A content pillar is a topic you return to every week. With pillars set, "what do we post today?" goes away; you fill whichever pillar is due. Four are enough for a service business, each carrying a different part of trust.
| Pillar | What it proves | Example post |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of work | That you actually do the job, and what the result looks like | "Full repaint of a two-bedroom flat, done in 3 days" before/after carousel |
| Process and team | Who will knock on the door and how you work | "What we check on a site visit" five-step carousel |
| Expertise | That you understand the customer's problem better than they do | "3 reasons to service your boiler before winter" |
| Local and human | That you're nearby and that real people run the business | "Where we worked this week" Story, introducing a new team member |
Before/after: when does it work?
For cleaning, painting, renovation, car detailing, landscaping, pest control and hair, before/after is your strongest format. Accounting, law and insurance have no physical result to show, so use a "how the process works" story instead: which documents are needed, what happens in the first meeting, what happens by when.
- Take the before photo before you start; once the job is done, there's no going back.
- Shoot both photos from the same angle, the same distance and, if possible, in the same light.
- Keep addresses, door numbers, number plates, family photos and paperwork out of frame, or blur them.
- Ask the customer for permission to post; add a one-line consent sentence to your job form or quote message.
- Skip filters that exaggerate the result.
Expertise content: write down what people ask you
For one week, note every question you get by phone and message. Most lists stay under ten, and each question is a post: "How long does a boiler service take?", "How early should I book movers?", "Sole trader or limited company?" These posts get saved and shared, and they cut the questions you answer before every quote.