Content curation programs run the gamut from Intel’s employee-curated digital magazine to the lone tweeter sharing content on a specific topic.
Way back in 2009, Ogilvy SVP Rohit Bhargava wrote the “Manifesto for the Content Curator,” defining this newly-coined role as “someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online.”
Three years later, these Content Curator folks are everywhere. A study from Curata found that as of March 2012, 95% of surveyed US marketers and agencies had curated content in some way over the last six months. This could mean sharing a link, blog post, video or other content type with a potential customer.
The study found that 85% of marketers participate in content curation as a means for establishing thought leadership, while 80% do so to elevate brand visibility and buzz.
When it comes to content marketing, the biggest challenge (74%) is said to be creating original content, which is closely followed (73%) by time constraints. A smaller percentage (48%) struggle with finding high-quality content to share.
When it comes to platform choice, over three quarters of marketers say that they prefer to share content via social media.
5 tips for successful content curation
The masses are engaging content curation, but that doesn’t mean it’s a quick and easy engagement solution. Here are five quick tips for using relevant content to become your audience’s go-to source for industry news.
1. Be consistent. It’s important to build a schedule and stick it in order to prove that you’re a consistently reliable source for news in your field.
2. You’re not the only valid content creator. Share your stuff, but make sure that you also share other content from other credible sources. Audiences want to hear a multitude of voices and opinions.
3. Branch out from Twitter. Twitter is an excellent place to find and share content, but don’t forget about the more visual venues like Pinterest, Tumblr and Google Plus.
4. Diversify your sources. Retweeting every other Pete Cashmore update does not a content curation program make. Find articles that you know are interesting and actually worth a read. This expanding your search far and wide – a great task for the RSS Reader.
5. Find content when you least expect it. Somehow the best content is found when you’re not actually looking for it. Whether you’re casually browsing the tech blogs or scrolling through your Twitter or RSS feed, be sure to have a save-for-later app on hand to store those interesting articles for a rainy day.
