Have you told friends about the movie you saw last weekend or novel you’re currently engrossed in yet? Maybe you’ve caught yourself saying “Emma Stone doesn’t disappoint,” or posted a photo of a book saying “I can’t put this down.” We love to talk about what excites us. About the art, music, news and updates relevant to our lives and interests.

We all share information and insights — about where we eat, what we buy, where we travel. Sharing information about what’s going on in our business or industry comes naturally – especially on social media.

Content curation is the practice of sharing information in a timely, purposeful way. Ultimately sharing what we think our peers or customers will find interesting or should know. Sharing the right content at the right time is an art form that elevates both you and those content producers you share.

A lot of businesses have added content curation to their marketing strategy. This is because it can both boost their online content and elevate their company’s image.

There are a number of reasons you may want to consider doing the same.

Curated content supplements blogs and other content.

Let’s face it. It can be tough to come up with solid blog content. Visit a few company websites and you’ll see that many fall short. Often their most recent blogs were posted months ago, or even sometime last year. Even worse, they reiterate the same concept without updates or finesse; this results in a seemingly endless cycle of rinse and repeat content. To combat this, curated content on social media can supplement your blog posts. Many of your followers will appreciate the fact that you aren’t constantly drumming your own chest but are listening to experts and sharing their ideas and advice.

As you share articles and your thoughts, people will see you as an expert

Let’s say that on a fairly regular basis, you find and share articles, charts, graphs, videos, white papers, research, etc. with your peers using Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (Google+, may you rest in peace). You always add your own take on these pieces –maybe a sentence or two or even a couple of paragraphs about why you agree/disagree or how your own experience ties in with what the writer is talking about. After a while, those who follow you on social media will begin to see you as what business experts call a “thought leader,” or what Instagram users call an influencer. This elevates both you and your company.

Through curation, you help customers break through the clutter

If the internet was a closet, it would be in serious need of decluttering. As we search for articles and blogs that are pertinent to issues in our professions, tons of resources pop up on our screens. There is plenty of out-dated and self-serving content out there, wading through all of this mess is a workout in and of itself.

We love it when someone we know and respect does the searching for us and hand picks the best info from the most trusted sources. Searching for and serving up quality resources is what being a good content curator is all about.

Here’s the catch with content curation–It takes time and it must be done thoughtfully and responsibly.

A lot of people who promote content curation make it sound like the silver bullet, the easy way to ensure your company is linked to a lot of relevant content. Done carefully and professionally, curated content is an excellent way to add to your social media. Content curation is a great way to utilize resources from other sources. But you can’t just go out on the web and find any old story or video to post. It has to be relevant – this may mean no cute cat videos, sorry. It has to be accurate and from a reliable source. And it has to be written well. Content curation, done right, isn’t quick or particularly easy. But it is an effective way to make your business more visible.

Want to up your social media game? Give us a call if you have questions about how you could add content curation to your marketing plan.