When
Why Content Curation?
- Content curation piggybacks onto a single biggest platform where 7 out of 10 marketers share curated content to an audience as vast as the ocean. Yep, you guessed it – that platform’s called SOCIAL MEDIA.
- Curating content makes you a thought leader. Being an authority in your niche will net you more respect and prospects in the long run.
- Content curation lets you climb the
SEO ladder effortlessly. Sharing posts containing videos and other visual forms will net award you with approximately 300% more inbound links. - Stay fresh and at-the-moment when you let content curation place your content on a pedestal, high above other stale, mediocre and irrelevant content.
- Content curating’s for EVERYONE! Whether you’re a small-time blogger or B2B marketer, content curation can bring self-promotion to a higher level.
Here are some tips on how to wow your audience through smart and optimized content curation:
#1. Know your audience
Don’t be afraid to hang out on Twitter – you’d be surprised to know that the biggest content curators glean the juiciest content from this social media giant. Anton Perlkvist is one example, and you can read here how a young Swedish lad became the largest Twitter publisher in Europe, with 9 million (and counting!) followers to his name.
#2. Be niche-specific
Now that you already identified your audience as well as their needs and interests, the next task on your plate is to pick topics and share the content you’ve curated. Ultimately, you’ll want people to identify you as a guru in your niche, and perhaps come to know you as “that social media expert” or “that guy who blogs about breaking news on the latest gadgets”.
Or so says Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer. His honestly brutal yet simple way to make it big as a content curator has helped him garner a loyal following. If you’re not yet a part of the much-envied Twitterati bigwigs, you can start by tweeting frequently to gain higher visibility. Think: more than 10 times a day to optimize your presence there. Also, according to this report, 25% of tweets contain links but a staggering 56% of retweets have links in them. This is more than enough to show that your content curation efforts on Twitter can reach your intended audience, and more.
#4. Be adventurous and seek little-known curation sources
It makes sense to turn to Gizmodo if you want to curate gadget news but you can avoid a case of “been there, done that” by being a wee bit more adventurous when seeking curation sources. Don’t limit yourself to the usual bigwigs, and instead, step out of your comfort zone by seeking greener pastures that’s not been overly-trodden. Keep your readers interested and craving for more by tapping into little-known yet credible sources.
You may be surprised at how insightful these smaller bloggers are. And once your audience sees just how bold and open you are, they will voice out ideas. You will also earn their respect by not being another run-of-the-mill blogger and they will inadvertently turn to you as the authority in your niche.
#5. Branch out into multi-platform content curation
If you want to reach out to as many people as you can, do consider turning your curated content into other forms of material that your audience would love to devour:
- Guest blog posts
- E-book (free to download or offered at a minimal price)
- White paper
- Infographics
- Webinar
- Podcast
Think out of the box? Why not think out of your home or office? You can host small events to engage your audience in real life as you showcase and discuss your curated content. Otherwise, you can turn to Google Hangout to up the interaction level that will ultimately connect you to your readers and drive higher engagement.
#6. Turn to your readers for input
If you truly want to impress your audience and increase engagement, do consider turning to them for ideas. By inviting readers to contribute guest posts or putting up a poll to find out what they want, you are inadvertently opening yourself up suggestions and telling your audience that you value their input. Of course, giving credit where credit is due will also bring in more loyal readers who know their efforts are appreciated and recognized.
#7. Tell your audience what you want them to do
Research shows that DIRECT instructions telling people to “Please retweet” or “Like us on Facebook” or even “Answer our poll” will most likely get the results you want. Don’t beat around the bush – it’s not shameful to ask for ‘Likes’ or retweets. You want to give your curated content a voice, and without the proper call to action, you may just be another faceless blogger who churns out content without a care about what other people think.
Finally…
You should also realize by now that the full effects of content curation are not felt overnight. This long-term social media strategy will carry you far, but meanwhile you need to understand this process involves you trucking along a long and winding road. The task is reasonably simple and almost anyone can do it, but not everyone can persevere to eventually be a reliable guru of content sharing. But once you do get there, you’ll see that this is indeed a rewarding.
Images: ” Content computer concept. 3D icon /Shutterstock.com“
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