Photo on Foter.com
Curated content is content from other sources that you distribute on your platforms (website, social media, etc.). For example, I frequently post links on my social media accounts to articles by other content marketers.
Why would I do that? Aren’t they my competition?
Yes and no.
Although I’m highly competitive by nature, I also recognize the limitations in seeing everyone as either “friend or foe.” People who work in the same space in which I work can be my friends, and even allies. No need to burn that bridge when I can take advantage of it.
Develop Your Niche
The other side of the coin is creating a niche. For example, if you’ve created and fully developed your niche in blogging, there’s no reason to feel threatened by someone who works primarily with social media. Or if you work exclusively in one or two industries, partnering with someone who does similar projects, but in completely different industries, can be beneficial for both of you.
Ultimately, content marketing is all about creating value for your audience, and content curation is a great way to do that. No one wants to follow someone who just posts links to their own website over and over and over. That gets old and it will cost you followers.
But posting to websites that are talking about the same issues in a different way – that will gain you followers. It shows you know what’s going on in your industry, helps position you as an authority, and will prompt people to come to you for the latest updates.
Read The Content
Curating content does not mean mindlessly sharing every post that uses the same hashtag you like to use. You have to actually read the content before you share it. I know that sounds obvious, but there are a lot of people out there who just mindlessly repost things without reading them, and too often the content is low quality.
The point of curating content is sharing content of which you approve. If you don’t bother to quality check the content before reposting, you’re not adding value.
Put Your Own Spin On It
The ability to quote tweets is one of the best things Twitter has done for content curators. It’s a great way to share content while adding your own comments to the discussion. Facebook lets you do something similar, and you should always be sure to take advantage of that capability by adding your own comment before posting the link.
You don’t always have to post content with which you agree. A few lines about why the original content creator is wrong can help you gain a lot of traction, just be sure to keep it civil. Don’t use words like “stupid” or “retard,” but give objective reasons you can back up as to why their view might be misguided.
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due
Never take credit for content that isn’t your own, including photos and videos. Tag the original creator when distributing their content. If you do it right, your spin on it might impress them enough that they promote your post, which can help increase your following.
Curating Content in Your Blog Posts
My site is on WordPress and I know their SEO analysis always downgrades my SEO score a little bit if I don’t post to other sites in my blog posts (proving the value of curating content on your own site, as well as your social media accounts). So let me take care of that now…
For more tips on effective content curation and its benefits, check out this post.
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