Using curated content in your social media

Finding time to run your social media account(s) as a small pole-based business can be tough.

While “Thought leadership” or unique and specifically created content is often considered to be the “holy grail” of marketing, it may be appropriate (and a time saver!) to share content you didn’t create.

What is curated content?

Curated content is content such as news articles, videos, blogs or memes that you did not create but that you share through your social media accounts.

While curated content isn’t your content, it can serve several uses that ultimately contribute to further develop your brand in the eyes of your customers or potential customers :

1. You become a trusted expert and have the power to recommend new ideas, products and services to your customer base. This is powerful because they trust your recommendation which makes you an appealing content advertising partner for other companies, providing you an additional source of revenue.
2. It also may help you open up new demographics tangential to your existing customers and create a broader usage base for your social media. You can demonstrate that you are a company that cares more broadly about your customers by posting relevant articles addressing their other needs and not just the ones you specifically cater to.

How to use curated content?

Remember to choose your partnerships (either specific or inferred) wisely. A bad product or hard sell in an article or blog even when it’s not your product or content but is something you shared may frustrate or upset your customers.

Set guidelines in your social media policy for what sources you generally feel comfortable sharing that your audience also considers reputable.

Major news outlets and magazines like the New York Times, Forbes and the Harvard Business Review are recognized for their quality content. Other online sources may have relevant and compelling content that is more targeted to your industry. Don’t discount bloggers or other potential influencers because they don’t have a established brand. Do your research and see where your customers get their trusted information.

Several digital entities exist almost entirely off curated content reposted from a variety of sources. They have grown their social media reach by creating a consistent community that expects a specific kind of content and now they are able to promote their pay-for content to a much wider user base and provide advertising opportunities.

While it may not be appropriate for your pole business to become a clearing house of cat memes (or maybe it is!), we can still use the same concepts to improve our use of curated content and further clarify our brand.

Are we the helpful studio? Are we a funny studio? All branding and thought leadership combined with curated content contribute to your reputation and the overall “vibe” of your company.

How to schedule curated content?

Use a mix of your own unique content and news interspersed with curated content and direct sales calls to action such a product launch, a new class or performance, a coupon or simply buying your regular service for your social media.

The exact mix depends on your posting frequency and the time you have to spend on social media as part of your marketing.

Once you have established a frequency — stick to it. Post at the same time on the same days. Give all your material a similar look and feel and of course, make sure you curated content is hitting the mark.

What types of curated content is useful for pole businesses?

Several types of content could be useful to share depending on the nature of your pile business. Consider sharing:

1. Information about upcoming workshops, competitions, and other events not held at your studio.
2. Pole memes that match your business style, with attribution.
3. Videos or clips of previous performances from pole stars.
4. Content from your students, teachers, brand ambassadors, and/or performers.

Curated content can help save you time, help you find new customers, provide different value to your existing customers, help your pole business become a trusted resource, and may open up a new way to partner with other brands inside and outside of the pole industry.

Consider making a curated content strategy part of your overall social media plan and marketing strategy.