My last blog on research as a content strategy talked about the many content marketing benefits of creating original research. But what if you don’t have the time or resources to create or commission original research? Research may still have a role to play in your content strategy.
If you can’t create, curate.
Research can be an important part of a ‘content curation’ strategy, in which you collect relevant and interesting content for your followers or customers.
- Find some interesting research and put your own spin on it. I did that recently in this post citing research from the Duke CMO study. And new research is a regular topic for Marketingprofs.
- Consolidate a list of available research on a single topic of interest to your readers. See the Hubspot blog’s Ultimate list of Email Marketing Stats as an example.
- Use the research you discover to add more weight to white papers, contributed articles and other content pieces.
Remember that your own reputation is on the line. Only use research that is relevant and from a legitimate or trusted source. Then make sure you have permission to use it and are attributing it correctly.
If you choose wisely, the research can help support your position as a go-to resource for your prospects and potentially build relationships with the providers of the research.
Anne Janzer 
There is so much content available today. You can provide real value to your audience by suggesting third-party content you have already vetted for relevance and value.
So true, Mark. The sheer volume of the content available – on almost any topic – makes thoughtful curation all the more valuable. I follow some people specifically because they curate relevant and interesting content.