Aggregating content from a variety of sources into an all-inclusive resource is an integral part of every effective content marketing plan. However, the journey of content curation is not an easy one. A web content aggregator can help though.
Creating a quality-curated resource takes critical evaluation and an investment in time. The result of this demanding journey is a priceless piece of content that helps your audience not only to get past clutter on the internet but also save time.
Reasons to curate content
After seeing that it's so time consuming, you're probably wondering why you should even bother. After all, don't people kind of curate their own content on social media? Remember, though, you want to be the brand that stands out for being the ultimate source of information for your audience.
If you have not been aggregating content, it's a good idea to check out the benefits, such as:
- Benefitting from older content.
Most marketers do not have enough funds or the time to keep producing new content to distribute across blogs and social media. Content curation comes to your rescue by enabling you to breathe new life into ‘old’ material on your business sites. You get great content, but with far less work.
- Content aggregation trumps traditional promotional ads.
Direct advertisements, no matter where you put them, do not receive a lot of attention from consumers. Most customers can smell an ad a mile away. Unless they are looking for a deal before making a purchase, they are likely to turn a blind eye to the advert.
In addition, self-promotion on social media platforms yields a minimal number of clicks and even lesser conversion rates. Content aggregation on the other hand, provides a way for you to talk about important issues relating to your brand and your business while simultaneously quenching your prospects thirst for valuable information.
- Leads to more organic traffic.
Customers often conduct their own research about a product way before they make the purchase. This is true for both consumer-oriented and business-oriented products. By the time you realize that they are in the market, a prospect is already over halfway through the process. You can use content aggregation to extend your content offering by providing the kind of information that consumers are looking for.
They appreciate all the valuable information you've provided. In turn, they do much of their research and naturally move to your site to learn more about the brand that's willing to help them and not just market to them.- It's great for SEO.
Everyone's doing it
While this isn't typically advice you should follow, it's reasonable in this instance. As a business or brand, you don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing your business. If something is working well for numerous other businesses, why not try it yourself? With a web content aggregator, you're able to customize exactly what content you provide, which means your approach will differ from everyone else's. You'll still get all the same benefits, though. Writtent gathered 15 facts about content curation that really put this marketing method into perspective. Some of the stand out numbers include:- 95% of marketers globally have shared content from other organizations. It's not a new trend anymore, but the norm.
- 80% of marketers opt for content curation as a way to improve their brand's visibility.
- 78% of businesses have a favorite tool or method for making content curation much easier. Curator is one such tool that helps businesses find what they need.
- Establishing an audience is difficult on your own. That's why 64% of content marketers have trouble engaging an audience solo. Curation fills in to reduce the workload while still keeping audiences interested.
9 types of curated content
Perhaps you may ask, what kind of content should you curate? Below are top ideas on great content that you can curate:
- Expert tips
Any person can curate content as long as they have excellent online research skills. For instance, even without expertise on video cameras, you can conduct careful research on the internet and come up with a comprehensive guide of top tips for choosing the best video camera by curating tips from seasoned video experts.
- Presentations and webinars
Today, smart presenters and speakers use websites such as SlideShare to avail their presentation slides and webinar archives online. Use keywords appropriate to an industry related topic to search for the best presentations. Once you have categorized and sorted the best presentations, embed the slide presentations into great aggregated blog posts. You can use presentation tools to make an amazing online presentation.
- Case studies
We all like to learn by example. Most people will search the web to see what others think or say about a product, service, or an idea. When you want to put emphasis on or to disapprove an idea or a point, you can do so by aggregating case study examples of others that support or counter that point.
- Industry blogs or sites
This is a much easier method of creating quality aggregated content. All you need to do is put together a list of the blogs you usually go to for information about your industry.
- Infographics
Readers love infographics. When you notice some infographics cropping up in your industry, add them to a blog post and tell your readers what you think about them.
- Statistics
It is no secret that data is a hot commodity for content. All content creators have struggled to find a perfect statistic to support a point they were trying to make at one point or another. Try compiling the top statistics for your industry, charts, and graphs into one all-inclusive resource.
- Videos
Videos are now the order of the day in most industries. Consider embedding some of the best how to videos into a post.
- Ebooks
Do you have some must-read ebooks you think would be of value to your audience? Consider creating a reading list for them.
- Industry examples
Whichever industry you are in, you will find excellent examples that others can learn from. You can aggregate a number of these examples and make them into a great learning resource for your readers. For instance, if you work for a landscaping company, you can take pictures of excellent landscaping jobs and explain why you think they are fantastic.
Assembling your content curation toolbox
So far we have discussed the importance of content curation and the various types of content you can aggregate. Now, where should your web content aggregator look?
- RSS readers
Draw together RSS feeds of content you know will be enjoyable to your audience. Using a tool such as curator.io, group the information into narrowly focused groupings to make it easier to plan for the topics or content you will share.
- Focused social network lists
You need to categorize your social feeds just like you did with the RSS feeds. For instance, it will be much easier to curate content according to a particular topic, if you have twitter lists of people belonging in a specific niche than when you have all your users in a general feed.
- Forums and groups
Another place to find great content to curate is in forums such as inbound.org. Curate only the pieces that are getting a lot of attention and discussion. If members of a forum are not very enthusiastic about a topic of discussion, it is likely that your audience will not like it either.
- Sign up for emails
Email newsletters are aggregated pieces by themselves. The information they contain might not be easy to come about anywhere else. You can take advantage of this wealth of knowledge and share it with your readers.
- Google alerts
Sign up for Google Alerts on topics that your readers love. Keep the search as narrow as possible and always read the information you find before you share it.
Final tips
If you are going to curate, try to find the best content, the kind of content that your audience will enjoy and want to share and comment on. Content should offer value to your readers.
Ensure that you aggregate content only from reputable sources. This way, you can be guaranteed of the quality, relevance, and accuracy of the material. Even when using a web content aggregator, check the sources.
When done correctly, content curation can extend the life of your existing content and boost your marketing efforts. It may seem like a simple strategy, but sometimes it's better not to overcomplicate things.
You will find the tips discussed herein beneficial no matter what kind of business you operate in. Try them out, and share your experience with us.