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Content curation is not a new concept, but what’s impressive is the fact that it still remains important, despite all the changes in content marketing.
Content curation is all about discovering, optimising and sharing interesting and relevant content for your audience and despite its quite simple definition, it still needs to be treated as part of your wider content strategy.
Why content curation?
There is an increasing need for content nowadays, with time and budget affecting the quantity of content a brand may create. Even if it manages to find both, the audience won’t necessarily appreciate content leading only to the brand’s owned media.
That’s when content curation is needed, as a way to mix the brand’s written content with what can be found throughout the web, with both matching the audience’s interests.
As we are all becoming addicted to content consumption and always seek for more of it, content curation is the ideal solution for the “hungry” readers who keep expecting new content from the brands that try hard to stay on top of their field.
Thus, content curation serves as an integral part of the content strategy, using the experts’ wisdom as an opportunity to boost a brand’s value.
After all, it’s not just about the creation of the content that you’re judged, but also about your critical thinking and your ability to discover (and share) the right content for your target audience.
Think before you share
There is a thought process involved in content curation and it has to do with the factors that make you pick the content you’ll share.
Curation aims to help you:
- Add value
- Be relevant
- Serve as an expert
- Find influencers
- Reach a wider audience
There’s no need to curate content if it doesn’t contribute to your brand’s authority, value, or relevance, as curation is still part of your content strategy.
How to excel in content curation
Optimise the content
Curation is not just about the automatic sharing of content, as it is important to optimise the curated content in a way that it is appealing, properly formatted, by also focusing on properly attributing the original source.
What’s more, a post may be more effective when shared at the best format and the right time for your audience, so never skip this step during curation.
Avoid these 10 online marketing mistakes at all cost! 😱😱😱 --> https://t.co/sgR5bdnAF6 via @spartanmedia pic.twitter.com/35Ru92CeHx— Larry Kim (@larrykim) February 23, 2016
Keep your unique perspective
Except for optimisation, the content you’re curating should also include your brand’s voice, in a way that it enhances the initial message with your own perspective.In fact, you don’t even have to agree with the shared post if you’re able to express your brand’s opinion along with the original content. It’s all about blending optimisation with authenticity.
— Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) February 20, 2016
Engage with your audience
A topic that your audience will appreciate may be a great opportunity to spark further discussion, exchange opinions and start an interesting conversation.
After all, a brand should always seek for new ways to interact with its followers.
Find opportunities to interact with influencers
What if the content you curated allowed you to network with important influencers in your niche?
Think of it, all you have to do is share their content, mention them, and (hopefully) you’re minutes away from a highly prestigious reply!
Keep a balance
Yes, content is everywhere and it’s certainly easier to curate rather than create, but you still need to find a balance between these two, in order to show that you’re able to master both of them.
Your audience will appreciate and your brand will serve as an industry expert in its particular field.
Tools to organise curation
There are many tools to help you organise your content curation and I’ve personally tried:
Twitter Lists
Pinterest
Pocket
Paper.li
Scoop.it
Nuzzel
However, if you feel that you need to consider more options, then this list is what you’re looking for.
Where to curate content
Blog
How about compiling a list of the most important news of the week in your niche and turn them into a highly informative post?
By creating an appealing post, which also provides the right attribution the original sources, you are proving that you are able to discover (and present) the best content for your audience.
Social Media
Your content on social media is never enough, so curation is ideal, especially for social networks like Twitter, where the feed keeps updating and engagement may be instant. And of course, you can also use hashtags, which may turn out really effective.
Twitter lists, Buzzsumo, Klout, and Postplanner are some of the options you have when looking for new content, depending on your interests, the people you’re following, the topics you’re reading, etc. Invest time to use and organise any of them and you might be surprised with the results!
Content Hub
If your business heavily relies on content, then you know how challenging it may be to organise it and even more, to share it with your readers.
That’s when you need to consider the idea of a content hub, a special page, which will help your audience find your content in a creative and structured form.
Thus, the promotion of your content hub could lead to increased clicks towards your posts and could attract an even wider audience.
Ready to curate?
Content curation offers numerous benefits for your brand, providing that you’re ready to include it as an integral part of your content strategy, by investing both in time and resources that would help you find the best available content! And this is an accomplishment on its own!
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