The A-Z of Content Marketing: O is for originality and optimisation

Read previous editions here and here.

If you’ve been a content marketer for more than a day, you already know your whole job description is to make your target audience care enough to take action or stick around long enough to want to.

And if you’re like me, you have more than a dozen ways you go about this. Right??

In this post, however, I’ll be discussing two things you should try or take more seriously if you already do them: originality and optimisation.

Originality?

That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. — Ecclesiastes 1:9

Brands are churning out countless well-written articles daily on practically any topic. All customers have to do is search. As a consequence, it’s virtually impossible for you to come up with a brand-new thing to write about.?

How then can you make what’s already widely available feel original?

MAKE IT FEEL NEW.?

Being original doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. It’s more about finding a new way to present not-so-new information.?

To make an article or any other piece “feel” original, even when they cover familiar topics, do the following:?

• Add relevant personal experiences to make your content more relatable. "I found these three differences when I compared X sneakers to Y sneakers" sounds fresher "There are 3 differences between X sneakers to Y sneakers."
• Talk to the sales team or customers directly (e.g., survey) to identify questions or challenges they face, then write content that addresses them.??
• Find a less-explored angle on a common topic and write about it.?
• Interview industry experts. “Here’s How 6 Nigerian CEOs Invest Their Money” sounds more original than “6 Ways To Save Money.”
• Use visuals, infographics, or data to provide a new way to understand old information.

Optimisation

Once you’ve written your original article, how do you make sure your target audience finds it?

Search engine optimisation or SEO is what makes your content discoverable.?

I can’t hope to cover SEO in this edition, so check out these FREE HubSpot courses: SEO Certification Course and SEO II Certification Course.?

How to balance originality and optimisation

The challenge, often, is to balance both.

Focus too much on originality, and you risk creating content that, while unique, customers may not easily find.?

Lean too heavily on optimisation, and you might end up with content that is technically sound but useless.?

Here’s a hack that I use:?

First, focus on creating original content that resonates with your audience

Then, refine your draft using SEO techniques, incorporating relevant keywords NATURALLY and ensure it’s easy to read.

Let me leave you with something a senior colleague told me about SEO that stuck with me:?

Osamu, stop chasing keywords so much. Focus on writing useful content for your audience.

Until next week,

Love, Osamu.

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Osamu Ekhator is a Content Marketer. For the last 8 years, he has worked with individuals, small businesses, and startups across industries and continents to target audiences into customers.

Contact him here or at [[email protected]] for collaboration and consultation.