I’ll tell you right now, both are needed and none is better than the other. But keep reading so I can tell you why. Content curation is gathering content from many different sources. Content creation is creating original content or content from scratch. It is important that both contents are utilized in your strategy. You may be asking why, as a small business owner or social media manager, you need to create your own content or make use of someone else’s content. Let’s break down some reasons why and how you can use both:
Content Curation
Sharing is Caring
Curation is way easier than creation. It is faster and simpler. Every day you’re on social media and content is forever before your eyes. You might be subconsciously curating while scrolling through your news feed. I definitely keep my eyes searching for content relevant to ACM’s clients. That way, when it’s time to create the content calendar, I have it readily available. A mini tip here, I use the “Saved” section on Facebook to gather this content. You’d also be surprised to know that Facebook favors native content, increasing your chances of being seen.
Curation moves the focus from your brand. This isn’t a bad thing. No one likes a show-off. We know your brand is great, quit honking the horn so much. When you share a like minded brand’s content, you’re not only showing that brand’s content, you’re showing you care about the industry you belong to. Sharing is caring, literally. One brand that uses curated content is TTMF. Industry information is a good share for curated content, it shows that you are connected and informed. You want to build that expectation that your brand is seen as the go-to place for industry relevant info. Always make sure this information is relevant and valuable to your audience. Don’t be a clothes store sharing specials on dog chow. There’s no correlation.
Content Creation
Creating Content Is Impressive
For a while, we’ve heard that content creation was better. Now, we know that one isn’t better than the other. They both work hand in hand. Matter of fact, curated content helps to inspire my creation of original content. By observing what is said or what the audience needs from the curated content, it gives a sense of direction for creating.
Creating content for your business could be a blog about pairing the right belts and shoes, coffee infographics, gifs of your sewing processes or chiming in on trending conversations. Created content is impressive and if done well enough, will become curated content for another business. I spy on this Facebook page, Lato Milk ever so often, just because most of their content is original and actually pretty good. Creating your own content helps to control the message and directs the conversations you want your audience to have. Some sites that I absolutely love for content creation is Canva for graphics and Biteable for videos.
You can decide what ratio of content curation vs content creation works for your business. Now that you know what they both are and how they benefit your business, how will you now approach your posting?
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