Blog Post

How Curated Content Can Make a Bigger Impact in Your Content Marketing Strategy

  • By Mark Baker
  • 30 Jun, 2016

Content marketing has repeatedly proven to be a powerful marketing tool in the B2B arena, effective not only for enticing early-stage prospects, but also for closing late-stage buyers. However, creating original content is a time-consuming project, which can be a major roadblock for busy B2B companies hoping to build an extensive content marketing program. In fast-growing companies creating original content even once a week can be a burden. Your company may already have experienced an active version of this problem: perhaps you were tasked with writing your firm's original pieces, but you struggled to produce strong content on top of your other marketing duties.

It is at this crossroads where third-party content—also called curated content—will be most valuable and time-efficient as part of your content marketing schedule. This type of content is generally written by other experts in your industry, and can increase both your readership and your legitimacy as a thought leader. It brings balance and perspective to your content while showing readers that your company is active and engaged with the markets and others in the industry. Including curated content in weekly content templates has quickly become standard industry practice.

HOW MUCH CURATED CONTENT SHOULD YOU POST?

The general consensus among marketing experts regarding the most effective content authorship breakdown is based on a formula called the 10-4-1 rule. According to this formula for achieving the best response from readers, you should incorporate ten curated pieces of content in a given week, four original posts, and one promotional piece.

The relatively small number of original posts might seem surprising. However, when balanced with thoughtful and well-selected curated content, you develop a smart content ratio that proves your own expertise and expands on it with expert commentary from others.

BETTER BRAND AWARENESS

One of the primary goals of using curated content is building better awareness of your brand among readers, experts, prospects, and even competitors involved in the industry. Featuring high quality curated content written by important leaders in your field will help establish a link between your company and other respected brands, which, when done consistently, can significantly boost your brand equity.This link also has a more tangible component: curated content provided by industry experts will increase your legitimacy within search engines and create a visible online connection between your brand and the source of the curated work.

BETTER CUSTOMER TARGETING

Another benefit of curated content is improved buyer targeting. Since your B2B company likely has a specific industry niche, use third-party content geared towards a certain demographic; this tactic can be used as part of a broader campaign to target a certain audience, or as a low-cost tool to narrow your overall marketing efforts.

When you share a colleague’s perspective with your readers, you have the opportunity to bring more clout to your own company, which is an important part of customer targeting. However, before you decide to use any third-party content, take the time to carefully analyze it and ensure that it complements your broader marketing goals and brand image.

RECIPROCITY WITH THE COMPETITION

If you decide to curate content from some of your competitors, chances are that they'll return the favor by sharing some of your original content on their blog, too. As a result of this exchange, you will have established a mutually advantageous connection, which will likely come as a welcome break from the constant competition. This makes B2B business dealings more meaningful and less cutthroat amid the intense competition.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your content marketing but you don’t have the time or dedicated writers on your staff to create original material each week, consider the benefits of content curation. You’ll appeal to more markets, boost your industry reputation, and forge valuable connections with others.

Mark Baker

Mark Baker is a natural artist. Since starting his first business hand painting graphics onto vehicles in high school, Mark gained experience in the entertainment, sports, and retail industries before founding this company in 1993. Honest and pragmatic, Mark knows that anything can be accomplished with a great communication plan and creative thinking. 

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