Content Curation Tips to Save Time and Boost Your Brand

Are you struggling to produce enough content to populate your blog? It's a very common marketing conundrum, but also an area where solutions could be very simple. One great strategy is to use content curation to engage readers and grow your audience. But what is curated content, and how should you create it?

Introducing content curation

Content curation is a little like curating a museum, only the "exhibits" are pieces of content created by others, but hosted on your own site. The content involved could be articles, blog snippets, infographics, videos, or even downloadable files - anything that you feel is relevant to your audience.

The content you use tends to be fairly well organised and properly sourced, so you can avoid any plagiarism issues. And it often comes accompanied by explanatory text to put everything into perspective.

The aims are diverse. Obviously, curated content is quick to produce, relevant, and should generate traffic. It shows your expertise and awareness of the wider online world, and helps to build relationships with influencers or media outlets. And it's a learning opportunity for curators themselves.

However, there are do's and don'ts to bear in mind, so let's run through some before you start.

1. Stick to a routine and create a uniform template

When presenting curated content, it's best to schedule regular publication dates, so that readers know what to expect. This also helps to focus your mind and organise your time, and can fill awkward gaps when you need spare time for other purposes.

Don't present curated items haphazardly using different structures, graphics and fonts. Instead, make up a regular title such as "Buzz from the Fintech Hive" and brand it consistently.

2. Make sure your curated content reaches its audience

Secondly, don't just compile curated content pieces and leave them floating in cyberspace, hoping that they will attract hits. Instead, share them widely and systematically via your marketing channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and email newsletters.

Try to encourage readers to share your work,  and always focus on offering content that has sharing at its heart. Relevant, entertaining, well explained videos or articles will be easy to share via social media, and are a great way to attract new visitors.

3. Branch out into podcasting if you have the expertise

Text-based content curation is all well and good (and it's the least time consuming method of curation available). However, you'll tap into totally different audiences via methods like podcasts or video digests.

Podcasting isn't tough, as long as you have a decent microphone, pop filter, headphones and the ability to Skype or edit audio as required. And it's a very handy way to reach commuters or gym-goers - people who may not spare the time to read blogs but will happily tune in to hear your curation ideas.

4. Mix up your media

When creating web-based curated content, it's a good idea to offer a diverse selection of items for readers to consume. Don't be too heavy on long-reads (although sharing truly informative long form pieces is a great tactic for sectors where in-depth expertise is more valuable).

Mix up article snippets with topical Tweets, Tik Tok videos, the latest YouTube contributions, with whatever else fits your niche. From scanned print articles to playable applets, there's plenty of scope to provide a mixed diet of curated gold.

5. Always remember attribution

Finally, when compiling your posts, be sure to reference contributors thoroughly and fairly. Curators are not content thieves. If everything works well, curated posts provide a service for creators, funneling traffic to their work and spreading the word about what they do.

On the other hand, poor attribution will tarnish your own brand, lead to disputes, and prevent you forming connections with influencers who matter. So reach out via social media to the people you cite, and make them aware of your appreciation for what they do.

Save time, build your brand, and generate traffic with curated content

If you rely on blogging or social media to generate interest, and you are not always able to set aside the time to write your own pieces, content curation is likely to be an indispensable tool. Done right, it's a major time saver and brand builder.

As with all posts, curated content needs to be well written and engaging, and there's no reason why you should do the heavy lifting. If you need a little help, get in touch with greatcontent, and we'll start curating killer content in a way that always hits the spot.

Text: Sam Urquhart
Image: Sergio Rota on unsplash.com