What is Content Curation for Goodness Sake?

Content curation. If I’ve heard it 100 times, I’ve heard it 101 times. And all 101 times have a slightly different connotation or definition. But here is the definition of content curation in its most simple form: branding with a time bomb.

I’m serious. Branding is finding that nugget, that very special story that makes your company unique among all the other million companies. Branding is getting that story out to the masses in a consistent way for years and years. With a consistent personality. With a consistent look and feel. With a consistent style. If you’re the place with the helpful hardware folks, then well, damn, you better be helpful in every touch point with your consumer. You better help them online. And in print ads. And on the phone. And especially when they walk through your sliding doors holding an empty paint can in a daring attempt to match that color from 1998. (If you want to read a great story about service, read the Umpqua Bank story when Ray Davis took over.)

Content Curation = Branding

Content curation is the same darn thing. But in a shorter time period. You find a story–maybe it’s a story about how you helped a local customer build the world’s greatest rabbit cage for the area’s largest rabbit. You’re the place with the helpful hardware folks. You know rabbit cages. And darned if you didn’t pull an all-nighter building the world’s greatest rabbit cage. Call PR. That’s your story for Q4 and you’re sticking to it.

Now, time for content curation. You milk that story. You write about it. You take pictures. You interview the players. Then, you curate. Websters Dictionary defines “curation” as who gives a crap. There’s no time! You have to write that story on your company’s blog tonight!. Now, tweet a link to that blog. Good. Now, post a kick-ass picture to Facebook. Get PR to share that bunny rabbit story (with pictures) to the local press. Now, write a case study. Hold a local celebration party for those employees (folks) who went above and beyond. More pictures. If the story’s big enough, you tell it to whomever will listen. If the story isn’t worth telling, don’t curate. Kill it. Find the next story.

Light the Fuse. Run. Find New Content. 

Content curation is branding, but with a time bomb attached to it. It won’t live forever, but while it’s alive, it can be an explosion of awesome. Then, boom. On to the next story.

Let me know what you think about content curation, dynamite and marketing that goes “boom.”

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