Around 72% of marketers state that content curation and content marketing have improved business engagement. It's an essential part of any digital marketing plan.
But is content curation the same as content marketing? If you've seen the term pop up in your marketing research, you might feel confused about what it means.
And it's important that you do. Content curation is another tool in your digital marketing toolbelt. It can help you increase your brand's exposure and engagement online.
Lucky for you, this guide will explain content curation 101 and how it can benefit your business!
Content curation is the act of researching, gathering, and displaying existing pieces of content. Like a museum curator, you are bringing different digital "artworks" into one space and exhibiting them in a cohesive format.
You are not creating a new piece of content per se. This is content creation. But they both fall under the umbrella of content marketing.
Curated content can include any piece of digital content like pictures, written blog posts, videos, podcasts, or music.
The idea of curated content might be tough to get your head around. Because often, you need to create a new piece of content when you are collating the existing content. But the point of curated content 101 is that you are sharing the product or ideas of someone else.
These are some examples of content curation for businesses:
In theory, you have to publish a new Instagram Story (and "create" a new piece of content) to share someone else's photo. But it's not your photo, so it's not content creation; it's curation. Here are some more examples of curated content.
So, why should you include more content curation into your digital marketing strategy? Why should you highlight the work of others and not your own?
For one, it cements you as an expert in your field. It gives you more authority and clout if your audience can see you are aware of other big players in your industry. Plus, it makes you look like a team player if you are willing to share their content.
It also helps other big players in your industry find out about you. If you tweet a link to an article you loved and tag the author, they might notice. They could, in turn, share your business on their social media pages or website and increase your audience.
Content curation and creation are both important content marketing tools, and you should use them both. But now you know what content curation is; using it more can only help you grow your brand.
Want to know more about digital marketing so you can boost awareness of your business? Browse our digital marketing articles for tons more tips and advice!