As an entrepreneur, you’re always on the lookout for ways to bring more organic traffic to your website. We’re constantly told that “content is key,” but there are plenty of misconceptions out there regarding the best approaches to content curation and marketing, and how search engine algorithms (such as Google’s) give preference to one type of content over another.
The fact of the matter is, churning out as much content as you can isn’t the key to success. In fact, today’s search engines penalize sites that hammer out poor quality content just for the sake of publishing regularly.
Your target audience doesn’t benefit from spammy content, so why would Google give it any kind of preferential treatment? If all you’re doing is pushing out content for the sake of it, not only will your SEO effectiveness likely take a big hit, but your audience will soon seek better quality alternatives, likely in the form of your competitors.
To put it simply, instead of fixating on quantity, start curating your content and sharing relevant material that’s strategic and beneficial to your brand in order to heighten brand presence and awareness.
Let’s dive into the world of content curation, including a few essential tips to help your business.
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What is content curation?
More than ever before, consumers are relying with increasing frequency on web content as an essential aspect of their everyday lives. It’s where we get our news, hear about new brands, businesses and products, and it helps us make decisions regarding everything from where we’ll order takeout from tonight to which career path we’ll take.
Today, content curation is key, and forms the heart of a winning content marketing strategy. This is true for interactive content, simple blog posts, photos, videos, podcasts… the list goes on. And if you’re looking to stay on top of your search engine results whilst keeping your audience members engaged, it’s something you need to pay close attention to.
Just as a museum curator picks out art that weaves a narrative, uncovers a truth, or provides consistent education and insight, you must curate your content to ensure your audience truly gains something from its presence on your site.
Content curation is a process of bringing a conscientious approach to your content marketing strategy. It is, in essence, almost a contract between you and your customers: you’ll provide material of value, they’ll engage, share, and drive your numbers to new heights.
Related: How to Develop a Content Strategy and Grow Your Blog to 2 Million Readers (on the Side)
Understanding the benefits of content curation
Making the effort to curate content for your target audience pays off, often in ways you might not initially expect.
Let’s take a look at four key benefits of content curation to bear in mind:
- You’ll be recognized as a thought leader or subject matter authority. This is probably the top reason for curating your content, as it’s all about the impression your brand makes on your target audience. Content curation allows you to stand out as an expert in your field.
- It shows you’re on top of trends. The content you curate for your followers will revolve around news and insights specific to your field. By feeding your audience up-to-date, relevant and genuinely interesting material, you’ll remind them that your brand is there with purpose and intent.
- It enables growth. Quality content isn’t only going to edge you toward the top of Google’s search listings, it also has the potential to expand your network, your global reach, and your business as a whole. Content gets shared, commented on and engaged with, and this leads people into conversations and sales funnels before they realize it.
- It keeps you informed. In addition to the benefits of curated content for your customers, what about the benefits for you as an entrepreneur? The most obvious revolves around the fact that, as you curate content, you’ll increase your business knowledge and gain insights you might not have attained otherwise. In essence, content curation keeps you informed and makes you a better entrepreneur.
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Steps to targeted content curation
Learning how to curate content like a pro could help give you the edge over competitors.
Let’s take a look at a few basic steps needed for content curation success:
- Figure out the golden ratio of curated content: The first step is to decide how much content you actually want to curate. Most businesses will need to figure out a working ratio of original and curated content and find the best ways to make this work for their organization. It’s important to keep in mind that the ratio of original and curated content needn’t be fixed, and nor does it have to be consistent across different platforms. For example, social media platforms like Twitter lend themselves better to curated content than ones like Instagram.
- Consider your sources: Once you’ve figured out your content ratio, it’s time to think carefully about your sources. While it’s important to ensure that you offer a variety of content from an array of different sources, it’s even more important to ensure that you provide content from reliable and trustworthy sources. Be sure to thoroughly vet your content before sharing it.
- Sharing with style: OK, it’s time to start sharing curated content and provide that all-important value to your customer base. The key thing to bear in mind with this step is that you should add some customization or personalization to curations whenever you can. This can be as simple as writing a sentence explaining your thoughts and opinions when sharing an article on LinkedIn, or linking the content to an event, product, or service you offer.
Content is king: Make your curated content work for you
A solid, effective content curation strategy is vital for success in today’s saturated marketplace, regardless of your startup’s industry. It’s one way to stand out from the crowd, and better yet, curating content helps keep audience engagement high.
Originally published Jan. 17, 2021.
