Get Ahead with 5 Tips for Successful Content Curation

Content curation is a term we use when we talk about the task of finding and sharing quality content on a specific content. Curating content is both an art and a science. Our 5 tips for successful content curation can help you improve in this critical area.

Curation helps you build a larger audience with whom you can share your own content with, and who can spread the word. Curating content should be an important aspect of your long term social media plan. 

If you’re thinking about engaging in content curation, you’ll want to think of yourself as a librarian of sorts. The Internet is filled with knowledge and articles and it will be your job to pull out the reliable and relevant articles based on your subject.

Of course, just like a library, there is always room for new sources. When you come up with an angle that has yet to be discussed, that’s when it’s time to start writing.

Content curation might seem simple, but it isn’t quick. Incorporating content curation into your social media strategy will take time.

Our Top Tips for Curating Your Content

1. Who is Your Audience ? you need to be able to answer this question before you know what kinds of articles will be of interest and engaging.

2. What’s Your Focus ? Once you have identified your audience and your business goals, pick one or two topics that will be of interest. You want to be labelled an expert so you here’s where it is important to specialize.

3. How is the Quality? Remember, you are the librarian. You are the gate keeper of knowledge. You want your readers to be able to count on you to deliver good information.

4. How often do you post? You need to share content on a regular basis since regular sharing helps you gain visibility. Remember to stay on topic and keep your content relevant to your target market.

5. Who wrote the original piece? Always give credit where credit is due. Tag the original author/publisher at the end of your post.

Curating content is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Use it to fill in the space between your own well-written original articles.

Improving Your Online Presence with Reputation Managament

An optimized website is your storefront where you engage with customers. How they experience your site, as well as your bricks and mortar store, shows in online reviews. Reputation management helps you build a strong online presence.

These four statistics showcase the power of online reviews:

1. 70% of adults in the United States trust opinions from friends & family
2. 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation
3. 70% of people will consult reviews or ratings online before making a purchase
4. 95% of unhappy customers will return if an issue was resolved quickly & effectively

One of the best ways your business can cultivate the social landscape is to monitor and respond to reviews.

While many review websites consider it unethical for a business to reward for reviews, when you receive positive feedback it’s wise to ask “would you mind posting a review of our service/product online?”.

On the flipside, by regularly monitoring the online chatter about your business, you can save face and resolve a situation by positively commenting on negative reviews and offering a solution to resolve the situation.

7 Tips of Effective Reputation Management

1. Have a Search Engine Optimized Website that is regularly updated with information
2. Use Social Media to tell your brand story
3. Monitor listings & reviews (Yelp, Google+, Facebook, TripAdvisor etc.)
4. Engage with your audience to encourage conversation
5. Monitor conversations about your brand
6. Respond to comments in a timely manner
7. Thank people who are referring others to your business

The Importance of Compelling Blog Headlines

Your blog headlines need to be engaging and contain just the right amount of information to draw the visitor to read the post.

Writing the headline may well be the hardest part of writing a blog post, and if you are not putting the effort into writing an enticing one, it may show (to your visitors and your results).

Typical newspaper headlines are short, snappy and to the point. They usually start with the main keyword and then use the next few works to describe what the reader may discover from the article.

For example: Blog Headline Tips For Your Business

Sensational writing will draw you in by playing on your emotions.

For example: If You Do Not Follow Our Blog Headline Tips, Your Blog Is Doomed To Be Read

Both examples leave something to be desired, right? The first may be too ordinary to bring you readers and the second is not appropriate for a good business blog.

The happy medium really is somewhere in between.

Spend some time reviewing blog posts that draw you in. What is it about the headline that grabs your attention?

We are bombarded with information in our emails, our social networks and our day-to-day lives.

It is important that your headline stands out from the crowd and shows your intended audience it is worth reading.

So, what do your blog headlines say about your business? They should show you have some piece of information that is special and deserves to be read. They should show you value the interaction your blog provides. They should show you are of value.

Utilizing your keywords and playing on emotion (without going overboard) is a good strategy to ensure your posts get the attention they deserve.

After all, you spend an hour or two working on your blog post and it would be a shame if they don’t stand out in the sea of information.

 

With all the review websites online (Yelp, Google+ to list a few), plus social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is very important to become a watchdog of what is being said about your business brand online.

By and large, reviews offer word-of-mouth advertising and many consumers do look to reviews before deciding on a purchase/business/service.

But, what happens when your business receives a negative review online? What can you do to limit the impact the review(s) will have on your business?

Three Ways to Handle Negative Reviews

 

1) Do Nothing – some businesses choose to take a passive response to online reviews. By doing nothing, they are allowing the reviews to speak for themselves, positive and negative. Depending on the tone of the review, or the complaint, some businesses find that it is okay to simply do nothing.

2) Try and Have Review Removed – for some, they will dispute negative reviews through the proper channels laid out by the review websites. This is an important avenue, especially if the review seems excessively harsh or even untrue. Perhaps the reviewer has reviewed the wrong business, or the business does not have record of offering a service/product as described in the review.

3) Be Proactive and Positive – a great strategy for managing online reviews is to respond to as many reviews as possible – negative and positive. When responding to a review it is important to remain calm and positive. Offer apologies for whatever went wrong and then offer a way for the customer to contact you to make it right. You can even offer a reason as to why or how the problem occurred if you think it may make a difference.

It seems to be human nature for people to speak out more when they are upset, rather than when they are satisfied and happy. Therefore, businesses may find the ratio between positive reviews and negative ones to be inaccurate. By responding to negative reviews in a positive manner, future clients/customers will get the impression that you care about your business and value client relationships and service. How you handle yourself in the face of negativity could mean more than a long list of positive reviews.

Since there is no way to get around what others may post about your business online, it is important that you become a watchdog of your online image and then act accordingly and in a manner that is true to your business philosophy and spirit.

By Michelle Collie
Internet Marketing Specialist
Kelowna Web Design and Internet Marketing

Follow up on your good intentions with a weekly social media strategy.

We sign up for Facebook or Twitter, or sign-on to write a blog and then we’re bombarded by that pesky little thing known as “Writer’s Block”, sometimes coming in the form of procrastination. We don’t know what to write about, what to tweet about, and what to share with our Facebook friends. Or, we’re simply just too busy. Sometimes, all we need is a plan to get us started. A simple daily task list that will encourage us to use the Social Networks in the beginning phases, until they become a habit.

The following is a day-to-day guide and examples of ideas to help get you started on a weekly social media strategy.

---

Marketing Monday

Pick Monday as your day to spread your marketing message. Maybe you have an event or sale, want more visitors to visit your website, or are trying to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter. You do not want to market to your visitors every day, so make Monday your day to market.

Other ideas for Monday include:

• Mentor Monday – write or share an article that acts as a mentor to your visitors
• Media Monday – share a general news story
• Market Monday for Real Estate Agents – give an update on the real estate market
• Mortgage Monday for Real Estate Agents – update local mortgage rates

---

Teamwork Tuesday

Tuesday is a great day to showcase your team’s work. Share from your portfolio, announce a product/house/service sold, or congratulate an employee for a job well done.

Other ideas for Tuesday include:

• Tutorial Tuesday – share or write an industry specific tutorial
• Time Zone Tuesday – Write or share about something local or at least within your time zone. Maybe you visited a fabulous restaurant, attraction, or place of business. Give kudos.

---

Wacky Wednesday

Has something silly or out of the ordinary occurred? Do you have a good, clean, tasteful joke that begs to be shared.

Other ideas for Wednesday include:

• Webnesday or Website Wednesday – share some of your favorite links (also known as word-of-month Wednesday)
• Worldly Wednesday – what’s happening around the world? Any good news stories you would like to comment on?

---

Tell-all Thursday

Thursday is your opportunity to tell a little secret, or share a good industry-specific tip. You will want to tell it all, like it is. Whether it’s a guide to getting your house ready to sell, a tell-all on a new way to market your business, or a list of healthy recipes – today is your day to give away some of your secrets and share them with your visitors.

Other ideas for Thursdays include:

•  Top-ten Thursdays – everyone loves a good top-ten list.
•  Talented Thursday – share the love and recognize other talented individuals/businesses
•  Tradeshow Thursday – hold a virtual tradeshow on your social networks

---

Follow Friday

Friday is a great way to encourage your followers and friends to follow and friend your other followers and friends. Choose a couple people to highlight and showcase.

Other ideas for Fridays include:

• Friendly Friday – use Friday as your casual day to be friendly, encourage friendship, and build your friend/follower list
• Factual Fridays – spread some facts across your social networks

---

Whatever you choose to do on whatever day you choose to do it, the key is regularity, consistency, and engaging your readers with more than simply your marketing message.

Perhaps you are a realtor with a finesse for food. You may choose to focus your Twitter tweets with restaurant reviews. Maybe your business is very engaged in charity or social causes – you may wish to Facebook or Tweet about these accomplishments and causes. The real plan is to make a plan in the first place, at least until you get going.

And, if you have a sudden burst of inspiration? Write a week or month’s worth of blog posts at once and schedule them for publishing every Thursday (for tell-all Thursday). Or, use a program like hootsuite that allows you to program your Twitter updates and Facebook status updates. Then, you can do a week’s work of social networking work all in one sitting!