Curation Isn’t a 4-Letter Word

Brands often do not focus their editorial plans on third-party content. They are measured by whether or not they are getting clicks to their website or engagement solely with their branded content. While that’s an important goal of content marketing, it can’t be the only one. Not only do most brands not have the resources to create unique and branded content at the frequency needed to engage their audience, they shouldn’t. Brands need a balanced editorial strategy from a variety of sources, including curating third-party content.

Third-party content gives brands the opportunity to talk about something other than their own brand. Moving from a broadcast approach to a conversation approach can result in a stronger brand with higher engagement.

Establish common ground

Have you been to a party or a networking event and the person you meet is constantly talking about themselves? This can be quite annoying and often you will try to find an escape route. The same is true in social. Become a part of the conversation by providing your own take on a curated article or a subject. This will give you common ground with your audience. It will make your brand more approachable, more authentic, and more pleasant to interact with.

Validate your own key messages

Many audiences on social are sensitive to being overly sold to. Therefore, they only tolerate so much branded content. When you use curated content, it creates an opportunity for you to validate your own key messages and hot topics through a neutral or at least unbranded source — especially when sharing third-party analysis reports or research data. In fact, a CMO Council study found that research reports and analyst insights were two of the top five preferred content types by buyers.

Curating content from trusted and informative third-party sources will help your brand gain more respect and attention from your audience.

An excellent testing ground

Share third-party content to test your audience’s interest in certain topics. It can provide an opportunity for you to expand on something you shared that your audience showed great interest in. Let third-party content become a testing ground for influencing your branded content strategy.

Extend your reach

Sharing curated content in social provides an opportunity to @Mention another company, publication, or author who created the content and engage with hashtags they are using as well. It also allows you to give credit where credit is due and make sure you are not inadvertently taking credit for the content as your own.

Don’t become an RSS feed

Content is only as good as you make it. It’s an opportunity for you to provide something for your audience to consume, engage, or share. If you don’t make it interesting, you haven’t helped them. Don’t fall into the trap of using curated content as filler content with little to say about it. If you can’t provide an interesting angle to present the content, you shouldn’t be sharing it.

Sharing third-party content might sound counterintuitive or counterproductive when trying to drive clicks to your own domain, but it should be a key component to your content marketing strategy.