Imagine walking through a world-class museum in Paris where you expect to see some of the greatest art under one roof. Picture yourself strolling through halls featuring a sparse smattering of art, each piece created by the same artist. As beautiful as paintings of horses and dog hunting are, you probably will leave wishing for something a little more.
Well, think of your social media presence as a museum. While you are responsible for generating insightful content on your Facebook, Google+, and Twitter pages, you don’t have to go it alone. Not only do you not have to, but you shouldn’t! Just like a museum, your social assets should be a collection of many of the leading thoughts, ideas, and leaders in your industry.
A curator collects and organizes art for display, so it’s time to start thinking of yourself in that same roll: Content Curator. As you successfully do this, you establish yourself as a valuable resource to your consumer, not just as a company making a sales pitch. As soon as the information you post becomes valuable to the consumer, they have a reason to stay on your page and follow you in the future.
When the consumer can start to see your brand as the expert in the field—through display of comprehensive knowledge of the subject— you establish a brand position. Brand position is invaluable, not only for the short-term sale, but for long-term brand loyalty (aka repeat business). And even though this might sound like it’s targeted for B2C businesses, there is immense value for service-oriented, B2B companies that practice what they preach.
Content curation isn’t a free pass, excusing you from your own original posts, current events, or news; but it should be an important part of the mix. Original content shows that thought leaders at your company are smart enough to talk the talk, but curation shows you’re able to weed through the noise and collect only the most valuable information for your audience. This allows your followers to remain frequenters of your page without feeling the need to collect pertinent information elsewhere.
And so we return to the streets of Paris. It’s a crisp fall day, and you’re munching on a lemon crepe. On your Parisian stroll you stumble across the Louvre, and you enter the busy museum knowing it’s curated content is some of the best.
Be the Louvre to your audience. Happy curating, and bring me back a baguette!