Table of Contents

• What is content curation?
• Content curation vs. content creation
• Benefits of content curation
  • Save time and money
  • Build relationships and lift others up
  • Diversify your content calendar
  • More community engagement potential
  • Position your brand as a thought leader
• How to use Hootsuite to curate quality social media content
  • Hootsuite Listening Basics
  • Other Hootsuite-integrated content curation tools
• 8 best practices for social media content curation
  • Determine your content mix
  • Know your audience
  • Don’t limit yourself to one platform or source
  • Make it your own
  • Credit your sources
  • Schedule your content
  • Track your performance
  • Review and revise your strategy regularly

What is content curation?

Content curation is the process of discovering, gathering, and presenting digital content that surrounds specific subject matter. It involves sifting through vast amounts of information and selectively highlighting the best and most relevant content for sharing with an audience. Unlike content creation, which involves producing original content from scratch, curation is about finding and sharing the right content at the right time. It requires discernment to determine which pieces of information will be valuable to a target audience.

Curated content can come from a variety of sources, including blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media posts. The curator’s role is to add context and richness to this content, thereby transforming disparate pieces of information into a coherent narrative or story. This approach not only saves time but also helps maintain a consistent flow of engaging content for audiences.

Content curation vs. content creation

While both content curation and creation are vital components of a marketing strategy, they require different skill sets and approaches. Content creation entails generating original material, which can be time-consuming and demanding in terms of resources. It allows for complete creative control and direct alignment with brand messaging and goals.

Conversely, content curation focuses on the collection and dissemination of existing content. It involves critical thinking and selection skills to identify high-quality, relevant content that resonates with the audience’s interests and needs. Curators must also provide added value by offering insights, fostering discussions, or crafting a narrative around the selected content. By integrating both creation and curation, marketers can leverage a balanced approach that ensures a constant stream of fresh and diverse content.

Benefits of content curation

Save time and money

One of the most notable benefits of content curation is the significant saving of time and resources. Creating original content can be labor-intensive and expensive, especially for small teams or organizations with limited budgets. Curation, on the other hand, allows marketers to consistently share valuable content without the consistent need for extensive production efforts.

By efficiently locating and organizing existing high-quality content, marketers can maintain an active and engaging presence with less effort. This strategy is especially beneficial when facing tight deadlines or when striving for efficiency in content output.

Build relationships and lift others up

Content curation provides an opportunity to build relationships within your industry or niche. By sharing and highlighting others’ content, curators can foster goodwill and strengthen connections with original creators. This can lead to collaborations, shared audiences, or reciprocal sharing opportunities that benefit both parties.

Moreover, by showcasing the great work of others, marketers can demonstrate their support and appreciation, building a reputation as community-minded and collaborative. This lifts the entire industry and drives a sense of camaraderie among practitioners.

Diversify your content calendar

Curated content can help diversify and enrich your content calendar. It brings in varied perspectives and voices, covering subjects or formats you might not have otherwise explored. This diversity is vital in maintaining audience interest and engagement, as it prevents monotony and keeps content fresh and exciting.

By balancing original and curated pieces, marketers can offer a more robust and varied content experience. This variety is key to appealing to a broad audience range and catering to different preferences and interests.

More community engagement potential

Curated content can increase audience engagement by sparking discussions and encouraging interactions. By selecting content that is both informative and thought-provoking, curators can prompt audiences to comment, share, and offer their perspectives, thus fostering a dynamic conversation around the topic.

This engagement not only elevates active participation but also provides valuable insights into audience opinions and preferences, which can inform future content strategies and initiatives.

Position your brand as a thought leader

Consistently sharing high-value content positions your brand as a trusted source and authority within your industry. Curators who expertly select and share significant content showcase their awareness and understanding of the subject, cementing their reputations as thought leaders.

This perceived authority can lead to enhanced credibility, increased audience trust, and a stronger brand presence, all of which are crucial for long-term success and influence in the market.

How to use Hootsuite to curate quality social media content

Hootsuite Listening Basics

Hootsuite Listening is a powerful tool for discovering relevant conversations and content across social media platforms. It allows users to track keywords, hashtags, and specific accounts, aggregating all related content into a centralized feed. This organized streamlining helps curators keep a finger on the pulse of trending topics and conversations that are relevant to their audiences.

By setting up custom streams within Hootsuite Listening, marketers can effortlessly monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and audience discussions. This empowers curators to quickly identify worthy content to share, maximize engagement, and turn attention toward their brand.

Other Hootsuite-integrated content curation tools

In addition to Hootsuite Listening, several content curation tools integrate seamlessly with Hootsuite to enhance the curation process. For instance, Pocket allows users to save articles and videos to a personal library that syncs with Hootsuite, ensuring easy access to valuable content at any time.

Moreover, BuzzSumo provides insights into top-performing content across different platforms, helping identify shareworthy pieces based on engagement metrics. These integrations, paired with Hootsuite’s scheduling and analytics capabilities, create an efficient and comprehensive content curation workflow.

8 best practices for social media content curation

1. Determine your content mix

One of the fundamental best practices in content curation is to decide on an appropriate mix of curated and original content. By strategically integrating both, marketers can ensure a dynamic and engaging content calendar. Consider audience preferences, campaign goals, and available resources when devising this mix.

It can be advantageous to aim for a ratio that suits your brand’s objectives, whether it’s 60% curated and 40% original or another split that ensures diversity and value in your messaging.

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience and their needs, interests, and challenges is crucial for effective content curation. Tailor your curated content to address those specific areas, which ensures relevance and resonance. Regularly engage with your audience through surveys, comments, and social listening to gather insights into their preferences and adjust your strategy accordingly.

3. Don’t limit yourself to one platform or source

Expanding your content curation efforts across multiple platforms and sources exposes your audience to a broader range of insights and perspectives. Leverage a variety of channels, such as blogs, industry publications, social media, and podcasts, to compile a comprehensive content portfolio.

By diversifying your sources, you ensure a wide array of content possibilities and mitigate the risk of echo chambers or repetitive perspectives.

4. Make it your own

While curation involves sharing existing content, it’s important to inject your brand’s unique perspective and voice into it. This can be done by offering insights, commentary, or framing the content within the context of your brand’s values and narratives. Personalization enriches the content and reinforces your brand’s identity.

5. Credit your sources

Always acknowledge the original creators of the content you curate. This not only shows respect for their work but also helps build relationships and credibility. Proper attribution includes tagging the original creator’s social media handles, providing direct links, and using quotations where applicable.

6. Schedule your content

Planning and scheduling curated content in advance ensures a consistent and regular posting schedule. Tools like Hootsuite allow marketers to create a content calendar and automatically post at optimal times, maintaining audience engagement and visibility without manual intervention.

7. Track your performance

Monitoring the performance of curated content is critical for understanding what resonates with your audience. Use analytics tools to measure interactions, shares, and comments, and gain insights into what type of content succeeds in driving engagement. These metrics inform future curation efforts and highlight opportunities for refinement.

8. Review and revise your strategy regularly

The digital landscape is always evolving, making it essential to regularly evaluate and tweak your content curation strategy. Regular reviews ensure that your content aligns with current trends, audience behavior, and brand objectives. This iterative approach to strategy development keeps content relevant and impactful.

Future Prospects in Content Curation