Delivering fresh content frequently requires a strong content marketing strategy that utilizes both.

Created vs. curated, which is better? A comprehensive answer depends on the goal, but the short answer is created. The old adage “content is king” couldn’t ring truer for marketers today. With big brands recruiting writers and creative professionals in droves for their content marketing strategies, it signifies the importance of developing new content and to a lesser extent, curating relevant content to stay fresh and to keep audiences engaged.

 

What is content marketing?

By definition, content marketing is “a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online materials (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.”

For marketers, this means developing new ways to attract consumers’ attention via compelling content and choosing effective methods to plan and create that content.  While creating original content will translate to stronger results, it’s also incredibly resource-heavy, presenting a challenge to marketing departments.

 

Content creation: What does it take?

Created content affords the opportunity for brands to project their messaging in an indirect way, whether that messaging is product sales, fundraising, or event attendance.  Something as simple as shooting a video of a product in use can take a significant toll on resources. Availability of time, staff and money are often defining factors of how much content a brand can reasonably produce in any given timeframe. Arbitrarily creating content without a clear plan production spells ineffectiveness. While some videos, photos, or blogs can go viral without a plan or quality execution,  the tradeoff is reliability. If the performance be repeated? On a consistent basis?

Resource limitations often cap how much and how often brands can generate content. What can be done in between production cycles? Cue in curating content.

 

Curating content saves time

Content curation still has a place in a world of content marketing. One of the primary reasons marketers curate content is time savings. Content creation is very resource-heavy, and leaner organizations don’t have the bandwidth to create quality content on a daily basis. Rather than letting their channels go silent, they’ll fill the gaps with shared content. This allows brands to provide commentary and still share their voice. Curated content should be carefully chosen and to ensure it befits their target audience. No one should be sharing irrelevant filler.

 

Curating content can be used to build relationships with other brands or influencers

Sharing relevant, engaging content can draw attention from the brands you’re sharing, as well as their followers.  When this content is appropriate and designed for a similar audience both parties can benefit. Your audience receives relevant content helping your brand stay active, and the shared brand is introduced to a new audience. Win-Win. Depending on compatibility and timing, this may even present the opportunity for brand partnerships, particularly if the shared content is from an industry or local influencer.

 

Curation is not a euphemism for plagiarism

Notice the usage of the word “share”. It’s very important to note that content should never be copied and passed off as your own. Sourced information or content should be credited to the appropriate parties. To do otherwise would be committing plagiarism.

It’s very important to note that content should never be copied and passed off as your own.

 

The right mix

Effective content marketing strategies often include both curated and original content in varying ratios depending on goals and resource availability. Brands that have trouble with the right mix should take the following into consideration when developing their content strategies:

Content Creation

  • Allow enough time for planning and strategizing. Ensure voice on your marketing team is part of the planning and strategizing stages. Oftentimes, decision makers are brought in too late and a lot of time can be wasted if there is a disagreement on direction. This is particularly important for formats that include several phases, like video production.  For some, it might be a personal preference to save feedback for the end-stage, but getting involved early will help to avoid setbacks during expensive production times.
  • Publish less. Publish higher quality. While producing a daily video may sound like a great idea in theory, you have to consider if you’re overtaxing available resources to do it well. Do you have enough staff to plan, write, design, produce, and distribute the content? Remember, quality over quantity.
  • Only produce content that will fulfill your objectives. Understanding and adhering to your marketing objectives is an important of content creation.  Producing content without consideration of how it will impact your goals will usually result in a waste of your marketing budget.
  • Allow enough time to assess results. During lulls  between campaigns and publishing cycles, assess the effectiveness of the content. A thorough analysis of performance  will allow you to make more discerning decisions about your content’s format, publication frequency, scheduling, etc.

Content Curation

  • Be picky about the content you share. By “being picky”, we mean to choose your shares wisely. Ensuring the content you’re sharing is pertinent and high-quality is a top priority, but also consider the reputation your source has. Does that reputation line up with your brand? Make sure it does before you hit the share button.
  • Know your sources. If relationship-building is high on your list of goals for content curation, then seek our brands and content that fit a defined profile.  Do your sources have a similar size audience? Is their brand too big to notice your brand sharing their content? Building partnerships is both about mutual benefit and compatibility.
  • Don’t just share, comment. Providing post commentary on a relevant topic will help your audience get to know you.  You can still bring something to the table even if you haven’t created the content from scratch. Use it to your advantage.

Your brand’s content team may consist of internal  designers, marketers, copywriters, outside freelancers, specialized agencies and more. Content production doesn’t have to be the sole responsibility of internal teams. Using outside specialists can help take pressure off overloaded, in-house staff and/or help round out skillsets.