If you don’t take advantage of curated content, you’re missing out.
Here’s a truth bomb: You don’t always need to create content from scratch. You can generate loads of views, engagements, or even sign-ups if you leverage the content created by other publishers.
That’s why we need to talk about curated content. When used correctly, it can do wonders for your marketing initiatives.
Created vs. Curated Content: What’s the Difference?
In a broad marketing sense, there are only two types of content on the internet: created and curated content. To leverage both for digital marketing, you need to grasp the differences between the two.
Let’s start with content that you probably already have.
What is created content?
Put simply, created content encompasses all marketing materials that your brand developed. It can be a blog post, infographic, explainer video, or any form of original content incorporated into your marketing strategy.
This includes in-house content and outsourced content from freelancers and agencies.
Original content submitted as guest posts also counts as created content. As long as the content is created using your own resources, it doesn’t matter where it gets published.
What is curated content?
Curated content is content gathered from other sources and shared through your own channels.
Unlike created content, you don’t need to invest anything into curated content. Your only role is to share the content with people who might find the information helpful.
Of course, you should also chip in your thoughts and mention the original source of the content you curate. Doing so not only makes curated content a tad more valuable. It also improves your brand’s reputation as an information provider and builds your relationship with the content creator.
Done right, curated content provides benefits to every party involved:
- The original content source gets traffic through your online reach
- You leverage the work of others to build brand awareness and credibility
- The target audience discovers something valuable and informative
It’s a win-win-win.
How to Effectively Curate Content
Without further ado, here are the steps that will help you successfully use curated content in your marketing strategy:
1. Discover the right content
Looking for the right content to curate is a crucial part of the process. You need content that aligns with what your audience wants and what your brand can help them with.
As a marketer, you of all people should know the best ways to spot relevant, top-quality content online. Below are some ideas:
- Use Google: A quick Google search will help you find high-quality posts you can funnel into your content curation feed. Just be sure to enter the right keywords and use filters to find the latest content.
- Check social media trends: Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok makes it easy to discover trending content without third-party tools. You can also share posts right there and then.
- Use content curation tools: Content curation tools like Feedly and Pocket let you find content, manage your feeds, and share posts in one place. Their mobile app counterparts also allow you to fire up your content curation workflow on the go.
- Sign up for newsletters: Subscribing to newsletters by authoritative sources makes content curation a breeze for you in the future. Rather than manually scraping the web for share-worthy content, have them delivered straight to your inbox.
- Join online communities: Online communities and Q&A sites like Reddit, Quora, and Answers.com can help you discover content tailored to a specific need. If you want, you may ask the community directly for content suggestions about certain topics.
2. Build your content curation list
Maximize the relationship-building aspect of content curation by having a list of top content sources.
Remember, it may take more than one or two shares to get the attention of an authoritative content publisher. To put your brand on an influencer or thought leader’s radar, consistency is key.
As a rule of thumb, start with a list of 10 content sources to curate posts from. This may include websites, social media accounts, YouTube channels, and microblogging platforms.
Pro tip: Use content curation tools to keep track of your content sources. Alternatively, use your browser’s built-in bookmark feature to monitor these channels.
3. Read the content thoroughly
Deciding to share something right after reading the headline is a deadly mistake in content curation.
The post you share may contain information that contradicts or conflicts with your brand’s messaging. That said, consume the content from start to finish before you hit that ‘share’ button.
4. Add value to the conversation
Sharing content outright — without adding so much as a caption — diverts all your audience’s attention to the original content source.
To become a part of the conversation, don’t hesitate to add your own thoughts. Follow it up with a CTA that encourages readers to click the link or check out your website. This doesn’t have to be elaborate. A two-sentence introduction with an emoji to encourage clicks should suffice — just don’t forget to mention your source.
If you want to generate comments, come up with questions about the content being shared. But the absolute least you can do is pull up a quote straight from the post. This way, you give your audience the impression that you’re part of the conversation, which invites them to leave comments.
5. Balance it out with created content
Building an effective marketing strategy isn’t a question of what to pick between curated versus created content. Successful brands use a combination of both to get results that impact their bottom line.
What are the Benefits of Curated Content?
If you’re still thinking twice about adding curated content to your marketing arsenal, consider the benefits below.
1. Save yourself the trouble of creating truckloads of content
Created content takes time and resources to produce regularly and competently. In the meantime, there’s nothing stopping your audience from checking out your competitor to look for new information.
With curated content, you can keep your audience tuned in while you brew your next original post. There’s an endless supply of relevant content out there from trustworthy sources that your audience will love to see.
2. Get mentions and backlinks
Having their content shared with the proper attribution is something any content creator likes to see. It is, after all, a chance for them to reach a wider audience and promote their brand.
In exchange for sharing their content, the original creator may respond to your brand via social media. They might even mention you on their blog — rewarding you with a well-deserved backlink.
3. Stay ahead of the latest trends
Content curation involves searching the web to find the juiciest and most up-to-date information available.
Even if you automate the content curation process, you’d still get a glimpse of the latest happenings in your industry. This will benefit you internally by giving you new content ideas. In addition, you can cement your brand’s status as a go-to information source in the eyes of your audience.
4. Repurpose curated content
Data and quotes taken from curated content can be repurposed into something brand new.
For example, quotes taken from a blog post can be repurposed as an image and shared on Instagram. Data from industry reports and studies, on the other hand, can be made into infographics that visually convey the information.
Repurposing unlocks a ton of possibilities for your brand to try different content formats. And it can be fueled by ideas you obtain through content curation.
5. Supercharge social media engagement
Curating the content of popular influencers and organizations will do wonders for your social presence.
Keep in mind that users are more likely to respond positively to brands they already recognize. By sharing the content of a well-known influencer or company, you’ll have a higher chance of getting likes, comments, and shares. Not to mention the new followers you’ll generate from all the attention.
6. Reinforce your brand’s messaging
Curating content that aligns with your vision and message will bolster your authority.
Let’s say your brand is a strong advocate of short-form videos and their potential in digital marketing. You can share a post from a trusted thought leader about how they use short-form videos to drive marketing results. This will make your brand’s messaging more consistent and believable.
Integrate Content Curation into Your Marketing Today
To get the most out of curated content, you’ll want to pair it with created content. If you aren’t sure where to start, develop a winning content strategy with ClearVoice. We’ll handle it all — from keyword research to content creation — while you keep your audience engaged with content curation. Talk to a content specialist today to get started.
