Content marketing is the bread and butter of most brands’ marketing strategy. Any inbound marketing strategy puts original content at the forefront of their business. Content marketing is proven effective as 67% of people consider content marketing useful and valuable, according to a recent study. The remaining 33% consider content marketing to be biased and unreliable. And that is where original content comes in. Original content is authentic and informational to help your readers solve a problem and get to know your company on a deeper level.
What is considered original content?
Original content is the one-of-a-kind copywriting, photography, graphic design, video concepts and more that are true to your brand. It’s the stuff born from a marriage of creativity and industry knowledge. This is the kind of content your website visitors, social media followers and tradeshow attendees want to read and see because it adds value to their lives.
Why should I use original content?
There is a reason why they say “content is King”. Not only does this content put us ahead of the pack for our readers, but it also serves as a valuable SEO asset. When readers search for our topics, click into our content, and stay awhile it shows search engines that we’re offering value to our readings. And so, to help more people searching for similar information, Google will put us ahead in search result rankings to make sure it is easy for others to reap the benefits of this original content. Achieving a higher ranking and offering unique value to our website visitors is a lot harder when our content looks and sounds the same as everyone else's. And we’re not in the business of doing what everyone else is doing. Instead, our inbound methodology drives us to develop smart strategy, cutting-edge design and create meaningful content that puts our clients at an advantage.
How do I develop original content?
Original content doesn’t just happen. It is way easier to rip something off than it is to build from the bottom, but we’re okay with the harder route because it creates results. So here is how you do it:
Photography bank
A photography bank is a frequently updated collection original photography that you can pull content from because, well, you’re constantly contributing to it. Always be thinking about new ways to visualize your ideas and make a conscious effort to snap those pictures. Block our designated time, hire a photographer or schedule quarterly photoshoots with your marketing agency to keep your photobank fresh and stocked all year long.
Content calendars
Content calendars keep you on track and organized for the weeks ahead. This is the one space where you schedule what content is going out, when it is going live and keep your flow on content frequent and on-brand. Organizing all of your content in one place will help you to avoid creating repetitive content and can help you brainstorm ways to dive deeper into topic ideas to future add value to your readers.
Ideation
This is where the magic happens - in a brainstorming phase. You can always refer back to your content calendar for inspiration, but there are also a ton of effective methods of getting those creative juices flowing. Team brainstorming sessions have always proven valuable to us, but if you don’t have extra minds on hand, you can try other methods such as mindmapping, sketching, storyboarding and referencing the frequently asked questions of your audience. You might also find some inspiration in the comments section of your other blog posts to learn what kinds of topics are top of mind for your readers.
Original content is content marketing. Every post you make and every blog you publish should first and foremost add value to the reader. That's why we always recommend investing the time in your ideation, content calendars and photography banks to make sure you putting out high-quality authentic content every time. If you’re strapped for time and resources, the big thinkers and content wizards at H&C Inc. are ready to bring a creative touch to your content marketing strategy. Book a consultation today to get started.