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Anyone Can Curate – That Means You

September 30, 2013

Curation is a term that is gaining popularity in the content driven world of marketing, but many outside the industry don’t know what it really means or its purpose. It’s actually easier than most people think. Compare online curation to a curation of art or artifacts in a museum. A curator chooses materials (content, paintings, dinosaur bones) for a specific audience, and displays them in the exhibit.

In its simplest form, curation is the gathering of content about a specific topic or niche that is found on the web and is later shared with others in a purposeful manner.

Let’s take a look at two types of curation and the processes that accompany them.

But Mom, everyone is doing it!

If you have a social media account of any kind then you’re curating without even knowing it. Have you ever found a video, picture, meme, or article that you thought was too funny to keep to yourself? Did you post it on a social network for all your friends to see? That’s Curation. You have curated that piece of content. It is that simple. This can be done using any of the social networks that is available.

You can find curated content on Pinterest:

And on Twitter:

And even on Tumblr:

Tumblr

Curation for brands

How can curation benefit a company and what are the steps to effective curation? Most of the time a company that is building its presence on social media creates its own content and shares it with its followers. This is what most people think social media entails. The problem is that there’s only so much the company can create on its own. By curating content relevant to the brand’s niche the company can stay consistent and relevant without having major gaps between content.

The objectives of curation can vary but revolve around three main goals:

Success on social media starts with a healthy balance between creating content and curating content. To fill the holes of empty space due to the lack of content, companies find relevant content to curate.

Establish Consistency

An important part of having an online presence is being consistent and to do so companies look to curate content from other sources that are closely related to their market or niche.

Increase Visibility

The more valuable the content that is shared the more likely people will notice you. The same is said for brands and companies looking to stay active in the social media landscape.

Build Relationships

No one likes self-absorbed people or companies. That being said, curation is a good way to build relationships with others that share the same beliefs, interest and content.

Where do I start?

shutterstock_134350283 Success on social media starts with a healthy balance between creating content and curating content. To fill the holes of empty space due to the lack of content, companies find relevant content to curate.

Choose You Niche

Whether you’re a brand or just the average Joe, start by choosing the type of content you are looking for.

Explore the Web

Find respectable and influential sources that will add value to your page. Follow them or like their pages so you can see more of their content in the future.

Gather content

Once you’ve found several sources you can decide which content is the most appropriate and valuable to share.

Begin to share your strategically. Always give credit to content that’s no your own, the original creators will appreciate the shout-out.

Effective content curation should generate leads and traffic. Many assume curation is only a tool to create brand awareness and that’s all it will be if not done right. Success lies in understanding your audience and what they want from you. Once you understand that, you can customize your content accordingly to generate a healthy ROI.