The importance of originality when it comes to content marketing (but not caterpillars)

There are not many people that haven’t heard about what has turned into something of a battle of the caterpillars, and given that in the last year of lockdowns we’ve all run out of box sets to binge, it’s a welcome new saga. Whilst many people might realise that one insect-shaped chocolate cake isn’t all that much different from the next, originality is so much more important when it comes to content marketing.

Why originality is essential in content marketing

Search Engine Optimisation

Search engines don’t just look at keywords in content, they look at if they’ve seen something similar before.  Their complex algorithms can spot most copy cats a mile off, and with regular Hummingbird updates potentially ‘marking websites down’ for duplication, it’s really important that whilst you might take inspiration elsewhere, you don’t just reuse their content.

If you are making use of someone’s statistics and research, it’s important to make sure that you reference that source to avoid making it look like you’re commandeering someone else’s work.  This is a good way to get external links into your content as well, but unfortunately, it does mean that if that compelling information comes from a competitor, you might want to take a look for something else or risk sending your prospect to someone else.

Credibility

Most websites have sales content across their websites proclaiming that they’re the best of the best when it comes to their sector.  People are used to seeing it, but content marketing gives companies the opportunity to get across how informed and passionate they are about their industry.

Research states that 78% of consumers feel that companies that provide custom content, are more likely to want to build long-term relationships.  If you’re looking for a long-term customer that keeps coming back then content marketing might be an excellent approach to appeal to those potential lifers.

Engagement

People scan websites but they read content – hopefully.  Writing online is completely different from writing an article though.  As people are scrolling down, breaking up the text with subtitles is even more important to avoid putting people off with large blocks of text that look difficult to digest.

People also share good content.  When they see something that they think might appeal to a friend or colleague, they’re sending it by Whatsapp, Messenger, or a good old-fashioned text.

They might even share it on their own social network.  The average number of LinkedIn connections is 930 and the average number of Facebook friends is 338. Engage with one person and you could potentially reach hundreds.

What is ‘originality’ when it comes to content marketing?

It would be nice if we were all able to afford to carry out original research for our content every time, but in essence, many don’t have the budget or time when running a busy marketing strategy.

You can still put together original content without brand new information though.  A new spin on an existing topic – perhaps using something whimsical in the news – can be interesting and engaging.  Answering a commonly asked question in a clear and informative way could be invaluable to someone interested in your sector or product.  Putting together a range of information in one place to create an insight piece shows your depth of knowledge.

Good quality copywriting services will have loads of creative ideas on how you can the best content for your budget, build traffic and give you something to share on social media.

Have you got time for content marketing?

Time is a major component for business owners and managers, and even those with someone managing their marketing full time will find that with so many areas to juggle, writing quality content gets shuffled to the bottom of the pile and before you know it, you’ve not done anything new since last year.

If you’re looking for a quality marketing agency to manage your content marketing in an affordable way, SME Media is a leading website agency in Surrey, working specifically with small to medium-sized businesses.  If you’d like more information, get in touch with our team.