The content that you share on social media can be broken down into two categories: created vs curated. Some believe that one type is better than the other, but in actuality, both are helpful for your brand and social media presence. So, what’s the difference?
Created content
Original work produced by your company; aka, you generated certain thoughts and ideas into unique prose.
Beneficial to your online status, this type of content requires coming up with your own ideas or rewording relevant knowledge to present yourself as a leader in your industry. If you’re using someone else’s content too often, viewers will have a hard time believing your credibility and expertise on the given subject.
Followers also like to see variety and uniqueness. Producing original content will separate your business from the competition, and first-time page visitors will be more inclined to hit that follow button if they see posts that are unique to your business. Created content is essential in establishing your brand!
In terms of searchability, Google prefers original content. Reusing content from another site could intertwine your business with their SEO and create an optimization mess. It’s best to just take a small portion of copy so you don’t get flagged for duplicate content. If you’re looking to boost SEO, using more original work and releasing it more often than unoriginal work is better from a ranking perspective.
Curated content
Is content that has been created by someone else (think a blog or recipe). Your business would share or link this content in their own posts.
While created content is important to establishing your business’ authenticity on social media, curated content is still beneficial for building a relationship with your followers. Sharing content from other companies in your industry shows that you’re a team player. Linking curated content doesn’t mean that your business is lazy or unoriginal; it actually builds relationships with those creators and shows followers that you’re supportive of other businesses, especially if they’re local!
Curated content is also practical; writers don’t always have the time to constantly churn out original work or stay on top of trends. When you’re still catching up to all the new updates, but still want to get that discussion out to your followers, curated content is the perfect solution. However, this means you should also be vigilant. Check others’ credibility, and make sure the content you’re sharing isn’t too old. For example, an article about social media trends from 2017 would no longer be relevant and make you look inattentive.
Additionally, relying too heavily on curated content can give the wrong impression to followers. You still want enough created content to show that you’re the real deal.
A healthy balance of both types of content is the key to growing your social media presence and clientele. It’s all about branding and getting the best content out to your audience! For a content marketing strategy that checks all the boxes, contact That’s My Idea Marketing to learn more about our services.