We’ve already discussed the benefits of content curation, but let’s be realistic. Very few of us have the time to sift through the vastness of the Internet to come up with the best articles, blogs, videos, and pictures that tie into our brands.
Yet the hunt for ever more interesting and relevant content is the cornerstone of content curation. As long as the material sourced is properly credited and linked, most content creators are happy to share it. So how can you find the best content on the net for your brand?
The good news is that you don’t have to. There are many sites designed to make content curation as easy as clicking your mouse. In no particular order, here are five curation tools that we particularly like (and our thoughts on who might benefit the most from each).
Pinterest is, at its heart, a content curation tool. It’s easy to use and very, very popular. While it may seem like an obscure choice for B2B marketers, Pinterest can be a great place to showcase powerful visuals that relate toyour brand
CurationSoft is praised for its quick, easy search tools and its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The most popular social media outlets – YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, etc – are supported, as are more traditional feeds, such as RSS. Use the free version to check it out, then decide whether to upgrade to the Pro version.
According to its website, Storify aims to meld “updates from social networks into new, interactive story formats.” Like most content curation tools, it’s dynamic and supremely shareable. You can search content from a wide range of voices, from everyday folks posting on social sites to professional journalists. One thing that sets Storify apart is the fact that it avoids potentially sticky content issues by simply linking to (rather than copying) the original source material.
Scoop.it takes the online magazine format and puts you in the editor’s seat. You can curate content based on their search engine results or based on user suggestions, adding a desirable human element into the mix. You can also follow other Scoop.it users, reScoop content, and share content; premium memberships give you the ability to schedule when your ‘magazine’ comes out and provide analytics for each issue.
If Scoop.it is an online mag, then Paper.li is your own personal online newspaper, complete with a traditional three-column design. You’ll need a Twitter or Facebook account to join. Like many other content curation tools, you can choose from a free or a pro membership; the pro membership is ad-free. There’s also the welcome option of scheduling when your paper updates and when it is “published.”
Instead of sticking with Facebook and Twitter – and endless Likes and retweets – consider using one of these specialized content curation tools. You’ll add value to your content without spending valuable time searching the web for it.
Photo via:
(Click here to expand)
