Content Curation: It’s what all the cool kids are doing. OK, maybe not the cool kids, but it’s a hot topic within content marketing.
Why?
Because it works. A good content curation strategy helps you create content people want to read and share.
If your content’s feeling stagnant and you’re struggling to attract visitors to your site and social media channels, you need to start working on your curation game and I’m going to help you step it up.
Here, I look at the basics of content curation, including techniques that you can start using right now.
You’ll learn how to breathe life back into your content so you can make it ROAR.
What Is Content Curation?
Content curation isn’t the same as content creation. (I’m sure some of you just breathed a huge sigh of relief there!) It’s hard coming up with unique content ideas.
Luckily, with curation, you don’t have to!
Content curation is the collection (curation) of content from different sources that you share through your websites and social media channels.
It has four basic steps:
- Decide on the subject matter
- Discover interesting content
- Gather that content
- Share it with your readers
The trick is to add your brand voice to your curated content – put your spin on the information you’ve gathered.
As with most marketing terms, some people think curation is just a fad, but if you follow content marketing trends, you’ll know that it’s quickly become a marketing staple.
Why Content Curation Is So Powerful
You’re probably reluctant to use new marketing techniques – especially given that the most common complaint amongst content creators is a lack of time. Who in their right mind wants to add to their workload by introducing new strategies?
You do!
Not right now, but in a minute, once you’ve realised the benefits of content curation.
You’ll realise that you can manage your time better if you use a mix of content curation AND content creation as part of your online strategy.
“Work Smarter, Not Harder”
Benefit 1: It’s less stressful than creating your own content
Urgh, I’m a blog writer (as you can tell) and sometimes it’s a real struggle. First, you have to come up with an interesting idea– so lots of research to find trending topics. Then you have to write it in brand voice, keep it engaging, and edit it ruthlessly.
Sounds easy, but it takes hours to write even a simple blog post.
Content creation requires time and energy, leaving you (me) prone to procrastination!
Being able to mix it up and forget about the creativity for a while is a huge relief. Content curation is time-efficient, cost-effective, and reduces stress…
…what’s not to love?
But, you shouldn’t concentrate all your efforts on curation. You need a good mix of unique content and curated content…
Benefit 2: It’s just as useful as unique content
According to one piece of research by Convince and Convert, the ideal curation-creation ratio is ~60:40. That means you should aim to link to third-party content (i.e. curated content) 60% of the time and to your own content 40% of the time.
Don’t take this statistic as gospel. There’ll be variations between different businesses. You’ll have to tweak it to find your sweet spot, but the 60-40 split is a good place to start.
Benefit 3: It helps build your authority
Being an authoritative business is all-important online. If people think you know what you’re talking about, and that you share great content, they’ll want to stay up-to-date with what you’re saying.
They’ll visit your blog, your social media channels, and – maybe most importantly – they’ll spread the word, getting those shares and likes.
In other words, it will help you stick and stay in people’s minds as a reliable and trustworthy brand, i.e. the perfect brand to buy!
Benefit 4: It helps build relationships
Offering your readers a range of relevant, entertaining, and useful content will help you build better relationships with them.
But, it also helps to build relationships and collaborate with other content creators. Link building helps businesses grow and has many advantages, e.g. improving your search rankings.
Think about it: would you rather be friends with someone who’s “me, me, me, me, me” or with someone who’s popular and interacts with lots of different people?
Most people would say the latter. And the same when interacting with businesses – people like businesses that engage with the world.
The bonus: as you share content from around the web, it makes you more connected. You’ll reach a bigger audience, so people are more likely to read your curated content and share your unique content. Brand exposure and recognition will improve – that’s the goal of content marketing.
Content Curation: What’s the Verdict?
Make the most of your online marketing efforts by using content curation alongside content creation. You’ll increase brand recognition and engagement, build your network, and make a name for yourself as a go-to source for industry-relevant news.
Long term, it’s a fantastic strategy that will help you get more readers, and ultimately, grow your conversion rates.
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