Content curation shouldn’t replace content creation; it should be another way of adding value to your already impressive collection of content. In the previous two articles about content curation we covered the basics, as well as why content curation is an effective technique for driving traffic to your site. This article covers the steps to follow when curating content.

The Basic Step-by-Step

According to Curata there are five basic steps when curating content.

Step 1: Identify your topic.
Choose a subject that will communicate your brand and make you an opinion leader on a specific topic. Choose something topical and relevant to your target audience.

Step 2: Find the sources.
Consider the work of industry professionals - the sources you use should be reliable.

Step 3: Organise the found content.
Filter through the found content and categorise it in a way that works with your argument or opinion. Different content should be structured to make sense and work together as one piece.

Step 4: Add value to the found content.
Add your own findings or opinions to the content. The found content should substantiate your point or argument. Don’t repeat or plagiarise.

Step 5: Publish and promote the final product.
Share the content on your website or blog and make sure to promote it through social media.

The In-Depth Step-by-Step

Further considerations should be taken into account to ensure that you have a comprehensive final piece of content.

• Explanations: It is a good idea to explain why certain information has been curated. Tell your audience why you found a particular topic of interest and why they should as well.
• Credits: Always include links to the original content and credits where necessary.
• Extracts: Don’t include complete articles in your final piece. You are not regurgitating content; you are adding value to your content by referring to someone else’s ideas. This will also encourage readers to click through to the original content. Authors will thank you for leading traffic to their sites and as such your networking frame work widens.
• Choose wisely: Only use content that adds to your argument. Don’t include poor quality content just because it covers the same topic.
• Put your stamp on it: Make sure to add your say. Don’t follow the opinions of others and get lost between the rest. The point is to have a valid opinion and to use other’s content only as illustrations.

The Tools

Ultimately it comes down to how you pinpoint and present content in a way that is valuable and interesting. Seeing as curation is a lengthy process, there are tools available to help you. They simplify the process but don’t do everything for you. You still need to make sure that the content included is of high quality. Two of the most widely used tools are Scoop.it and Storify.

Scoop.it
Shine on the Web
To start with you select a list of topics in which you are interested. Scoop.it then adds all relevant content to your home page feed and from there you can choose which pieces to curate. Content includes everything from blog posts to social media posts. As a user you create topics and curate content into those topics.

Storify
Make the Web Tell a Story
Storify focuses on more thorough content. You can search through thousands of topics and each individual piece of content can be rated and commented on. This enables you to see which pieces are the most popular.

Both Scoop.it and Storify allows you to find specific content easily and in one place, but the hard work of filtering through it all and deciding what to use and how to use it is still left to complete.

Curation isn’t a quick and easy way to add new content to your site – it is a long and arduous process which could, if done correctly, drive a lot of traffic to your site.

Related articles:

The Basics of Content Curation in the Digital Sphere

Become an Opinion Leader through Content Curation

Sound Idea Digital is a full service digital marketing agency. For more information, contact 012 66 44 227 or email to info@soundidea.co.za

Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za l @soundidea | Sound Idea Digital l www.soundidea.co.za

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