Content curation tools for marketing professionals
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 10:16 am
For example, writing a blog post that summarizes great marketing examples requires you to select solid samples of content relevant to what you're writing about. And while that's great, it can be tricky. There are many, many social media, news, emails, and infographics filled with such content that can demand a lot of time and attention.
That’s why the responsibility of content curation is important. Imagine you’re a successful wedding DJ: your selections can’t be made lightly. The bride and groom’s song, the music for the seniors, or playing Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” must be timed appropriately and aligned with what the party audience wants.
The same applies to content curation. Instead of just grouping together the most popular stuff on the web, choose the stuff that is most relevant and interesting to your audience. And provide the context around it that makes your website a destination. Of course, it’s not an absolute no-brainer. Where do you find this content, especially given the information overload we live with today? The idea of this post is to help you with this task, by listing some tools.
But first, what does a successful content curator do?
1) Content curation must be personal.
The beauty of the NextDraft news roundup is the personal touch and context that its chief curator, Dave Pell, gives to each story. I don’t just want a bunch of browsable links, I want to know gambling data taiwan why I should read this and how it affects me. That personalized context creates a kind of bond between curator and reader that goes beyond link aggregators that don’t humanize anything.
2) Content curation must generate value.
Here’s a little secret: no matter what industry your customers are in, they all want to stay informed, but also save time. Just like you, they have demands and can’t keep up with the latest news in their industry, but they want to. Helping solve this problem through personalized content retrieval presents a huge opportunity for brands to build a relationship with their audience.
If you can offer a curated experience that saves your customers time getting the information they need, you'll be a big step toward building trust and loyalty.
3) Content curation should offset promotional content.
Customers can grow tired of brands that incessantly promote their own products. Which is why modern brands think beyond products or features. The relationship customers have with brands transcends the product itself. After all, that forms part of the foundation of inbound marketing . So while a product may initially draw you to a specific brand, it’s what the brand offers holistically after the purchase — like great content or remarkable service — that keeps you around or coming back to buy again.
4) Content curation shouldn't take all day
Finally, we come to content curation tools. Thanks to a plethora of websites and technologies, it’s never been easier to find the external information that will serve as a resource for your clients. But you need to prioritize them, so here’s the list, to help optimize your content curation efforts.
10 Content Curation Tools for Marketing Professionals
For beginners
If you’re thinking, “Yeah, I occasionally share a relevant post with my clients when I find one,” congratulations, you’re curating content. Unfortunately, you’re not doing it on a sustainable scale that would make it a trusted source.
But don’t worry: There are better ways to curate content for beginners that are completely free. Here are three simple sources of information to help you get started in the habit of curating content, without feeling overwhelmed by complex tools, subscription fees, or various complications.
Pocket
1) Pocket
Pocket is a great place to get into the habit of accumulating content to save and share later. Instead of having a list of favorites or countless emails you've sent with links, it keeps all of your interesting images, articles, and videos in one reference place. You can group articles with tags, and the site's built-in search function makes it easy to find these articles. Plus, it pairs with over 500 other apps, like Evernote , for seamless integration.
And as a bonus, Pocket tweets its tHits to get the most-saved articles on its platform — a must-do if you’re active on Twitter. For other “read later” apps like Pocket, check out Instapaper .
Twitter Lists
Twitter can be a mess if you don't organize the accounts you follow. That's where Twitter lists come in handy: curated groups of Twitter users that you can categorize and follow separately from the rest of your feed. Here's one I created over at Web Design, which I manage and continually update. Even better, if you create a Pocket account, you can easily save Twitter articles directly to your account.
Click here to learn how to start your first Twitter list.
Newsletters
Newsletters serve as a fantastic daily reminder to get your content curated. For example, I follow HubSpot on Twitter, but I don’t always get a chance to check out their tweets when I’m busy. Luckily, HubSpot also offers an email subscription. That way, if I don’t catch something notable on social media, I’ll likely see it via email.
No matter what industry you're in, keep an eye out for newsletter signups. And if a good one doesn't exist in your industry, that's the perfect opportunity to create one. But before you start your own newsletter, learn from what other outlets are doing. If you'd like to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, click here .
For intermediates
These are some good sources for when you've got the basics covered. Resources like newsletters, social media, and late-reading apps. But if you're looking for something a little more comprehensive, and if you're willing to pay for a subscription, these are the in-depth — and algorithmically generated — news summaries, feeds, and content you should check out.
That’s why the responsibility of content curation is important. Imagine you’re a successful wedding DJ: your selections can’t be made lightly. The bride and groom’s song, the music for the seniors, or playing Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” must be timed appropriately and aligned with what the party audience wants.
The same applies to content curation. Instead of just grouping together the most popular stuff on the web, choose the stuff that is most relevant and interesting to your audience. And provide the context around it that makes your website a destination. Of course, it’s not an absolute no-brainer. Where do you find this content, especially given the information overload we live with today? The idea of this post is to help you with this task, by listing some tools.
But first, what does a successful content curator do?
1) Content curation must be personal.
The beauty of the NextDraft news roundup is the personal touch and context that its chief curator, Dave Pell, gives to each story. I don’t just want a bunch of browsable links, I want to know gambling data taiwan why I should read this and how it affects me. That personalized context creates a kind of bond between curator and reader that goes beyond link aggregators that don’t humanize anything.
2) Content curation must generate value.
Here’s a little secret: no matter what industry your customers are in, they all want to stay informed, but also save time. Just like you, they have demands and can’t keep up with the latest news in their industry, but they want to. Helping solve this problem through personalized content retrieval presents a huge opportunity for brands to build a relationship with their audience.
If you can offer a curated experience that saves your customers time getting the information they need, you'll be a big step toward building trust and loyalty.
3) Content curation should offset promotional content.
Customers can grow tired of brands that incessantly promote their own products. Which is why modern brands think beyond products or features. The relationship customers have with brands transcends the product itself. After all, that forms part of the foundation of inbound marketing . So while a product may initially draw you to a specific brand, it’s what the brand offers holistically after the purchase — like great content or remarkable service — that keeps you around or coming back to buy again.
4) Content curation shouldn't take all day
Finally, we come to content curation tools. Thanks to a plethora of websites and technologies, it’s never been easier to find the external information that will serve as a resource for your clients. But you need to prioritize them, so here’s the list, to help optimize your content curation efforts.
10 Content Curation Tools for Marketing Professionals
For beginners
If you’re thinking, “Yeah, I occasionally share a relevant post with my clients when I find one,” congratulations, you’re curating content. Unfortunately, you’re not doing it on a sustainable scale that would make it a trusted source.
But don’t worry: There are better ways to curate content for beginners that are completely free. Here are three simple sources of information to help you get started in the habit of curating content, without feeling overwhelmed by complex tools, subscription fees, or various complications.
1) Pocket
Pocket is a great place to get into the habit of accumulating content to save and share later. Instead of having a list of favorites or countless emails you've sent with links, it keeps all of your interesting images, articles, and videos in one reference place. You can group articles with tags, and the site's built-in search function makes it easy to find these articles. Plus, it pairs with over 500 other apps, like Evernote , for seamless integration.
And as a bonus, Pocket tweets its tHits to get the most-saved articles on its platform — a must-do if you’re active on Twitter. For other “read later” apps like Pocket, check out Instapaper .
Twitter Lists
Twitter can be a mess if you don't organize the accounts you follow. That's where Twitter lists come in handy: curated groups of Twitter users that you can categorize and follow separately from the rest of your feed. Here's one I created over at Web Design, which I manage and continually update. Even better, if you create a Pocket account, you can easily save Twitter articles directly to your account.
Click here to learn how to start your first Twitter list.
Newsletters
Newsletters serve as a fantastic daily reminder to get your content curated. For example, I follow HubSpot on Twitter, but I don’t always get a chance to check out their tweets when I’m busy. Luckily, HubSpot also offers an email subscription. That way, if I don’t catch something notable on social media, I’ll likely see it via email.
No matter what industry you're in, keep an eye out for newsletter signups. And if a good one doesn't exist in your industry, that's the perfect opportunity to create one. But before you start your own newsletter, learn from what other outlets are doing. If you'd like to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, click here .
For intermediates
These are some good sources for when you've got the basics covered. Resources like newsletters, social media, and late-reading apps. But if you're looking for something a little more comprehensive, and if you're willing to pay for a subscription, these are the in-depth — and algorithmically generated — news summaries, feeds, and content you should check out.