12 Content Curation Tools To Make You A Sharing Machine

As a student, I hated research papers.

Searching for the right resources, taking notes, organising all of that information, developing a thesis – all of this before I could even begin to write, the only part I actually liked.

When I got into content writing, and specifically content curation, it hit me. All of the old hatred of research papers bubbled up. But things have changed. Content curation tools have done the hard work for me, and there are 12 that have turned me into a “curation machine.” Life is good again.

I use content curation tools for two purposes – to find great stuff that I can re-purpose, re-write and publish and to share great content that others in my niche have produced.

To find that content and to get it organised, these are the best content curations tools I have found.

1. Trap.it

Trap.it is a cool and “smart” tool. The more you use it to find content, the smarter it gets. Pretty soon it is literally trapping content from all over the web and putting it in folders, neatly organized for you to access whenever you need information, research, or data. It keeps on working for you while you are onto other things.

2. Quora

A lot of content writers don’t use this, but I love it. Once you set up an account, you can search by keywords for content from all over the web. All of this content can be stored via your account. But here’s the other thing: you can set up “alerts,” based on those keywords, and when content is found it will be sent to your inbox.

3. Scoop.it

This is somewhat like Trap.It but a bit different. You join, conduct “smart searches” based on keywords, take what is important or relevant to you, and then re-purpose/re-write it. Once you have done this, you can complete a 1-click publishing to your blog and any social network platforms. Pretty slick.

4. Pinterest

Yes, I use Pinterest, and here is how. I follow people in my niche, see what they are posting, and copy that stuff to my own boards on my account. When I am looking for new content ideas, I access my boards and rummage through them. More than once, I have generated a great idea for a post of my own.

5. My Curator (for WordPress)

If you have WordPress (and who doesn’t), this is a plugin you must have. This will bring in content on a regular basis for you to read and review. It’s really a constant flow, and you can get lots of ideas.

6. Buzzsumo

Here’s what I love about this tool. You can type in keywords and immediately get a full “report” of the site and blogs that have published related content, as well as those pieces that have received the most views and where the most conversation is going on. It’s great to know what target audiences are discussing and what their questions are. It can drive content that you then decide to write. Plus, you can immediately access these posts and articles, writer better ones, and get a “leg up” on the competition.

7. Write My Paper

This writing service has a full staff of copywriting pros. If I am running out of time but have a great idea for content, I can access their site, fill out an order, and have a fully written piece in short order. These folks really do it right!

8. Learnist

One of the things about content writing is you have to stay current. If you are not producing stuff that people really want to read right now, you are left in the dust. This great tool lets you in on what your niche leaders are producing and discussing. You have to keep learning, and this is your chance to do that.

9. SlideShare

What a great resource. It is like no other that is mentioned here. But you can learn a lot here. Searching by keywords, you can bring up slideshares from others in your niche, go through them quickly without a lot of text reading, and come up with some great idea for content topics. And if you are feeling magnanimous, you can create a slide share of your own that others could use too.

10. Pocket

You are busy, and don’t always have the time to read content that you find and review it for potential topic ideas. But when you do come across something that you know will be useful at some point, you simply drop it into your Pocket account and there it will stay until you do have the time. You can categorise by sub-topics and save anything from blog posts, to articles, to inforgrahics, to videos.

11. Storify

Stories are one of the biggest draws that attract readers and keep them engaged. This is a tool that will just be fun to use. You can take visual content that is posted anywhere and drag and drop it into your own files. And you can also use others’ storyboards and curate content from those. Whenever you can weave a story into your content, you win! (PS: There is a WordPress plugin for Storify).

12. Curata

This is the tool I should have had in college. Omg – so amazing. You supply the keywords, Curata does the rest. It combs through the internet and generates lists of content sources for you to access and review. This is the lazy person’s type of research, and who doesn’t love that?

Obviously, there are many more content curation tools than the 12 listed here. But, if you start with these, okay, just some of these, you will find your job of finding good content a “slam-dunk.” It almost makes me wish I were a student facing those research papers again. Wait – no – I can’t go that far.

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How to Calm Your Content Anxiety in 5 Simple Steps

 It was an early morning of coffee, loud music, and blasting the internet with everything I could muster.
I had already published a few articles on my website, skipping the draft process. Then I scrambled to share them on every social media network and group chat that I could think of.
Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Slack channels, Facebook groups, email newsletter(s) — you know the drill.
It was a copy/paste nightmare, but that’s what the “experts” had told me to do. The familiar phrases of “Content is king!” and “Blog every day!” were among the many maxims running through my mind that morning.
We are often told that your frequent presence online is vitally important. More interaction, more connection, more conversion.
This is partially true, but experience has taught me that excessive presence damages both your authority and your own personal fulfillment.

More content is not always better content

I was on a content-production rampage during this particular reinvention (yes, I’ve done this “online thing” quite a few times, and from scratch). Yet, I was just as internally frustrated as when I wasn’t producing any content at all.

The problem — obvious now in hindsight — is that more does not always mean better.

It’s the most basic of truths, known by everyone you’ve ever met, yet contrary to the mainstream teachings of many online “gurus.”
Instead of wasting your time with fruitless effort, here are five steps that will help calm your content anxiety and safeguard you against our shared tendency to believe frequency trumps quality.

Step #1: Adopt the “One-day-queue” rule

Slowing down might sound easy, but it’s far from it.
If you’re like me, your typical routine is to go from inspiration to creation to production in the same morning (thanks to that gallon of coffee).
That habit makes sense when you’re passionate about your project. Unfortunately, it may stunt your capacity to produce meaningful work for your audience.
Instead, live by what I call the “one-day-queue” rule:

When you are inspired, resist the urge to create and publish on the same day.

This includes blog posts too — don’t rush to publish an idea that you haven’t fully developed.
Hold back to ensure you’re publishing the most relevant, useful content.

Step #2: Work with an editor

If you write any type of content, working with an editor should be a priority.
Your editor can shield you from your own impulsiveness and prevent you from publishing a post on your blog or sending your email newsletter in a fury.
When you get in the habit of having someone else review your content before you publish, you’re forced to slow down your process.
Editors also don’t have to be expensive. If you ask a friend, coworker, or family member, he or she might even review your work for free to support you.
An “editor” who has an eye for polished content will help you craft your best work — and any cost will be money well-spent.

Step #3: Schedule social media updates

This is quite difficult for me because I impulsively tweet a lot, but scheduling your social media updates helps you practice something I like to call “funneling your impulse.”
What do I mean by that?
Let’s say you’re scanning — you guessed it — your Twitter timeline, and you get an idea for a tweet.
Instead of satisfying the urge to post that tweet immediately, funnel your impulse through a filter by scheduling it for at least 10 minutes in the future.
In that time, you might rethink posting that tweet and therefore have time to delete or rephrase it.
That’s an option you wouldn’t have had if you just impulsively posted the tweet.

Step #4: Learn the art of observation

Simply observing may be difficult for some creatives, but it’s undeniably required.
Discovering and examining your audience’s needs will help you serve them better.
Spend more time watching and less time building.

Don’t build for the sake of production; build for the sake of creating a solution.

Solve your audience’s problems, and you won’t have to shout so loud.

Step #5: Focus on the entire process, not just the product

I once mentioned in a newsletter email on mobile-first design that web designers should focus more on the process than the product.
It’s understandable that we have a natural tendency to be preoccupied with that glorious finished product — part of the process, even.
But our motivator can often become a distraction and we neglect other important steps.
Aim to balance the time you spend on your marketing efforts and creating your products.

Better content, at a manageable pace

Following these guidelines has allowed me to craft high-quality content at a more regular pace, and with less effort.
I don’t write a blog post and publish it the same day, or blast out an email prematurely, just to find several typos in each of them the next day.
Instead, I feel confident knowing that the content I do publish (or cancel) has been carefully reviewed.
In turn, those who follow me receive better content, read articulated and refined writing, and experience an overall stronger presentation.


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10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing

 Ever wonder why content marketing works so well for some businesses — but doesn’t seem to do anything at all for others?

Curious about why some content that seems great doesn’t do anything to build a business?

“Content is king” has been an online cliché for years now, but it’s not true. It’s never been true.

Content all by itself — even terrific content — is just content.

It may be entertaining. It may be educational. It may contain the secret to world peace and fresh, minty breath, all rolled into one.

But it has no magical powers. It won’t transform your business or get you where you need to go, until you add one thing …

Content marketing is a meaningless exercise without business goals.

What makes content marketing work?

To make content work, you need to understand your marketing and business goals. Then you can create content that serves those goals, instead of just giving your audience something to pass the time.

Your blog posts, email marketing, ebooks, podcasts, advertising … all of it needs to fit into a larger picture.

Now, if you blog purely for creative self-expression, go ahead and write as the spirit moves you.

But if you’re using content to market a business, you need a strategic framework so you can get the most out of your time and hard work.

Here are 10 of the business goals that drive our content marketing at Rainmaker Digital.

You might focus on just one or two, or you may use all 10. As you read through the list, see which of these you can apply to your own content marketing plan.

Goal #1: Build trust and rapport with your audience

This is the most obvious use of content marketing, and it’s a good one.

When you create useful, interesting, and valuable content, your audience learns they can trust you. They see that you know your topic. They get a sense of your personality and what it would be like to work with you.

Lack of trust kills conversion. An abundance of valuable content builds trust like nothing else.

But too many marketers stop there. In fact, it’s just the beginning.

Goal #2: Attract new prospects to your marketing system

We all had it drilled into our heads by Mr. Godin when we were just baby content marketers: You have to be remarkable.

Your content has to be compelling enough that it attracts links, social media sharing, and conversation.

Why? Because that’s how new people find you.

No matter how delightful your existing customers are, you need a steady stream of new prospects to keep your business healthy.

Remarkable content that gets shared around the web will find your best new prospects for you and lead them back to everything you have to offer.

Goal #3: Explore prospect pain

No, you’re not doing this to be a sadist.

The fact is, most enduring businesses thrive because they solve problems.

They solve health problems, parenting problems, money problems, business problems, technology problems, “What should I make for dinner?” problems.

When you understand your prospect’s problems, you understand how to help them — and then you have the core of your marketing message.

Strategic content dives into the problems your prospects are facing. What annoys them? What frightens them? What keeps them awake at night?

A smart content marketing program leaves room for audience questions. These might come in email replies, blog comments, or you may hold Q&A sessions or webinars specifically to solicit questions.

Listen to the problems your market asks you about, and use those as a compass to guide your future content.

Goal #4: Illustrate benefits

Obviously, we don’t dig up prospect problems and leave it at that.

We talk about solutions.

We talk about what fixes those annoying problems. Techniques, tips, tricks, methods, approaches.

If you have a viable business, you have a particular take on solving your market’s problems. Your individual approach is the flesh and blood of your content marketing.

Your “10 Ways to Solve Problem X” post shows the benefits of your approach. It illustrates how you solve problems and shows customers what they get out of working with you.

Strategic content doesn’t just tell a prospect “My product is a good way to solve your problem.” It shows them. And that’s a cornerstone persuasion technique.

Goal #5: Overcome objections

Your prospect is looking for ways to solve his problem, but he’s also keeping an eye out for potential problems.

Strategic content can be a superb way to address prospect objections — the reasons they don’t buy.

Is price a pain point? Write content that demonstrates how implementing your solutions saves money in the long run.

Do your customers think your product will be too complicated to use? Write content that shows customers going from zero to sixty … painlessly.

Understand the objections that keep customers from buying, and then think about creative ways to resolve those objections in content — often before the buyer ever gets to that sales page.

Goal #6: Paint the picture of life with your product

Ad-man Joe Sugarman was one of the great early practitioners of content marketing. He was a master of long-copy magazine ads for his company JS&A (a consumer gadget company) — ads that were often as interesting and compelling as the magazine articles they appeared next to.

In his Copywriting Handbook, he described how he might approach writing an ad for a Corvette.

Feel the breeze blowing through your hair as you drive through the warm evening. Watch heads turn. Punch the accelerator to the floor and feel the burst of power that pins you into the back of your contour seat. Look at the beautiful display of electronic technology right on your dashboard. Feel the power and excitement of America’s super sports car.

Sugarman isn’t describing the car. He’s describing the experience of the driver.

Sugarman was a master at mentally putting the customer into the experience of owning the product … whether that product was a pocket calculator, a private jet, or a multi-million dollar mansion.

It works very nicely in an ad. It works even better in your content.

Storytelling is one of the best content marketing strategies, and it’s a superb way to let customers mentally “try out” your offer before they ever experience it for themselves. Use content to show what it’s like to own your product or use your service.

Case studies are terrific for this, as are any stories that show how your approach to problem-solving works. Pick up Sugarman’s book for lots of ideas about how to create fascinating content for products that might not immediately suggest a fascinating story.

Goal #7: Attract strategic partners

Once upon a time, Copyblogger was one writer.

No software business. No marketing education business. No Authority, Rainmaker Platform, premium WordPress themes from StudioPress, Synthesis WordPress hosting, Digital Commerce Institute, or Rainmaker.FM.

From very early days, the quality of the content posted here has attracted strategic partners — the partners Brian Clark worked with to create every line of revenue-generating business we have today.

Eventually, that evolved into the creation of a new company — Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media). The partnership brings together a great complement of skills, and together we can go farther and faster than Brian could have on his own.

Whatever your business goals are, partnerships are often the smartest way to get there. When you’re passionate about creating excellent content, you’ll find that potential partners are attracted to that passion.

Goal #8: Deepen loyalty with existing customers

This one is probably my favorite.

Every company needs to attract new customers. But the biggest growth potential in most businesses comes from building a tighter relationship with your existing customers.

A solid base of referral and repeat business is the hallmark of a great business. Even if you never did any content marketing to anyone other than your customers, you could radically improve your business by improving the communication you have with your customers today.

Create a richer experience for the people who have already bought from you. Make your products and services work better by pairing them with useful, user-friendly content.

Don’t treat the waitress better than you do your date. Give great stuff to the people who have already bought from you, and they’ll reward you for it.

Goal #9: Develop new business ideas

Your content stream is a fantastic place to try out new ideas.

Thinking about repositioning your key product? Trying to better define your unique selling proposition? See a new problem on the horizon that your customers might want you to solve?

Get those ideas into your content, and see how people react. You can watch what excites people and what fizzles out.

Business writer Jim Collins talks about firing bullets, then cannonballs. In other words, when you get a new idea for your business, fire off something low-risk to test the waters.

Don’t start firing your big ammunition until you’re sure you can actually hit the target. (And that there’s a target there to hit.)

Content is an amazing low-risk way to try out your ideas while risking very little. Your audience will let you know with their reactions which ideas fire them up and which ones leave them cold.

Goal #10: Build your reputation with search engines

Lots of content creators think this is reason #1 to create content — but if you put this goal in the wrong place, you’ll probably struggle with SEO.

That’s because search engines find you valuable when readers find you valuable.

Search engines are looking for content that’s valuable to their users. If you create that type of content, your SEO battle is 9/10 done.

So put the first nine content marketing goals first, and the 10th becomes a matter of relatively simple SEO optimization.

How about you?

What’s the main thing you’re looking to get out of content marketing? Do you have a content marketing goal you don’t see here?

Let us know in the discussion over on LinkedIn …

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Tips on How to Win at Social Media Marketing

With the growing number of businesses using social media for their marketing campaigns, how can yours stand out? Read on and discover the arsenals that can help you win at social media marketing.

Whether your business is only starting or one that’s been up and running for decades, social media marketing – when done right – can help you significantly expand your market and customer base.

Marketing your brand or business in various social media networks and platforms can positively contribute to your acquisition of customers, and eventually, sales.

The Basics
Every success starts with a goal and the foundations that ground them. The same thing is true for social media marketing; you need to understand the social media marketing fundamentals. To get you started on the right foot, here are ten social media marketing laws developed by Susan Gunelius, an author and the CEO of a marketing communications company.

• Listening. Before you think of creative campaigns, get to know and listen to your audience first. Figure out their needs, interests, and the things important to them. A campaign no matter how great will be useless if it won’t add value to your audience.

• Focus. Focus on what your brand is about and how it can add value to the lives of your target audience. Ground your campaigns with your goals. Don’t attempt to be all things for all people. Refrain from being a jack-of-all-trades. Keep your focus.

• Quality. A huge number of followers is nothing if these followers don’t engage with you. Pursue quality relationships with your audience. Engagement is more important than mere numbers of followers. Pursue and work on long-lasting connections.

• Patience. Take your time and don’t be too hard on yourself because, as cliché as it may sound, success doesn’t really happen overnight. And as you practice patience, never let your commitment to your business’s success die down and quiver.

• Compounding. This law goes with the law of quality. If you commit yourself to sharing quality and valuable content, it will also yield quality and valuable followers in return – aka those who will share, talk about, etc. your content to others as well.

• Influence. Finding appropriate influencers to partner with in your social media marketing campaigns can greatly improve your brand’s marketing, leads, traffic, and sales. With the help of influencers, it’ll be easier to reach new and larger audiences.

• Value. In sharing your content, products, and services online, try your best not to be too sales-y. If you bombard people with promotions instead of value, you will lose them. Focus more on providing them valuable content. Build lasting connections.

• Acknowledgement. Never neglect and be a snob to people who try to reach out through a comment, message, etc. Never forget to acknowledge these people and reply. If you always make them feel noticed, you’ll be able to keep them for good.

• Accessibility. Always be present and available to your audience. Making a disappearing act is a big no-no. You must be consistent not only in sharing and publishing valuable content, you must also keep the connection through engagement.

• Reciprocity. To be successful in social media marketing, you shouldn’t only talk about yourself and your business. You also need to allot some time to share and talk about the content of others too. In the long run, they’re most likely to the same.

In any social media marketing campaign you will do for your business, always go back to the fundamentals and basics. This way, you’re sure to start and finish strong.

Go-to Tools
Because social media marketing is no easy task and one that never sleeps, you will surely need some help. To run your social media marketing campaigns smoothly 24/7, you can utilize various social media marketing tools to make your social media marketing tasks a bit easier and more manageable. With that, here are some of the must-have tools you must try:

• Canva. With this nifty visual content tool, anyone – even those without any background in graphic design – can create capturing graphics. This tool’s drag-and-drop function, templates, and other design elements makes graphic design easy.

• Hootsuite. If you find it hard to manage your social media accounts, you’ll find Hootsuite extremely helpful. With this tool, you can manage and schedule all your social media posts on all your accounts all in one place. This tool has analytics as well.

• CoSchedule. This tool is more than just a tool; it’s a toolset you can use to centralize your entire marketing strategy. CoSchedule offers a plethora of tools for all types of marketing – content, blog management, social media, and a lot more.

• Buzzsumo. One way to practice the law of listening as explained above is through utilizing Buzzsumo. With this tool, you can do content discovery, brand monitoring, influencer marketing, content research and curation, competitor research, etc.

Conclusion
Social media marketing is an inevitable trend that keep’s on growing. If you don’t join in on the trend, you’ll miss out on the great potential it can bring your business. However, joining in on the trend isn’t enough. You have to win it and stand out amongst your competitors. So, give the above tips and tools a try and make your first step in winning at social media marketing.


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