do We Find Topics for Our Content?

Stay alert! I don’t just find topics in the usual places. For example, I once wrote a post about Donald Trump’s presidential headshot, taking a political news item and connecting it to my photography blog. Magazine articles, podcasts, and books can spark new ideas. When I’m exercising, I listen to podcasts, and when inspiration strikes, I stop and write it down, because if I don’t, I’ll almost certainly forget it! Client feedback is another great source for content inspiration. Pinterest and Google search can also offer valuable ideas, especially within your niche.

Think about subjects that interest you personally and how you can weave them into your content. I’m particularly passionate about psychology, philosophy, history and fashion, so I incorporate these topics blending them into my photography content. As someone who is passionate about self-improvement, I also orient much of my content toward personal growth and wellbeing.

However, always keep in mind that the purpose of your content should be to educate, inspire, entertain, or empower your audience. While it’s important to share topics you love, your audience should also find your content valuable and relevant to them. Content creation is about offering insights, solutions, or inspiration that genuinely benefit your followers. Ensuring that your posts serve at least one of these objectives will make them more meaningful and engaging.

Content Pillars

When creating content, it’s important to keep your content pillars in mind. These pillars act as your guiding framework for the types of content you share, ensuring consistency and relevance for your audience.

If you want to maintain an engaging social media presence on platforms like Instagram or TikTok, it’s essential to have a clear focus. Posting random content, like one day about football, the next about your niche, and then a picture of your cat, may be fun, but it will confuse your audience IF you do this frequently and make them less likely to follow you.

That’s where content pillars come in.

What Are Content Pillars?

Content pillars are the main topics you consistently post about. They help keep your content organised and interesting, and they allow you to maintain a cohesive brand. It’s like choosing your favourite three to five subjects and ensuring your posts fit within them.

For example, if you are a wellbeing coach, your content pillars might look something like this:

• Personal Growth: Focus on topics related to mindset, self-improvement, and life coaching. Subtopics could include goal-setting, habits for success, or overcoming obstacles.

• Health and Wellbeing: Post about physical health, mental wellness, mindfulness, and emotional balance. Subtopics could include nutrition tips, mindfulness exercises, or self-care routines.

• Relationships: Share insights on healthy relationships, communication skills, and building meaningful connections. Subtopics might include work-life balance, family dynamics, or relationship coaching.

• Spirituality: Offer guidance on finding inner peace, exploring personal beliefs, and mindfulness practices. Subtopics could involve meditation, yoga, or mindfulness.

• Creativity and Inspiration: Share ways to foster creativity, stay inspired, and connect with one’s passions. This could include tips for journaling, creative activities, or mindset shifts.

When defining your content pillars, it’s important to stay true to your values. Your content should reflect what you believe in and be aligned with what you want to offer your audience.

Follow Trends

Many people copy content to follow trends, but to avoid regret, I only use trends that truly resonate with me. I feel more comfortable using inspirational audio trends or music that matches my taste. However, I try not to overload my posts with trendy content. Furthermore, Meta strongly supports original content, so copying others will negatively affect your reach on that platform.

Another piece of advice from my experience is to follow your instincts. Don’t feel pressured to blindly follow trends, especially if they don’t feel right for you or your audience. For example, years ago, a marketing expert told me not to use my own name as a brand, but I ignored his advice because my service is very personal, and I wasn’t planning to sell my business when I retire. Now, everyone is talking about personal branding and repeating the mantra “people follow people”. Thank goodness I followed my instincts. Go with what feels authentic!

Another trend that didn’t resonate with me, and which I fortunately didn’t follow, was creating an aesthetic Instagram grid with a perfect pattern. I found it uninteresting. Now, experts say it’s better to focus on engaging content instead of an overly polished grid. It’s all about doing what works for you and what resonates with your audience.

Although my main content pillar is focused on showcasing the beauty of people through portraits, I also love to capture the beauty of life through nature, travel, and architecture. This blend breaks up the monotony of portrait-focused content and allows my audience to connect with a broader range of my passions. Interestingly, experts once said that variety like this could confuse your audience, but now they’re starting to recognise that people are interested in seeing the person behind the brand. Go figure!

Remember, your content pillars are the foundation of your social media strategy. They keep you organised and ensure your posts stay relevant to your audience. While it’s important to be aware of trends and expert advice, always trust your instincts and remain authentic to who you are. The more genuine your content is, the more your audience will connect with it.

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Thank you for reading.

Bye for now.