Content curation is the process by which a person (or a team) consistently finds, curates, annotates, and shares the most relevant, high-quality digital content on a specific topic for their target market.
Along with original content, this is a key aspect of any inbound marketing initiative . When done right, content curation can improve your SEO , establish your credibility as a thought leader, support lead generation, streamline lead nurturing , and complement social media and blogging.
Sharing fresh and engaging content helps you build your brand and reach a wider audience . Time-strapped marketers need to find ways to fill their editorial calendar without resorting to sharing low-quality content. And even if their schedule is planned, being able to add more without sacrificing quality is always a plus.Content curation gives you more content to share and saves you time, but there are plenty of other great benefits as well. It builds thought leadership, brings new perspectives to your brand content, and demonstrates trends.
Here are a few reasons to practice content curation for your social networks:
Become a thought leader
Sharing relevant content helps you become the go-to resource in your industry. The advantage is that you don’t have to create it yourself. Once shared, the Internet user still says to himself: “I read this. I know this.”
You’ll then earn a reputation as a thought leader and someone knows they’ll have the answer by checking your profile when they need help. Whether it’s through your own content or a resource you’ve shared, your prospects know you’ll have content to help them solve their problems .
So when you share content that has all the answers, your audience will start following you more closely .
If you really want to demonstrae your expertise and become a thought leader, you should also add your own comments . Audiences will love the information shared content and you will prove your expertise and give them food for thought.
Grow your audience
A receptive audience is, and always will be, the backbone of your social media marketing strategy . To engage your followers, you need to share content that sparks discussion and starts conversations with and about your business.
Content curation is a great way to start conversations aout topics your audience is talking about . When looking for content to share, always keep this question in mind: “Why would my audience care?”
From there, share the post by asking a question or adding a perspective on the topics your audience is passionate about to start the conversation , learn more about them, and learn how you can grow your company.
Find informative content in a variety of formats. Instead of constantly sharing blog posts, also add images , infographics , charts , videos , etc. Not only will this keep your content from feeling stale, but it will also attract different audience members. Some people prefer blog posts, and others prefer videos. Sharing both helps keep everyone in your community informed and engaged .
Boost your public relations
The same goes for the quality of the content . The good news is that there are already other people creating great content to grow your community! Analytics monitoring tools like HubSpot tell you who is talking about the topics your audience is interested in.
Promote content you find that mentions your business . These can be blog posts that link you to your own blog , articles about new products, ebooks, or infographics that quote your team members.
And again, don’t forget to put your own version there . Instead of just sharing links, remove quotes, add additional information, or create images to add originality and start a conversation. It will seem less promotional than just sharing.
Don’t promote your product/service/brand on every post. Your audience will quickly tire of all these promotions . You can explain how the cotent relates to what your business does. This way, you can subtly promote your brand while sharing good, relevant content .
Follow trends in your sector
Finally, having a content curation strategy in place can give you insight into current trends in your sector or industry.
Keep a close eye on what your competitors are writing, publications relating to your industry, and what the mainstream media is saying about your industry.
The more content you share, the more exposure you will have to new topics, new conversations, and new viewpoints from the community in which you operate. This gives you insight into your own content marketing which helps you with competitive analysis.
When you’re constantly on the lookout for great content — reading it, sharing it, creating it — you develop an eye for the state of the market . It will also allow you to spot gaps in other people’s content, which you can fill with your own.
Marketing content curation makes using social media much easier, without losing value . This strategy has the potential to grow your business through content that you don’t need to create yourself.
