Buckets, pillars, and themes, oh my. 

If you have worked in social media or worked on your social media, you have heard of these phrases:

Content Bucket.

Content Pillar.

Content Theme.

But do you know what they are and how to use them? 

You will have a better understanding after you read this blog. 

There are MANY ways to think about these [some have even said that they are dead], so I wanted to share Stratos Creative Marketing’s two cents.

The short of it: There is so much to them. They are not just one thing to be used singularly. You need more than that to build a quality social media post. 

The long of it, keep reading.

What is a content [INSERT WORD OF CHOICE]?

Content [INSERT WORD OF CHOICE] is widely known to describe the general topic of what a social media post is built on and can group types of content together. 

Having a variety of these helps create a social media presence that feels structured for you, and creates consistency for your followers to know you/your brand and what they can expect from you.

Think:

• Service Highlight
• Staff Feature
• Behind the Scenes
• Testimonials/ Client success stories
• Product Showcase
• Seasonal Content

These help you build your social media posts around specific topics. If you were, say, a coffee shop owner working on your social media content, these could be: 

• Service Highlight: Something that sets your coffee shops apart, you may have a drive-thru window, pour-over coffee.
• Staff Feature: This introduces your baristas, owners, managers, and team members! 
• Behind the Scenes: Do you roast your beans? How do you train your employees? Why do you do what you do?
• Testimonials/Client success stories: Reviews you receive in-store or aggregated from websites like Google or Square.
• Product Showcase: Do you have a new drink? Or a new menu? You could sell other merchandise. 
• Seasonal/Trending Content: Seasonal Drinks, holiday hours. What is happening in your town/business at the moment? 

But that is not all. We want to go a little deeper, and you should, too! 

…and how do you USE it?

Adding in a goal and connection

Content pillars shouldn’t just be a theme or content subject for a post; once you have a topic to post about, you should connect that with a goal that serves your business AND connects with your audience. 

Here are some key goals a content pillar might achieve and examples of the types of content you could create with them:

Engaging Entertainment: Your audience won’t want to engage with boring content. Bring the fun! 

Examples: Relatable memes, behind-the-scenes moments, interactive questions.This vs That,

Education: Everyone loves to learn! Be a resource for your audience.

Examples: Tips, how-tos, industry insights, Answer your FAQs.

Empathy: Create a space of inspiration and connection for your audience. Present yourself as someone who can help solve their problems. Be human.

Examples: Client success stories, motivational posts, and personal stories.

Encouraging a Purchase: Create opportunities for your audience to buy from you or book a call. 

Examples: Announcements, product features, promotions, seasonal content contests or giveaways, and service highlights,

You are more than welcome to mix and match these topics, examples, and goals in other combos that work for you to create that piece of content! 

Now, it is time to create content

Now that you understand how content buckets align with business goals and build connections, let’s talk about creating social media content.

After you have chosen your topic, connection, and goal, you can get into the creative nitty-gritty of creating your content. You can write your caption or design your media first. That is your preference. Either way, you want to ensure they align with your previous choices. 

Here is a quick reminder on Media Types: 

• Text Only
• Image/Photo
• Graphic
• Carousel Post 
• Video

While I cannot control when you read this blog, the current algorithm favors certain types of media content. So, when you choose your media type, keep that in mind.

When you write your caption, use storytelling and think through what you want the audience to do when they see this content. We will get deeper into caption writing in a future blog. But until then, your goal gives you that baseline when writing your caption. Try storytelling in your copywriting and state what you want the reader to do with a call to action. 

Okay, that was a lot. 

If there is anything I want you to take from this blog, it is to continue to work on being more intentional when creating your social media content. 

Content buckets (or whatever you call them) can help you do that by giving you a structure to build your social media presence around that isn’t just something to post about bout content that will help you connect with your audience and in turn help your business grow. Using them to the best of their ability will separate your business’s social media content from your competition! 

Want some homework? 

If you want to apply what you learned in this blog, right now, grab a pen, paper, or however you want to take notes. Here’s a quick exercise to get you started:

1. Write down the pillars/buckets/themes I gave at the beginning of this blog, then jot down a few notes about how those could apply to your business.
2. Choose one of those buckets* and pair it with one of the goals to help you connect with the audience.
3. Match those with a media format and write your caption. Tip: Need help with your caption? Try this formula: Hook + Value + CTA 
4. Schedule your intentional piece of content! 

Need an example? Let’s take the coffee shop info above and put it through the exercise:

Post one: 

• Bucket/Pillar/Theme: Product Showcase (Specialty Drink)
• Goal: Education
• Media Type: Carousel Post
• Social Media Post Idea: Create a photo carousel showing the different pieces/places of the specialty drink's ingredients. The caption can tag the places/providers or share why that specific ingredient was chosen. Encourage the audience to enjoy the drink for a limited time.

Caption starter: 

What makes our seasonal latte taste different? ☕ We use locally sourced spices from [INSERT EDUCATIONAL INFO provider]! Try it this week before it’s gone. We are open from 6 AM to 3 PM daily!” 

If you are the Social media Manager of a coffee shop, feel free to use this post idea…you are welcome. 

How’d it go? We would love to see what you come up with! Once your post is published, make sure to tag us at @stratossocialmediaclub.