Let’s face it. If your brand is too self-promotional in its created content, it’s going to turn off many people (however fabulous your blog posts might be!). But how do you balance content curation while still creating unique content?

Inside, you’ll learn:

• The difference between creation and curation
• The importance of content curation
• How to successfully curate content

Creation vs. curation: What’s the difference?

Content marketing involves generating unique content for your brand. While you may be writing about a subject that many people tackled before, it is always possible to cover an old topic in a new, exciting way.

Content curation, on the other hand, is the act of collecting and sharing content that relates to your products and services. In this way, you are contributing to the conversation, rather than strictly promoting your own brand. Content curation comes in many different forms, including RSS feeds, videos, infographics, songs, and pictures. Most news site use content curation to gather stories from a variety of sources.

By combining creation and curation, you can build strong relationships, generate a higher click rate, and make your content more relevant and useful to your consumer.

Why should I try content curation?

Posting links to 3rd party sites, as opposed to your own content, generates 33% more clicks. However, posting links to your own content results in a higher click-to-conversion rates by 54%.

On average, curators who link to 3rd party sites more than 75% of the time get 47.8 clicks per post, with .2% click-to-conversion rate and .10 conversions per post. When you link to your own content more than 50% of the time, on average you get 17 clicks per post, a 2.4% click-to-conversion rate, and .41 conversions per post. So does this mean you have to choose between high clicks per post or high click-to-conversion rates?

Nope!

Instead, the trick is to figure out to find your sweet spot between linking to your own content and linking to 3rd party websites. The right combination leads to 38.4 clicks per post, 2.5% click-to-conversion rates, and .95 conversions per post!

How do I successfully curate content??

Content curation is a skill, and just like any skill, it can be mastered. Check out our tips on how to optimize your own curation skills!

• Know Your Audience: What questions might your readers have when they check out your site? What concerns might you want to address? Which topics could you expand on? If you can find answers to these questions, you’ll understand what your readers can gain from additional content.
  

• Connect with Other Creators: It’s always flattering when other bloggers appreciate the work you do. Tag the original creators in your handles, and send a quick note of thanks when using their content. They may begin following your brand, or they might even share your content. Remember to link to the original source, and always be respectful with other people’s intellectual property. It might sound crazy, but not everybody wants their content shared.
  

• Frame the Content: Simply placing a link to a relevant story isn’t enough. You have to tell your readers why it matters. Great content curators shape the content they are sharing so it relates back to your primary message. Let your readers know why they should care about your curated content.
  

A successful combination of content creation and curation can be extremely beneficial to your brand. Whether you are looking to increase engagement in your readers, or you are interesting in building relationships, a triumphant formula of original content, links to 3rd party sites, and links to your owned sites is crucial to your success.