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Let’s get down to business. Your content creation business that is, and the importance of prioritizing the four pillars of content creation to spread, validate and strengthen your global connection.
Even if you are a small business, focusing exclusively on your local market, you need to leave yourself room to grow. And if you are an entrepreneur or run a larger business venture, then you must think even bigger.
No matter the type of business you are running, with very extreme exceptions, it exists in a crowded and highly competitive melting pot of choices. You want to be waving a consistent hand to those you want to pull toward you (and your physical or virtual front door.) That hand is your content.
What are the 4 pillars of content creation?
To create content that connects, you must have a set of values on top of which you may build your content. Different experts talk about and support different sets of pillars.
They all emphasize the importance of strategic content for marketing purposes. I want you to start setting your pillars from a humanized perspective.
Whether you are your business or you are spreading a brand message you share, you must connect and believe in your message first, before you want to make anybody else connect and believe.
Setting up your content creation pillars from a foundation of belief, love, and trust will give your brand its unique shape, color, and flavor, and your business the stability and flexibility it needs to expand. Tweet Me1. Defining and internalizing your Big picture vision.
Pillar #1 is the big picture vision you define for your brand or business and the complete and utter connection you feel with it.
It might sound corny to say, but you must be “in love” with your brand or business, plain and simple. If you don’t love it, cherish it, nurture it, why should we?
2. Setting up your focused, process-based and meaningful goals.
Pillar #2 are the meaningful, specific and relevant goals you have for your business and brand. Think of your focused goals as the smaller pieces of your big picture.
They should be “process-based” because they have to lead to concrete action, controlled and measured by you. They should be meaningful because you have to care if they’re achieved or you will not put the effort and light up your intrinsic motivation.
3. Designing a roadmap you can read and share.
Pillar #3 is the roadmap, the steps you have to follow to reach your destination.
You have control over the design of your roadmap, so make it easy for you to read. This means small steps, simple systems, and minimum viable products.
It must be sharable because your journey will be more enjoyable, and your milestones will have a greater impact, if and when you share them with your audience.
Remember to add stops along the way to enjoy the scenery and celebrate your small wins.
4. Assigning clear roles and cultivating personal responsibility.
Pillar #4 is the moment when imagination and creativity need to give way to action. Here’s where the responsibility for taking the big picture and making it a reality is handed out with a big red bow.
And if you are the one responsible to get it going and taking it to the next level, it’s a gift you’ll give yourself. (Or, to be more accurate, many tiny gifts.)
For these pillars to really mean anything, you have to embrace and cultivate self-accountability, in yourself and your team.
If this team is just you wearing many hats, make them all a different color and shape and set specific times to don them on and take them off.
Caveat: This point will be made later, but it’s worth saying now: your four pillars are not set in stone. They can and will inevitably be reshaped with time and experience, tests, trials, and reinventions.
How to define and put your content creation pillars in place?
Now that you know what your four content creation pillars are, let’s find out how to define them and the perfect spot to place them.
You’ve heard about finding your authentic “Why,” the reason you’ve dreaming this dream in the first place. Do you have it? Do you know what’s moving you to reach your big picture and strive for your goals, what’s making you go on this journey?
If you don’t, don’t panic! You may find some inspiration in this archived post here.
If you do, awesome! You “Why” will lead the way.
Envision the life you’ll have when your “why” is a reality…that’s your big picture.
Now, break up the picture into small and smaller pieces…those are your goals. Set those pieces on a timeline…you’ve got your roadmap. Finally, pin all the pieces (in order) on your vision board, jot them down on your to-do-list, write them on your journal, tag them to the person assigned the task.
If that person is you, every time you cross one off from your list, add them to the big picture taking form and celebrate.
Making your content creation pillars withstand the test of time.
What’s going to make your pillars remain strongly in place are the additional elements of which the pillars are made of:
- Flexibility (your pillars must bend with the change of conditions that surround your business)
- Creativity (your pillars must allow space and material for reinvention)
- Connectivity (your pillars must fit into the foundation of your life, your values, and beliefs)
Also, and equally important is to shape and place the pillars with care. Take your time. Don’t rush it, don’t cut corners. It may take you longer, but the time spent in the beginning, setting every piece just right (or good enough) will give you a greater ROI. Don’t skip the lessons that must be learned.
What if you want to rebuild your content creation structure?
As mentioned above, reinvention is your prerogative. If you want to rebuild your content structure, your business systems, and brand message, you certainly can (and sometimes even should.)
If your original pillars have the elements of flexibility, creativity, and connectivity embedded in them, you can move, reshaped and rebuild your content creation structure without losing ground and sight of the big picture. You can even work to expand your structure to fit an even bigger picture.
Embrace your message, live your values, own your pillars.
Before this post comes to an end, let’s go back to pillar #1 and the power of love…Yes! you must love and have a deep connection with your message. You must live your values every day, on and offline.
You must own and value your business' pillars in a sea of multiple possible pillars and choices Tweet MeAs a business and brand, you can and should look to other brands and businesses for inspiration, but you must come to terms and feel proud of the pillars you’ve set for yourself.
Owning and being true to your pillars, knowing them from every side; their texture, their best angle, their imperfections, that’s how you achieve the expression of your authenticity.
Having the authentic content that connects.
Authentic content that connects feels true to you. It feels natural to spread your message. You feel aligned with your values and beliefs, and with your big picture.
Because it’s no longer something off in the distant future. You are living it here and now.
After reading this post, take a moment to assess. What are the content creation pillars you have set for your business and brand? DM your answer to me on IG @creative_atelier 😉
