What you need to know about content curation

Content curation is an essential component of a marketing strategy.

When it comes to creating and executing a successful marketing strategy, content curation is often forgotten.  There are two reasons for this: 1) lack of knowledge about what content curation is; and 2) lack of knowledge about the role of content curation within a marketing strategy.

Here is what you need to know about content curation.

What is content curation?

Simply put, content curation is the act of identifying valuable content from a variety of sources and distributing via it your own platform in a strategic manner.

Heidi Cohen, President at Riverside Marketing Strategies, looked to content marketing experts so as to better understand what content curation is and how it can be used to achieve business objectives.  She compiled 19 definitions.  Here are three of the definitions:

Content curation is the process of identifying content created by others that will be valuable for your audience and then publishing it on your own platform. Michael Brenner of SAP and the B2B Insider blog.

Content curation is hand selecting content created by other sources and sharing them with your community. Best done when whoever is curating adds their own explanation for sharing, reaction or opinions. C.C. Chapman author of Author of Amazing Things Will Happen and co-author of Content Rules.

Content curation is the process of choosing the most relevant information to meet your readers’ needs on a specific topic like a good editor or museum curator. Content curation requires more than just the selection of information. It’s the assembling, categorizing, commenting and presenting the best content available. Heidi Cohen of Riverside Marketing Strategies.

Why content curation matters

A 2014 survey found that 76% of respondents reported that content curation positively impacted their business goals in 2013.  90% of respondents predicted that content curation will have a positive impact on their business goals in the upcoming year.

No one wants to hear about you all the time.  As strange as it may sound, talking about your products, services, and your value all the time is bad for business.  Here is where content curation comes in.  Content curation will serve to establish your business as a thought-leader within the industry and as a trusted resource.  Additionally, it will serve to increase your brand visibility. The great thing about content curation is that it enables you to achieve these business objectives without talking all about you.

Navigating the deluge of digital content available, and identifying the content that is relevant and valuable to your prospects and customers is critical.

Two things to remember:

Quality is key

There is a lot of digital clutter.  Steller content curation sorts through the clutter and identifies quality content.  Make sure that the content you curate is quality content and not clutter.

Be valuable and relevant

Make sure that every piece of content your curate is content that is both valuable and relevant to your prospects and customers.