Are you struggling to create engaging content for your readers? Maybe you’re not sure how to get started with content marketing, or you don’t have the time to create new content on a regular basis.

If you want to create a content marketing strategy that your customers will love, you may want to consider curated content. Curated content is content created by others that you share with your audience.

This type of content is an excellent way to provide value to your readers while saving time and energy. Keep reading for a list of content curation tools that you can use to create a winning content strategy.

1. Use your own voice

When you’re sharing someone else’s content, it’s easy to slip into the habit of sharing their voice, too. But when you do that, you’re missing out on an opportunity to show your audience exactly what you think.

Even if you’re not creating the content yourself, you can still add value by sharing your own opinion on it. Your unique take is especially important in sustainable eCommerce, where transparency and authenticity influence purchasing decisions. This will help you connect with your audience and build your personal brand.

2. Make it easy to share

The whole point of curating content is to make things easier for your audience. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your curated content is easy to find and easy to share.

One of the best ways to do this is to create a dedicated space on your website where you can share your favorite content. This could be a blog, a news section, a resource page, or even a separate website or microsite.

Wherever you decide to share your curated content, make sure it’s easy to find and easy to navigate. You should also make it easy for your audience to amplify your content. Social sharing buttons and email-forwarding options are a start, but if you want to go a step further, consider adding a referral incentive. Tools like ReferralCandy make it easy to reward your most loyal followers for spreading the word, turning curated content into a growth channel, especially for eCommerce brands.

3. Add context

Content curation is about more than just sharing a link. You also need to add context to the content you’re sharing.

There are a few different ways you can add context to your curated content. The most common methods are to provide a brief summary of the content or to share a quote from the article you’re curating.

Adding context helps your audience understand why the data is relevant and valuable. It also shows that you’ve put thought into what you’re sharing and that you understand the topic you’re curating content around.

4. Make it visual

The brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than text, and 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. It’s no wonder visual content is so popular.

When you’re curating content, try to find visual content that supports your message. This could be in the form of:

• Infographics

• Videos

• Slideshows

• Images

• GIFs

• Memes

• Comics

• Cartoons

The type of visual content you choose will depend on your brand and the topic you’re covering. Video content is a great way to engage your audience and build an emotional connection with your brand. Non-video content like images, infographics and slideshows can be created easily using AI image prompts.

5. Create a content hub

If you’re curating a lot of content on a specific topic, you might want to consider creating a content hub on your website.

A content hub is a collection of content that’s all focused on a specific topic or theme. It’s a great way to organize your content and make it easy for your audience to find what they’re looking for.

You can create a content hub using a tool like HubSpot, or you can even just create a new page on your website and add links to all of the content you’ve curated on that topic. A curated hub works particularly well in e-commerce for boutique stores, where storytelling and visual inspiration drive buying decisions.

Check out how we’ve organized our content hubs on the HubSpot Blog:

6. Use a content calendar

If you’re trying to grow your online presence, you’re likely already using a social media content calendar to plan your organic posts. But, did you know you can also use a content calendar to plan and schedule your curated content?

With a content calendar, you can easily see what content you have coming up and where there may be gaps. You can also easily see what types of content you’re posting and how often you’re posting it.

This can help you make sure that you’re not sharing too much of the same content and that you’re mixing up your posts to keep your audience engaged.

7. Share at the right time

The timing of your curated content can be just as important as the content itself.

If you’re sharing content that’s time-sensitive, make sure you’re sharing it at the right time. This could mean sharing it as soon as it’s published, or sharing it at a time of day when your audience is most likely to see it.

You can use the scheduling tools in your content curation platform to schedule your posts for the best time. Most platforms will also have built-in analytics that can help you determine the best time to post.

8. Know your audience

Of course, the most important thing to consider when curating content is your audience. What topics are they interested in? What types of content do they prefer to consume? What are their pain points and how can you help solve them with curated content?

Take the time to get to know your audience and what they want to see. You can do this by:

• Asking them directly in your social media posts

• Running polls on social media

• Sending surveys to your email list

• Analyzing your social media and website analytics

The better you know your audience, the better you’ll be able to curate content they love.

9. Test and measure

The final step in the content curation process is to test and measure your results. This will help you identify what’s working and what’s not, so you can make adjustments as needed.

You can measure the success of your curated content in a number of ways, including:

• Engagement: Look at the number of likes, shares, comments and other forms of engagement your curated content receives.

• Traffic: Use Google Analytics or another web analytics tool to track how much traffic your curated content is driving to your website.

• Conversions: If your goal is to drive leads or sales, look at the number of conversions your curated content is generating.

By testing and measuring your results, you can identify which types of content your audience likes best and make sure you’re giving them more of what they want.

Conclusion

Curating content is a great way to engage your audience, but it can be time-consuming. The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone. Our team of content marketers can help you create a strategy that will help you stand out online.