curation Archives -

Content Curation: 5 Killer Reasons It’s Your New BFF

“Find good stuff and share it” is the way content curation works. Whether you as a curator are on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Pinterest, people want to see the best articles chosen for them. Very few people have hundreds of hours to scour the web looking for the gold nuggets. But why is content curation your BFF, you may wonder?

Fewer Brain Explosions!

Your brain can pay attention to maybe four things at once. A friend of mine recently said that if you’re driving you can pay attention to what’s in front of you, in back of you, and to either side. If one more item is added, say texting, then it’s overload. Information overload works the same way. Content curation helps your audience because you filter the good stuff for them, and then hand it to them on a pretty plate. Here’s how to handle information overload (TIP: Skip to the list!).

Builds Trust

People will come to rely on your content, so ensure that you stay on target and be true to what you’ll share. So if your social media profile says you are a restaurant, people would probably expect to see fabulous images of food. Probably. And maybe content from parallel industries as well, such as pubs and wineries. Of course, you can also create your own content. Here’s an article on Content Creation: Like Hosting Out-of-Town Guests, that you might like.

Photo by Grayskullduggery

Creates Community

Posting about a particular subject draws in like-minded people. How often have you yourself, as a content curator, been impressed or tickled by a content on someone else’s post? Content curation, done the right way, gives you that sense of community that we’re sometimes lacking.

Opens the Imagination

The best Facebook page or Pinterest board unlocks your imagination. Sometimes you get a lot more than you expected, when you go to a beautifully curated account. Sometimes you think “I could make that outdoor sofa set from old pallets” or “that Grand Marnier Soufflé looks entirely do-able!” Here’s a post about Pinterest Influencers: Curating Pins that you might like.

Positions You As a Thought Leader

If you have original ideas, then curating content can make you a leader. People will come to you first when they want an answer about your area of expertise. When you add context to a news article, for example, you reframe an already-existing viewpoint. And who doesn’t want to be a thought leader?

Secret Sixth Reason

Here’s the reason many of you curate content: It’s your passion. And you want engaged followers. Don’t you?

Pinterest Influencers: Curating Pins

Pinterest, like other forms of social media, is somewhat like high school. Looks only get you so far; it’s the nature of your content, either good or bad, that will draw attention. But you may not always know what you should pin or not pin. And Pinterest, like Twitter, seems to reward those who post often, since it is through discovery that most people find others. But what should you pin? Here, then, are some ideas on pins that you could curate for your own brand.

Pin Your Own Content

For this example, let’s say that you are a garden shop. Your shop sells roses, fruit trees, and decorative plants of all kinds. Some boards you might want are: edible gardens, mulch, indoor plants, and flowers. You can pin your own pictures, you can post special garden events, and you can engage with those who comment on your pins. You probably want to keep your important boards near the top of your account, “above the fold” in website terms. Also, pay attention to making your board covers beautiful.

Do you have to keep all your pins limited to your own content, though? No!

Curate Pins from Strategic Partners

You can also pin from strategic partners. For a garden shop, that could mean a board about garden art, protecting honey bees, lotion for gardeners, and fancy-pants items such as special gloves. You want your followers to follow you because you curate the best pins–and those pins don’t have to be strictly about gardens or plants.

Amplify Your Message with Group Boards

Tulips One of Your Pinterest Boards Could be About Tulips

You might want a group board shared by all your garden specialists, where everyone can add photos of successful gardens. Your clients can look at boards for ideas on which garden styles could work for them, too. Rather than looking at magazines, they can look at actual pictures from your own clients’ gardens. You can send pins or board locations to clients looking for a garden remodel. You might also want to join big gardening boards with lots of pinners, so long as they are active.

Sell from Your Website

Do you sell gloves, lotion, or greeting cards? You can pin right from your website or Etsy account. Be sure to fill out the pins’ descriptions completely, so that you can be found in search.

Secret Boards

Pinterest now allows you an unlimited number of secret boards, so why not use them to stage your pins? You may want to hold content back for pinning at optimal times or create boards for off-topic pins (rather than creating a personal account). And, if you’re pinning on a team, you can share secret boards with clients or team members.

Make it Pretty!

This might sound obvious, but make sure that your pins are beautiful. A beautiful image will make others want to follow you, repin from you, and want to engage with you more often. Curating the best content will keep people wanting to see more. And that’s good for you and your brand.

How Do You Curate?

Do you curate pins? How do you decide what to pin? I’d love to hear from you!