Creating meaningful content is essential in B2B marketing as it can keep audiences and prospects engaged, but what further creates trust is when that content is purely yours. There is content writing, and then there is content curation and content aggregation, so let’s break down the differences:
- Content aggregation is pulling data from multiple sources into a single piece of content without attributing where those resources came from.
- Content curation is choosing data to pull from, crediting them, and adding some additional original commentary.
- And then there is content writing, which is just that – it’s where you gather research through first-hand interviews and use your own additional thoughts to create rich content.
Scott says: “So it’s kind of like a fashion analogy, it’s like writing is a tailor or seamstress making the actual thing, aggregating is bringing outfits together, and curating is being a personal shopper or a stylist, where with the customer, you know the merchandise, you go and find things that go together for that customer.”
So if that’s the case, is content aggregation and content curation a bad thing? Not necessarily! Content curation can definitely be applicable for content pieces such as listicles, roundups and news stories based on press releases. However, when it is an issue is when it’s not attributed to the original author, which would be content aggregation.
Scott explains: “Is content aggregation a bad thing? It’s a bad thing if someone believes they’re getting curation, and it’s a bad thing if you think it’s the equivalent of writing. But as a thing by itself, it’s pretty useful. You’re basically just fishing for stuff that’s going to meet your needs. But there’s no quality assurance, there’s no quality check. You also don’t know if it’s really going to be relevant.”
3 ways to create more bespoke content
1. Brainstorm ideas with your team:
Perhaps your team is relying on aggregation because they’re not coming up with creative ideas themselves. If that’s the case, it’s time to refresh your content strategy. There’s nothing wrong with looking at your competitors to see what they’re doing, but you get into dangerous territory when you take their research and ideas and claim it as your own. So, when you sit down with your team, make sure you’re creating clarity around the audience, the audience needs and what use they’re going to get from the content you’re providing.
He says: “If you sort of put it in the ABM world, which is probably a space that uses this more often. You’re comparing and contrasting with other accounts and organisations and asking yourself: who is looking out for what content? What work have clients done already? Always be mindful of performance, you’ll probably be doing this more than once. So ask about what’s worked, what does your audience like, and what does your audience respond to.”
2. Build your own network:
Why might you take some bits and pieces from other sources? Perhaps your network and contact list aren’t that strong. Scott recommends reaching out to the authors you admire and keep up to date with upcoming trends in B2B.
If you see a bit of content that seems interesting, rather than pull directly from them, don’t be afraid to engage with them via social media or the comment section of their blog post. Then, you can have a quick chat with them first-hand and create your own bespoke content.
Scott says: “It’s a bit of a pay it forward, and you can build your own network. Be curious, but also ask them what they think because most people that write stuff quite like it when you give them a bit of feedback.”
3. Know when to curate and when to create:
If we were in a perfect world, all B2B companies would be creating in-depth bespoke content on a regular basis. However, with tight deadlines and a hectic schedule, it might not be possible with the resources available. Content curation, when appropriate, is absolutely fine as long as you’re attributing it to the right people.
When planning content, plan accordingly. If you’re reporting on a new and upcoming trend in B2B, give yourself the appropriate allotted time to tackle that topic. In addition, if you know you’re stacked with events, webinars and other commitments, content curation is a handy type of content to manage. Scott reiterates it’s actually an opportunity to report on what might be trending in sort of a ‘cliff notes’ blueprint for your audience.
