Content curation is the big marketing
buzzword at the moment, but its meaning and benefits still remain a mystery to
many businesses. So that’s why we have put together our guide to content
creation and how it can help your business.
The basic definition of the art of content curation is where
the publisher (in our case the business) researches and gathers the best content on a
niche topic that is aimed at a certain audience, all of which is relevant to
their business, and then adds to this content personal opinions and expertise
thus enhancing it.
It may sound simple, but there is much more to it than the
above definition suggests. Well-implemented content curation does not simply
involve regurgitating the already published material. It involves a
personalised retelling of the information found in the original content. It’s the personalisation factor that makes the
new content so valuable and compelling. It feels like something unique and
interesting compared to the mundane and overdone content you trawl through
every day on the web.
Video and Images
Since the launch of the popular image and video sharing
sites Pinterest and Instagram, the curation and sharing of images and videos
has become an ever more popular pastime. Utilize this ‘Pinterest interest’ by creating
an account if you haven’t already, and begin setting up ‘pinboards’ relevant to
your business and target audience. You can then use these pin boards to tell
the story of your business and who you are (brand back story), what you do
(services/products you offer), your brand’s values, etc. You can use a mixture
of your own images, images found across the web and even repin other user’s
images, and don’t forget to throw in some video content where relevant to keep
people on their toes!
Online Magazines
Free online magazines are easy to create, and are one of the
ever more popular content curation tools available at no cost! Tools like Storify, Paper.li,
and Scoop.it are just some of the main tools available to create a magazine
relevant to your industry and target audience. For this form of content
curation to work you must make sure the content is useful, interesting and
above all relevant. If done well, your magazine should be a one stop shop
for the best content relating to your industry, handpicked by you for your
audience.
Blogging
A blog can be curated in various ways, but one of the most common
and successful ways used by top bloggers is to curate content, and then
throughout the day publish individual posts including additional commentary or
expert analysis, therefore adding value to the original content with each post.
A great tool to aid in blog curation is Google Alerts. You
can set up alerts for specific keywords relating to your business and the
original content, therefore providing you with additional news and updates,
etc. for the additional posts.
Email Marketing
One place people don’t expect to be able to use content
curation is in their email marketing campaign. But the reality is e-newsletters
work just as well if not better than the online magazines, as you can use
curated content for the newsletter, and it will be received directly by a
relevant and interested database.
Be Consistent With
Quality
It is important that your curated content is high quality
and reliable. Take the time to check your sources and their sources, and if you
don’t have the time, it is worthwhile hiring either a freelancer or one of your
current employees to take on the extra work.
And above all, make sure the curated content accurately
reflects your brand, its story and values. Do all this, and content curation
can help take your business to dizzying new heights.
Labels: business blogging, business marketing, content curation, marketin strategies, Pinterest