According to Forbes.com, 58% of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budgets over the coming year. But, will they be investing in original content or curated content? In order to debate and examine this subject closer, it’s first necessary to clarify exactly what each term means.

Original content is as the name suggests – original. This is when B2B marketers use their own findings, research or opinions to approach a subject from a unique angle that may not have been considered before. These marketers are like artists – forward-thinkers looking for innovative ways to spread their message and ideas.

On the other hand, B2B marketers who curate content are like museum managers. They choose the best content and ideas from artists (content originators) and use this to the benefit of their own organisation. For example, if a company has created their own white paper, a curator will write their own content around this, therefore generating their own engagement from the content of others.

So which is best and which is right? 

Well first, let’s just state for the record that both of these are perfectly fine approaches. Curating content written by others is an excellent way to show an in-depth understanding of the industry and the happenings within it. However, as the industry is flooded with more and more of this curated content, decision-makers are becoming more inclined to go looking for the original content. In order to get the freshest thinking and the latest insights, many organisations are looking for those marketers who produce original content.

So, does this mean marketers should only be creating original content? Actually, it’s not that easy. Creating original content is a hugely resource-intensive process which requires a lot of people collaborating over different aspects of the task. In actual fact, using B2B content as part of a multi-channel marketing campaign is delicate balancing act.

To keep prospects and leads engaged, it’s necessary to post content frequently and consistently. However, the work required to create original content from scratch means that most marketers would not have the time or resources to meet these needs. But this doesn’t mean that marketers should rely solely on curated content either.

In fact, the use of curated content should enable and empower marketers to channel their resources to less frequent but more engaging original content. Investing less human resource in the curation of content enables more ideas, research and innovative thoughts to be turned into original content that generates maximum ROI. But where to start…

To help you start creating original content that intrigues, engages and captures the imagination of your prospects and leads we’ve put together ‘The Lead Generator’s Guide to Unique B2B Content’, download your free copy now for more insight into the original content world.