While it’s been around for some time, content curation continues to be a popular buzzword in the content marketing realm. To curate content means to find, organize and share topic-specific information into an editorialized narrative. The content should add value for audiences bombarded with new content each day.
Much like setting up a new social profile, work is minimal once the tactic is up and running, but getting started with content curation eats up a sizeable chunk of time. Therefore, it can be difficult to convince your marketing team to approach content curation as more than a passing fad. The truth is, well-organized, topical content curation used to share what you find with key networks can drive leads and sales, helping your organization to achieve its marketing goals.
“Done properly, content curation…separates your brand from the pack—making you the go-to resource for relevant information and insight on your topic,” Curata says. “It elevates you to the enviable position of a thought leader. On the tactical side, content curation helps you refine your prospect targeting, build lead flow and improve SEO.”
Think content curation is right for your organization? The first step to getting started is choosing your topic. “Picking the right topic is perhaps the most critical, strategic and creative step in the [content curation] process,” according to Curata, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the most difficult step. Follow these three tips for choosing your best possible topic for content curation:
According to Curata, finding the perfect topic for content curation is as easy as answering one question: What do I want my brand to be known for? Sure, you want to be known for your products or services, but for successful content curation, you need to think beyond your deliverables. For example, American Express offers top tips for small businesses; IBM curates content to help build a smarter planet. What can your brand give?
The topic you choose must be relevant to your product or service, aligned with your brand keywords and an area in which you have expertise and opinions. What’s more, it must also be a topic in which your brand can credibly stake a claim.
When you create content for your audiences, whether it’s blogs, eBooks or cheat sheets, you should be tailoring it to specific buyer personas—the representations of the real people interested in buying your product or service. The same goes for content curation.
While it’s essential to choose a topic that’s relevant to your organization, it’s equally as important the topic is highly important and helpful to your audience and is something they want to hear about every day. “Know your audience inside and out—their interests, goals, pain points, wants and needs,” Curata advises. “Match your choice to those criteria, and your topic will be a sure hit.”
Choosing a topic for content curation can be tricky: Choose a topic too broad, and you won’t attract the right leads. Choose a topic too specific, and you likely won’t attract any leads—or find enough information for sharing.
When brainstorming possible topics, ask yourself: Can I generate enough content about this topic without repeating myself? Ideally, your topic of choice should be an umbrella topic that can be divided into relevant sub-topics, all or many of which will be of interest to your audience.
Do you curate content? Walk me through your process for selecting the perfect topic by leaving a comment.
*I gleaned much of the information from this blog from Curata’s eBook “5 Simple Steps to Becoming a Content Curation Rockstar.” Click the link to download the eBook for yourself.
Known as Hawkeye for her near superhuman copy editing abilities, Lisa Gulasy applies her unique experiences in agency and journalism to manage strategy and day-to-day engagement of client social media profiles and assist in researching and writing blogs, press releases and advanced content. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Photo Credit: Amanda Krueger
