Content curation: What it is and what it brings to your marketing strategy

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Nowadays, being at the forefront of information circulating on the Internet is essential for any company that wants to be relevant in the market. Content curation, in addition to supporting the marketing area , also serves the function of eliminating the information “noise” that exists on the web. This information is present on the Internet and is accessed by users through social networks , websites/blogs, or via e-mail marketing.

However, in order to achieve the goals you want through canada mobile number database content distribution, you need to know how to curate content. This is because knowing what type of content is really relevant - both for your company and your target audience - is essential.

The content curation process involves several stages, but in general terms they are segmentation and filtering of content (we will go into more detail on this later). After this process, the material is sent/made available to the target audience. How? Through sharing on brand communication channels - such as social media, website and email - as mentioned above. However, to be successful in content curation, it is important to understand how to implement this strategy.

How to do content curation?
Keep in mind that every second, information on the Internet is updated or new is added. That content, which can be in video, text, image, and other formats, reaches the public through different channels. But how do you ensure that your material will stand out from the rest, and thereby gain the attention of your target audience?

This is where content curation becomes essential. In addition to segmenting and selecting the content to be transmitted, this tool also allows the recipient to contextualize the importance of that information.

To know how to properly curate content, there are some steps that must be followed:

1. Definition of objectives
The collection of information, whether through personal knowledge or through online searches, must respond to the company's corporate objectives. It must also be aligned with the interests of the audience, so it is essential to accurately understand their needs.

2. Research
The next step in good content curation, which will result in relevant material for your audience, is to do thorough research. This action consists of monitoring news, articles, infographics, videos, tutorials and other types of information sources, identifying the best, most reliable, and those that are valuable to the audience and aligned with your company's corporate strategy.

Previously, this process was tedious and completely manual, but today there are already online tools and platforms that support this work (we will mention them later).

3. Validation
The amount of information collected in the previous step is large. Therefore, once you have collected the necessary information, you must verify the relevance of this information (filter). It is important that it has a defined meaning. That is, that it is contextualized within the reality and important issues of the moment. Although it may seem simple, it is a task that, if done well, can require a great deal of time.

4. Publication
Here, it is advisable - if necessary - to adapt the publications to the language or vocabulary of the users, make adjustments to the publication format, take into account the reading time of the post, among other aspects. Although you may not believe it, these details can determine the success or failure of the publication.

Next, select the most appropriate distribution channels for that content. Social media is a very efficient medium for this process. Some of the most relevant ones are: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, among others.

Tip: Pay close attention to your audience's feedback on social media! This is an excellent "thermometer" for your company to get an idea of ​​the quality of the material being published.

5. Measurement and optimization
Remember what we said about feedback? It's time to put it into practice! Pay close attention to the comments people make on social media to find different ways to measure the results of your content and generate strategies for its optimization.

Advantages of doing content curation
The advantages of content curation include:

Better web positioning: Since the content is relevant, it increases the possibility of being shared by users, and therefore, increases the ranking in Google.
Branding: If users perceive value in the content you share, they are very likely to come back to you for more information. In this way, you can become a reference on one or more specific topics.
Networking: Finding people on the web interested in the same topics as you is a factor that you can use to your advantage to increase your network of contacts and create alliances that add value to your marketing strategy .
Mistakes you should not make!
When it comes to content curation, there are a number of mistakes you should avoid at all costs:

Not defining clear objectives from the beginning: Do you want to educate your audience? Attract a new market niche ? Increase your online reputation? Answering these questions before you start curating content is essential to ensure that your strategy delivers the results you expect.
Including irrelevant content: Does your content really have value for your target audience? Pay special attention to ensure that the content you are sharing is truly enriching for your audience, and does not deviate from the central topic.
Always using the same sources: People often make this mistake because they are too lazy to go a little further and research other sources. If you do this, it can seem like you are doing promotional marketing for the sites you frequent. Diversify your search sources! For example, you can find relevant information on social networks, and from there, reach websites or blogs that you may not have even known existed.
Not having quality sources: In addition to harming your positioning on Google, not having quality sources of information will negatively influence the final result of your content. Try to choose original, credible and up-to-date sources.
Don't reference information that isn't yours: Avoid this type of problem at all costs! If you're going to write something textual, follow the established writing and authorship standards to the letter (for example, APA standards).
Top Content Curation Tools
It is essential to understand that the job of a content curator is to do research. Therefore, he or she must know how and where to do this research. Today, there are several tools that help in optimizing this work - which previously was extremely manual.

However, for this to work, the curator needs to know the platforms that will help him or her in finding links, articles and information on the Internet. Below we list some of them:

Social networks
It is important to understand that your company's social networks must be used to filter and select the content considered relevant to your marketing. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin are essential in this process.

To learn how to curate content on social media, follow the posts and pages of your market references. Also, follow and monitor the profiles of your competitors.

PS: Not all brands are on Twitter! However, even so, you can use this tool to find out what the top topics that are trending right now are.

Social media is not the only tool that should be used for content curation. There are other, more automated platforms that are also worth considering by the marketing team.

BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a tool that should be used for content curation. This website helps in analyzing and filtering relevant content by searching for topics.

To understand the importance of BuzzSumo in content curation, it is worth mentioning that this is one of the most used tools by IBM and Yahoo. Content producers also use this tool for production. Buzzfeed, National Geographic, TED, and Rolling Stone are some of the well-known brands that use this tool.

How does it work? BuzzSumo selects the results for each keyword searched by the number of shares and backlinks of each article and news item. These factors measure and calculate the impact of each topic on the Internet.

One advantage of BuzzSumo is that its functionality is very intuitive. However, its free version only shows the first results and does not provide much data on the sharing of each of them. With the paid version, it is possible to have additional services. For example, the comparison of links and the selection of those topics that have an upward search trend. In addition, the tool allows you to find out the main sources of opinion on social networks for each specific topic.

PS: In case you choose to use only the free version of BuzzSumo, there is another tool you can complement it with: Social Mention

Pocket
Unlike BuzzSumo, Pocket aims to save articles you find on the internet. It works on computers, smartphones and tablets - on the latter two, the tool is in app form. This is an easy-to-use tool and a way to keep an up-to-date list of content.

Do you already know how to curate content?
There are other tools on the Internet that can help you organize and search for content. Evernote, for example, is a tool that can help you make a checklist of actions and queries that have already been made. You can also use Feedly as a support, since it shows first-hand the material published in the channels in which you “consume” content.

The important thing to know is that content curation is an ongoing task . In the end, there will always be new relevant information on topics that may interest your brand. Therefore, give content curation the importance it deserves. This way, you will have a company with more relevant material, a more engaged audience - and consequently, customers who are closer and more identified with your brand.

Do you use any of these tools in your daily life? Tell us!