Ijeoma Okoli - 2024

HOW TO BALANCE CONTENT CURATION AND CONTENT CREATION

Hardcore ads now almost seem like a nuisance and consumers will pay to have those ads removed from their channel. This leaves marketers with the assignment of finding new ways to entice consumers and that is where content marketing comes in.
HOW TO BALANCE CONTENT CURATION AND CONTENT CREATION

Consumers are gaining more control over what sort of information they consume. Hardcore ads now almost seem like a nuisance and consumers will pay to have those ads removed from their channel. Where that option is not available, you will hear them complain to their service provider about ruining their experience of the product with ads.  

Now the service provider running your ads does not want to ruin his product and the consumer is definitely not consuming an ad that he sees as a nuisance. This leaves marketers with the assignment of finding new ways to entice consumers and that is where content marketing comes in.

What really is content marketing?  

Content marketing is a form of marketing that involves the creation, curation, and distribution of relevant content such as videos, blogs, social media posts, etc. that does not blatantly market your product but stimulates interest in your brand, products and services. So, content marketing is not force-feeding your consumers or slapping your products on their faces but creating useful and palatable contents that may even cause your target audience to seek you out by themselves.

There are two major approaches to content marketing, namely:

  • Content Creation
  • Content curation

What is content creation?

As the name implies, content creation means to produce and distribute strategic and well-articulated contents from scratch with the aim of stimulating the interest of your target audience and perhaps creating a following. These, if properly done are the best kind of marketing content as they reflect the language and feel of your brand the best.

What are the pros of content creation over content curation?

  • Google loves original content! Your original content, if properly done will help boost your SEO more than your curated contents would. 
  • No copywrite issues to worry about since your contents are original.
  • The content is specifically engineered for your target audience! As the original content creator, you have all the power to present the message in a way showcases your brand in the best possible way.
  • Well-constructed original content can drive and retain massive traffic to your platform and present you as an authority figure in the relevant sector.
  • Generating leads: If a potential consumer likes what he or she has read on your website, chances are that they will be more inclined to understand what services you provide and even make enquiries.

Cons of Content creation:

  • It is tedious! In content marketing, you want to make sure that you are consistent with your delivery of useful information. The competition out there is real and once you slip, you are relegated! Having to consistently deliver fantastic original content is not a task for the faint-hearted.
  • It is not so pocket-friendly! Content development often requires you to bring in external help which can become expensive. Well, you’ll get a good deal if you engage me 😊.

What is content curation?

While original content is an awesome way to tackle content marketing, it can be difficult to sustain! This is where content curation comes to the rescue. Content curation means the sourcing and sharing of contents relevant to your brand or chosen areas of interest.

Pros of content curation:

  • It is relatively easy which means that you can stay consistent with your messaging with more ease.
  • If done properly, content curation can help boost the relationship between you and other thought leaders.
  • Variety is the spice of life! It is refreshing for your audience to enjoy your message from a different perspective every now and then.
  • It is relatively cheap when compared to content creation.

Cons of Content Curation:

  • It is leaky! In content curation, you have to attribute the sources of your content properly. This might in some way direct your audience to the sources’ platform as opposed to having them stay with you.
  • Legal dilemmas such as copywrite issues may arise if the sources are not attributed properly.
  • Content curation is not as great for SEO as original content.

Balancing Content curation and Content creation

Now that we’ve considered content curation versus content creation, one deduction we can all agree on is that marketers need to find a balance between both worlds. Netflix does such an amazing job with this! Finding a happy medium between curation and creation will help you to effectively stay consistent with your content marketing tasks.

How can we balance content curation and content creation?

  • Use a content calendar to plan ahead! I’ll normally study the task ahead and create my own personalized planner but there are tools such as Hootsuite that can one can use. Having a content calendar helps you stay on point with your publishing and curating tasks.
  • Still, on using a content calendar, decide the ratio of curated content to created content. Note that curated content should be used to supplement created content. To maintain credibility, I propose that you keep your curated content at about 38% or less.
  • When working with curated contents especially on write-ups, use mostly excerpts. It is important to add your original thoughts.
  • Remember to reference your sources properly!
  • Note that it is possible to curate contents that have not been published anywhere else! Seeking out and publishing these kinds of content can be advantageous.
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3 Comments

  1. Caseley Stephens

    Interesting.

  2. Okeke Chimezie Emmanuel

    Apt and expository

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