I caught Paul Gillin’s column in B2B magazine yesterday on how curation is the new creation. This quote hit home:
“…humans face a problem our species has never confronted before: We have too much information. Our challenge has shifted from finding what we need to filtering out what we don’t. Today, curation is nearly as important as creation.”
Paul also points out that curation is as old as collecting itself. It’s NOT new (although it’s the flavor of the month right now). Media companies have been curating content for centuries, but the idea of online content curation is something all content marketers need to consider as part of the content marketing plan.
Why? Brands must position themselves as the trusted industry experts. To do that, curation must be part of the mix.
Are you stuck on how exactly to do this? If so, here are some ideas to chew on.
1. Lists
Generating the defacto list on something relevant to your customers is a good first step. For example, Junta42 has been curating the top content marketing blogs for over three years now. This list is one of our top 5 most popular pages, generates a number of enewsletter and blog signups, and has led to significant new business and lasting relationships. Since there are hundreds of excellent content sources out there on content marketing, the list helps marketers quickly find the best in just one click.
Your list could revolve around online resources, companies, buyer’s guides, best practices and more. Find out what your customers really need to know and construct this helpful tool.
2. Curated Microsites
A curated microsite is a stand-alone website that brings in content from multiple sources around one niche topic. American Express has done this tremendously well with Open Forum (a mixture of new and curated content). Adobe (Omniture) has transformed CMO.com into the best digital marketing material for C-level marketers. Content Marketing Institute partner OpenView Venture Partners (a venture capital firm) has recently launched OpenView Labs, which seeks to become the ultimate resource for expansion-stage technology companies.
3. SmartBrief-Style eNewsletter
SmartBrief has created a business from developing curated enewsletters around dozens of business-related topics. You can too. Instead of creating and editing all original content, consider packaging the best of the industry each week in a tidy enewsletter. OpenView has done this with their enewsletter. So has Junta42, using a mix of original blog content and the best of the net (sign up here).
4. Curated Twitter Feed
The original concept for the Junta42 Twitter feed was exactly that – curating the best content marketing articles each day (now with over 350 listings). We get dozens, sometimes hundreds of people sharing this content each day, helping to position Junta42 as a leader in content marketing. The World Economic Forum does this perhaps better than anyone (with over 1.5 million followers).
Great content comes from almost anywhere these days. If your job is to position your brand as the leading expert in the industry, curation needs to be part of the equation.
What’s your content curation idea? Would love to hear it.
