Stephanie Donelson

There’s a ton of content available for consumption at any given moment. In fact, it’s a bit overwhelming to think about how many articles exist about the exact same topic that probably have very similar key takeaways.

To win in the search engines and with your human audience you need to make sure your content stands out from the rest and the easiest way to do this is by creating original content.

I’m sure you’re thinking that every piece of content is technically original because it’s actually different from what’s out there but if it’s too similar to what already exists, it’s not going to seem real original to your audience.

Infuse some originality into your content marketing efforts with these 10 ideas for creating original content!

1. Look to your customers

What are your customers saying on review sites? Do they have common questions, issues, or their own tips and tricks for using your product or service? Create content around these FAQs or frequently mentioned topics to get out ahead of the conversation with your newer customers.

It’s also good to look at what they’re sharing on social media. What is their story with your brand? Tap into this resource and leverage user-generated content or find influencers you can partner with to create original content that allows your customers to drive the story which drives trust among your audience.

2. Ask!

As marketers we’re always thinking about our customers and what kind of content they want based on data and intuition, but why not straight-up ask our customers what kind of content they want to see from us?

There are many ways to get answers directly from your customers on what kind of content they want through:

• Email surveys
• Social media questions or polls
• Customer advisory panels
• Email ratings/review responses after customers contact support
• Onboarding calls – ask what content would have helped them become a customer faster

Another way to use the idea of asking questions in your quest to create original content is to ask questions of yourself, like:

• Who cares about this topic?
• Why does this topic matter?
• What does this topic mean for our industry/my customers?

By putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and caring about the topic, you’ll see why it needs to go deeper than a surface-level blog that’s focused on SEO. Let your passion for the topic show and your audience will do the same.

3. What’s missing from the conversation?

Social listening has come a long way and most brands use it for customer service but why not let your content marketing team poke around? Pop into conversations like Twitter chats to see what’s missing from the conversation.

Are people looking for specific information? Do they wish someone had a deep dive on X? Are people talking about trends they’re keeping an eye on? It’s the perfect opportunity to fill in the gaps on topics they’re already saying they’re looking for content on.

4. Be human

Tie emotions into your content to resonate more deeply with your customers. You’re not just regurgitating facts and figures but tying content to feelings, like acceptance, nostalgia, love, happiness, etc.

In a world that blurs the lines between sales pitches, PR, and content marketing, we know how to spot BS from a mile away but when we find stories that are uniquely human we pay attention. We pay even more attention when the stories are authentic, cause us to feel something, and inspire us.

5. Mine your data

If you’re in the B2B space chances are good your customers are asking you about how their competition is doing or if they’re doing well compared to others. They want benchmarks, data, trends, and information on where they stand and how they can do better. Mine and anonymize your data to create health reports for your industry or how your customers’ needs and use cases have changed over the years. This content is truly original as only you can share this information.

6. Create experiences

Elf Yourself is the perfect example of creating original experiences – and Office Depot is the creator of it. Office Depot!

It’s fun, different, and honestly doesn’t have much to do with Office Depot’s products or services but people return year-after-year to the site to create videos of themselves as elves.

Interactive experiences are great ways to create original content though you could focus yours more on your brand, like ROI calculators, timeline simulators showing how much time your product saves, or choose-your-own-adventure learning paths.

7. Flip the script

Have a rotating panel of subject matter experts to keep things fresh instead of just generic blog posts or videos covering a topic. Look for a new angle (hint: the people also ask feature on Google is a great resource for this), or flip the script completely by having having the subject matter expert interview the content writer to see what they know about a subject and have them learn along the way.

8. Produce episodic content

Keep your audience engaged and coming back for more by creating episodic content or a regularly-scheduled series. Moz’s Whiteboard Fridays is a great example as their audience knows every Friday there’s something new for them to explore. You could even take this a step further and create a character, like a buyer persona, that your customers can follow through your resource library.

9. Dive deep

I know, I know! People aren’t reading as much these days but I promise you, comprehensive guides are still amazing pieces of content to produce or you can update them and combine this item with #6 and create an experience like an interactive timeline of your industry’s history or milestones. Cover how trends have changed over time, how technology has impacted your industry, or even how consumers interact with your industry.

10. Go back to school

Lastly, a great way to create original content is to take your knowledge and give it back to your customers with a branded university or learning section. Like Google Ads or Marketo, you can help customers become certified with your product so they become power-users and learn how to use your product or service in their industry to level up their career.

What’s your favorite way to create original content? Sound off in the comments below!