There’s no denying it: content is king.
But what makes great content?
And how can you make sure your audience sees it?
If content creation is king, content curation is queen — without it, the king has no support.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at curated content and how to get the most out of your marketing strategy. We’ll also discuss some of the benefits of curated content, and show you how to get started.
What exactly is curated content?
In short, content curation involves searching through large amounts of data and selecting top-quality content relevant to a topic or audience. From there, curators present the content in a clear, engaging way. Notably, it’s a process controlled by humans rather than algorithms.
The process is similar to that of a museum curator who organizes exhibitions by selecting the most fitting works as part of the concept for the exhibition.
That’s you now, dear content creator.
Content curation is a useful solution for marketers who have already started their activities in the field of content marketing and are beginning to realize that developing good blog posts, articles, or eBooks with the growing scale of the project raises more problems.
Writing an article once a month is one thing, but delivering great content to your followers on a regular basis is another story.
For marketers, this is what readers usually demand.
The art of content curation can help. With the right mix of news, videos, expert articles, and valuable shares, your target group will be engaged and likely to be interested in other interactions with your brand that might inspire you or fit your content marketing strategy.
Why should you invest in curated content?
Still not convinced? Here are some additional reasons to utilize curated content :
#1 Always having something to post and publish
Writer’s block?
No more blog posts in the pipeline?
Putting campaigns on hold?
These are no longer a problem with curated content.
When you’re curating content, you’re never at a loss for things to post. Even if you are running out of ideas, you can bet that someone else has already written about something you could share.
This is a great way to keep your content strategy fresh and ensure that your audience always has something new to read, watch, or listen to.
So, if you’re ever in a pinch, curating content is a great way to fill up your content calendar.
#2 Using trending topics to keep your audience engaged
You can easily learn what is trending in your industry when you curate content. With all of this data, you can put efforts into content that’s relevant and engaging to your audience by simply repurposing it.
There are times when you either can’t come up with some ideas or don’t have the time or resources for their execution. The curation of content solves this problem, making it easier for businesses to interact with their audiences.
#3 Saving time on more strategic tasks
With content curation, you free up time to focus on additional strategic tasks. This could be anything from developing new marketing campaigns to growing your business. In short, it can help you save time and become more productive.
Instead of creating content from scratch on each and every topic, you simply use something that was published either by you or others (upon attribution and approval when needed). In the case of creating even a single social media post vs. repurposing existing content, the latter could save you an hour.
#4 Building community around your brand
When you curate content, you’re not just sharing information but also building community. By engaging with your audience and providing them with valuable content, you can develop a loyal following of customers and fans.
If you decide to repost content that someone else has already published, it gets their attention. In addition to becoming part of your community, they can collaborate with you, extending the reach of your brand even further.
#5 Reducing costs and resources on creating new content
Creating new content can be time-consuming and expensive. But when you curate content, you can do it for a fraction of the cost and time. You’re not starting from scratch — you’re simply sharing or repurposing existing content.
#6 Imposing thought leadership
When you’re seen as an expert in your industry, people are more likely to trust your brand. And one of the best ways to build thought leadership is by curating valuable content, expert comments, and quotes from prominent figures in your industry.
By sharing high-quality content, you can position yourself and your business as a leader in your industry. As a result, you can attract more customers and clients. What’s not to like?
Getting started with curated content
Now that you understand that content curation can be a nice addition to your strategy, let’s focus on how you can get started.
#1 Identify your target group
The first step in creating a content curation strategy is to identify your target audience. You can then decide what kind of content you want to share and how.
If you’re not sure who your target audience is, take a look at your customer base. Who are they? What do they like? What do they need? How can you help? Once you have an accurate understanding of your target audience, you can start curating content that appeals to them and solves their pain points.
You can use the following tools to accomplish this:
- BuzzSumo: helps find the most popular content on any topic.
- Google Alerts: sends notifications whenever new content is published on a given topic.
- Quora: shows what people are asking about your industry.
- Answer The Public: lets you check what your audience asks for regarding particular topics
#2 Create a resources hub
A resources hub can help organize your content..
Depending on your preferences (e.g., if you work in a team or solo), this can be a folder on your computer, a Pinterest board, a simple list, a bookmark manager, or even sticky notes. Whatever works for you!
When you come across an article, video, or content that you think your audience would enjoy, add it to your resources hub. That way, you’ll always have a go-to list of content to share.
If you want to take it a step further, you can even categorize your resources by topic. That way, when you’re looking for something specific to share, you can easily find what you need.
Suppose you’re looking for content on social media marketing.
Try creating a folder that contains all your favorite social media resources, with notes on where you found it, how to use it, and when to post it.
There are a few tools you can use for this purpose:
- Mediatoolkit: to quickly find assets such as relevant articles, videos, and infographics
- Google Alerts: sends you an email whenever a new piece of content is published on a topic you’re interested in
- Google News: allows you to easily keep track of the latest news in your industry
- Bloglovin’ or Feedly: let you follow your favourite blogs and see their latest posts in one place
#3 Build your format
Now that you have a solid understanding of your target audience and a go-to list of content, it’s time to start curating. But before you start sharing aimlessly, you need to build your format.
This means deciding what type of content you want to share, where you want to share it, and how often you want to share it.
For example, if you’re sharing on social media, you’ll need to decide which networks you want to use and how often you want to post. Will you be sharing multiple times a day or once a week? More or less?
It’s important to be consistent with your content curation strategy. That way, your audience will know when to expect new content from you.
A good content curator not only links to a piece of content but also summarizes it in 2-3 sentences or adds a personal twist. You should allow yourself a little creativity here! There is definitely merit in disclosing your sources and refraining from appropriating someone else’s intellectual output.
If you’re not sure where to start with picking your format, here are a few ideas:
- Share once a week on social media
- Post bi-weekly articles on your blog
- Create a monthly newsletter with the best content you’ve curated
- Put together a weekly podcast with the most interesting news in your industry
- Run a webinar series featuring experts in your field
- Write an ebook with all of your favourite resources
- Create a series of video tutorials on a specific topic
The sky’s the limit when it comes to curating content. The crucial thing is to find a format that works for you and stick to it — but on the other hand, don’t be afraid to experiment.
Your format will likely change and evolve as you go, so don’t feel like you have to get it perfect from the start. Just start sharing and see what delivers best for you and your audience.
#4 Check the efficiency and effectiveness
It’s not about content curation per se, is it?
You need to look at the results you’re getting as well.
If you’re not seeing the engagement you want, there might be time to switch up your strategy.
After you’ve been curating content for a while, it’s important to check in and see how well your efforts are paying off. You can do this by asking yourself the following three questions:
- Are people engaging with the content you’re sharing?
- Do they seem to be finding it helpful?
- Are there certain topics or formats that seem to perform better than others?
If you don’t have a clear answer to each of them, or if the answer is simply “no,” time to put optimization into practice.
You can use a variety of tools to track your progress and get insights into your content curation strategy, including:
- Google Analytics, which can help you track traffic to your website, blog, or other types of conversion
- Social media analytics, which can show you how often your posts are being shared and what kind of engagement they’re getting
- A tool like BuzzSumo, which allows you to see how popular a piece of content is across the web
With these insights, you can adjust your strategy as needed to make sure you’re getting the most out of your content curation efforts.
#5 Always look for new methods!
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to be on the lookout for new and innovative ways to curate content.
This means keeping up with the latest trends in your industry, experimenting with new content formats, and trying new tools and platforms.
For example, if you’re sharing primarily on social media, you might want to consider branching out into other channels, such as email or podcasting. Or if you’re mostly sharing articles, you might want to try creating more original content, like videos or infographics.
Your main goal should be to keep your options open and to be willing to experiment. You can then identify the best ways to reach your audience and share the content they want to see and engage with.
Here are a few tools to help you curate content:
- Lumen5: for creating AI-powered videos from text
- Feedly: for content discovery
- Kontentino: for curating social media content
- Quozio or Pablo: for creating shareable quotes
- UpContent: for finding and sharing viral content
- Wibbitz: for turning articles into videos
- Canva: for designing quick and easy social media images
- Piktochart: for creating beautiful infographics
- Audiogram or Headliner: for turning articles into audio content
- Breaker or Anchor: for transforming blog posts into podcasts
- Quora Digest or AllTop: for finding and sharing content on specific topics
With so many options available, e curating content on a regular basis is an easy solution that adds value to the brand and audience. And while you can do all these things manually, tools like these make it easier than ever to automate the process and save yourself time.
Curated content: is it always rainbows and butterflies?
Here are a few things you should consider before diving into content curation and using it instead of content creation.
Creating content can be treated as a remedy for when you don’t have enough content or resources, but curating shouldn’t take the place of your own content strategy.
Be aware that if you repost and quote other pieces of content or experts, the content is not 100% yours. It can disappear and it may not always be approved for use by its authors.
That’s why you should add content curation as a facilitator in your communication, but not its replacement.
Have it handy, but think holistically of how your brand communicates, should communicate, and would communicate with the right branding strategy and guidelines.
Here at SociallyInfused Media, we can take care of it from A to Z for your business.
We’ll work with you on your brand book, communication, social media management, web design, and strategy to conquer the market.
Whenever more is needed, we are here to support you every step of the way.
Curated content in your strategy
So there you have it! These are just a few tips to help you get started with content curation. With a little effort, you can start sharing high-quality content that your audience will love. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start curating!
