[Masters of Marketing] 3 Best Practices For Content Curation to Build Your Brand

Content curation, as the words suggest, puts you in the role of a curator where you select, assemble and present the most relevant information to your audience.

Compared to snazzy videos and infographics, curating content is much faster and cheaper.

There is also good potential for thought leadership. With so much content being created every second, brands that enable their audience to make sense of what they should pay attention to will greatly increase their credibility as a leader.

Also, remember the guy at the party that talks about himself all the time? You don’t want to be that guy. This is where curation comes in because it helps you appear less promotional.

Jane Lee, Founder, Lede Collective, explains content curation which, when combined with content creation, gives you a cost-effective way to build your brand.

But how do you actually start curating content? Here are three things to look out for.

First, the content itself: Is it well-written? Is the topic newsworthy or valuable to your audience?

Second, the source of the content: Is it a credible source? And of course, make sure the source is not a direct competitor.

Third, alignment. Do the content and the source align with your stance on the topic? For example, if you sell eco-friendly products, you may not want to share content from a source that advocates climate change is fake.

Now that you know how to find the relevant content, here are three best practices to follow.

1. Decide on the ratio between original and curated content. Some brands do 60% original, 40% curated. There's no hard and fast rule except that you should have more original content than curated. You also want to figure out the ratio per channel. For instance, you might curate more content on Twitter than on Instagram.

2. Create categories for the content you’re going to curate. Or you’ll end up sharing the same content over and over again which gets boring. Some companies only share content strictly related to their industry while others go for a broader appeal. For example if you sell memory cards, not exactly the sexiest product in the world, you can still curate amazing visuals from photographers who use your SD card.

3. Add your voice to the curated content. You’re not a robot just posting links. You need to give your take on the content, you can analyse it or disagree with it. Most importantly, say something so that your personality can shine through and people will remember you.

About Lede Collective

We are a content marketing collective of seasoned professionals who tell stories using words, visuals and films. We focus on B2B brands and offer the 4Cs – Content, Communications, Coaching and Consulting. Also known for delivering big-agency quality with a personal touch.