In social media marketing, content is king. It is what drives engagement, from clicks and likes to video watching and blog reading. Without the media content aspect of social media, there would not be any necessity for the marketing itself. It is also true that the more content available the more likely people are to want to interact with it. However, the more content out there, the more likely plagiarism is to occur. But…what is plagiarism? And why is it bad?
So let’s find out more about plagiarism, as well as why you really should be putting that extra effort in when it comes to your original content.
Plagiarism: What Is It And How Can It Affect You?
So, what exactly is plagiarism?
According to Plagiarism.org, which helps define what the term is and why it's so bad, plagiarism itself “involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.” In other words, it is taking what someone else has done, be it an idea or content and recreating it yourself while passing it off as your own. This usually benefits the person who is plagiarizing, and not the creator.
Beyond its social consequences, plagiarism can also result in legal action being taken if it infringes upon the original creator’s intellectual properties. A recent popular case includes a federal appeals court upholding a $5.3 million judgement against creators Robin Thicke and Pharrel Williams for copying a Marvin Gaye’s song in order to create their 2013 song, “Blurred Lines.” Most plagiarism cases never get this big, or see this much media attention, but it still should be avoided.
Why Is Original Content Necessary?
Original content is key if someone is looking to increase their online visibility.
First, high quality and original content is going to improve the search ranking of your page. The more unique your content is the more it will stand out from others, and thus the better the SEO. Additionally, if content appears (or is) plagiarized, the more likely it will be removed from Google’s search results.
Next, credibility. When it comes to original content created by the page owner themselves, the more established they appear within their industry. If someone claims to be an expert but is only reblogging others, or copy and pasting information from other sites, the less legitimate they appear. If someone wants to appear to be an industry leader, they have to have their own credentials, which often includes original content.
And finally original content invites more engagement. Content that is unique is far more likely to be reshared or commented on. Since it is often more focused and lacks the generic feel of something that is obviously copied, original content simply comes across as more genuine. This, in turn, makes your content more inviting to readers or viewers.
How Can I Make Sure I Have Original Content?
But how do you create original content? Well there are a few things you could do to help ensure everything you are creating is both original and of quality. Coming up with a social media strategy that is unique to both your field and yourself is vital. Also, you should be either making the content yourself or hire someone creating content specifically for you, preferably someone with at least some knowledge or experience in your field. And finally, double check for plagiarism or content ‘similarities’ using websites such as Grammarly, DupliChecker, or CopyLeaks.
In the end, creating original content doesn’t have to be as hard as it’s made out to be. And if it still seems difficult, or you just can’t find the time to create content for yourself, we can help nail your web content. For more information on our original content services and strategies, please visit us at Wyred Insights!