Content curation, it’s not a term we hear overly often in the content marketing world, which is more than a little surprising. You can’t call yourself a content marketing expert unless you know more than a little about content curation. Why? Because content marketing as we know it involves a basic set of responsibilities, which include content creation and distribution, otherwise known as writing and publishing or content curation. Even if you haven’t seen the term often, you’ve seen the basic set of responsibilities religiously!
What’s The Big Deal?
Writing and publishing is pretty standard stuff, right? So, what’s the big deal? Why is curation a trending topic? The big deal is that content curation is an ever-growing trend in which a certain individual or an organized team find, organize, contextualize, and share the highest quality and most relevant digital content on a precise topic for a targeted audience. It can be a huge SEO plus.
According to Curata.com, curation hands marketers the ability to publish what people want: fresh, relevant content at a higher volume than a 100 percent content creation strategy would allow. That’s powerful!
Curation also offers a diverse variety of insights published for readers, effectively handing them diverse perspectives while allowing them to read peer published and other third-party source content. What does all of this create? Credibility. It actively positions your organization as a go-to resource.
Now, you just might be wondering if sharing already published content is a good idea. I mean, Google will rip rankings right out from underneath you if you start dabbling in duplicate content. So, again, what’s the big deal? The last thing you want to do is hurt your SEO.
If content curation is performed properly, it won’t create duplicate content or hurt your SEO. In fact, content curation can improve your SEO. And that brings us to all important part of this content curation: The Do’s and Don’ts.
The 3 Major Don’ts
You always want to avoid the don’ts, which is why we’re considering them first. When it comes curation, here’s what you should circumvent:
Duplicating the full text of an article. First of all, duplicating content is unethical. It borders on copyright infringement, and it will hurt your SEO. Second, Curata points out that if you repost too much of the original text, especially without annotating, search engines won’t have the ability to know which content to index or rank in query results. Do this excessively, and Google will likely label you as spam.
Curating from the same source multiple times. Variety is the spice of life for readers and search engines. Avoid curating from the same source a thousand times over. Instead, favor a variety of sites. Your readers and Google will see your content as credible and educational.
Avoid duplicating full size images. It can seem like a quick means of getting that all important image factor into a post, but it’s a bad idea. You should only use a thumbnail size of the original image. Curata recommends that for the best SEO results, you should alter the image alt text, adjust the size, and create a relevant image name.
The 4 Powerhouse Do’s
Now that we’ve gotten the negatives out of the way, let’s talk about the things you want you do. These are the tips that turn curation into a stout tool:
Work with a view toward your audience. As is the case with any tool used for SEO, we sometimes tend to think more about making it work for the search engines versus the people reading the content. Take this tip from the pros: always keep your target audience in the forefront. If they like your content, they’ll be back…with friends. They’ll even link back to you as an industry source, which means SEO boost.
Select your curations carefully. Once you start curating, it’s easy to get carried away and start pulling, well, everything! Keep your topic firmly in mind and only curate what is highly relevant and annotated with your own insights and opinions. As a result, you’ll increase content value and give your audience a broader perspective.
Retitle all of your curated posts. This one is important. By retitling, you ensure that you are not competing in the search results with the original article. Search engines consider the title more than the body text. Take advantage of this by retitling with your own keywords.
Include your perspective. Annotation and inclusion of your organization’s perspective are a massive must. Your written content should be longer than the excerpt taken from the original article. By giving more than you take, you promote strong ethics and improve SEO by avoiding duplicate content.
Tools to Help You Grow
Online content curation is a viable way of killing two birds with one stone. It helps populate your site with fresh, relevant content while simultaneous building your credibility as an expert resource. As you start to flex your curation muscles, you might consider using some of the awesome tools currently available. Some of the most popular web-based tools currently include Curata, Listly, Scoop.it!, and Storify.
Content curation is a trending and effective content marketing strategy. It can and will increase credibility while driving leads and SEO in positive directions. However, it’s not a point and click tool. It takes work. You still must be willing and able to craft your own unique content and incorporate your spin on each and every piece you decide to curate.
Low-quality website copywriting kills. As long as you use curation as a means of increasing your standard of high quality copy, it will benefit your content marketing plan tremendously. Whatever you do, don’t use it as an excuse to copy and paste quality copy from other places without giving more than you take. Otherwise, you just might find that Google takes a lot more than they’ll be willing to give back when it comes to your search rankings.
How do you successfully get the most views to your social media updates? It seems almost impossible and can be a major letdown when you see someone randomly go viral. Just how does one do that? Did they use a different word than you? Or, did they simply find a magic time to post to social media? When it comes down to it, many people realize that they need to find that social media time sweet spot, but it is, yet again, something that seems unattainable. In this blog, we are going to talk about the various social media networks and when is a good time to post to each.
When Should You Post To Facebook?
Facebook is something we all know as a social site that helps us waste time when we no longer want to be in the office or to pay attention to things going on around us. Many office workers find that they will start to peruse Facebook when they are in a workday slump, especially towards the end of the week, according to Buffer. In fact, engagement rates on Facebook are at about 18% on Thursdays and Fridays – you know, those pesky days that stand in between you and the weekend. This is an optimal time to post your information because it has a higher likelihood of being seen. Buffer also points out that 86% of posts are made Monday through Friday, with a few posts on Saturdays. Buffer does say that another study points out that while actual posting is down on Saturdays, engagement with businesses is up to about 32%. These statistics show that the optimal time to post on Facebook is towards the end of the week.
When Should You Post To Twitter?
Twitter is a hard social media network to pin down when it comes to optimal posting times. It seems more people use Twitter on their mobile devices, which gives them quicker and easier access to view tweets. Because of this, many people will check their accounts multiple times a day. Regardless of this difficulty, Hubspot was able to get a decent amount of statistics together to help find optimal posting days for Twitter. It seems Twitter gets the most views Mondays through Thursdays around 1 to 3PM and the worst times to post are every day after 8PM and Fridays after 3PM. While this is all up in the air depending on your client base, Hubspot also points out that they can truly say what brings about more interaction – posting photos. Here are some fun stats about tweeting photos:
You have a 36% increase in clicks.
A 31% increase in site visits.
A 41% increase in retweets.
A 48% increase in favorites.
A 33% increase in changing visitors into leads.
A 55% increase in leads.
While you’re working to find that sweet spot for timing, know that it is solid fact that you will bring in more views and leads simply by posting a photograph.
When Should You Post To LinkedIN?
Because LinkedIN is specifically used for businesses and business professionals, it is oftentimes used right before the workday begins and right after it ends, according to Entreprenuer.com. Entrepreneur also says that it is often used on Tuesdays and Thursdays around those times. If you make a post during normal working hours, it is less likely to receive views or bring in any clicks and visits. Try posting your LinkedIN material on Tuesdays and Thursdays specifically at around 7-8:30AM local time and avoid posting Mondays through Fridays between 1 and 5 PM.
When Should You Post To Google+?
G+ is yet another social media site that is best posted to in the morning. On the same infographic provided for Twitter, Hubspot says that the usual time people are on G+ is 9 – 10AM. The best time to receive the most engagement on your G+ updates is Wednesdays at 9AM. You will get more interaction and +1’s for posts made on those days. The worst time that Hubspot found for posting on G+ is very early mornings when people are either commuting to work and are too groggy to function fully or in the evenings when they are spending time with their family. An important fact about G+ and demographics is, according to Hubspot, it is growing rapidly with people between the ages of 45 and 54 years old. Keep this in mind as you post to G+ and make it friendlier for that demographic.
Learn Which Times Work The Best For Your Social Media
While these statistics are really helpful, it is wise for you to learn what times work the best for your specific audience. You can give the above a try, but if you notice you have little to no engagement on the suggested times, you should start to tweak it. Try earlier, if that doesn’t work, try later. The times vary for each business and person. Some people have more luck with posts made late at night because their audience is still awake while some have luck with early morning posts.
Either way, you have to make sure you know what your audience wants and when they are online. You can find this out by looking at your analytics, or by simply asking your clients what times they are usually online. In fact, this is an integral part to having a successful social media strategy; your clients can help you improve everything regarding your social media presence. Try these times out and start tweaking until you reach the time slot that works the best for you!
What comes to your mind when you hear the term “online content?” You might think of anything from the content populating your website and blog to social media presence, and you would be right. Online content is basically everything you put online. It can include your website, blog, social media posts and shares, and even e-commerce. It’s everything floating around cyberspace with your name on it. So if online content were to rule the (online) world, how lofty would your throne be?
A New King Ascended the SEO Throne In 2014
If you’ve asked why it’s important to publish content online, you’re not alone. Many business and brand owners have posed this question. Isn’t it enough to create eye-catching graphics, slap those puppies onto your website and social channels, and let them do the selling? After all, good marketing happens when the product or service sells itself, right?
If this were 2010, and if Google were still supporting old SEO tactics, you’d have a winning strategy. But it’s not. It’s 2014. Google’s beastly search algorithms are poised to shred online presences clinging to old habits while increasing rankings for those that play by the rules. The new rule is that content is king.
5 Types of Content You Can’t Do Without
Content comes in all sorts of flavors. It can be short or long. It can be black and white, gray, or colorful. It can take on whatever shape you need. It is 100 percent customizable and capable of achieving whatever you need, if it’s crafted with skill and care. Although the current content menu on display at copywriting agencies all over the net is sizeable, there are five types of content you simply cannot do without:
Blog posts: Blogs are super important to businesses and brands. Your goal should be to blog at least a few times per week or month. Each topic should be relevant to your specific products or services. Be educational and informative versus sales oriented when blogging, but don’t be afraid to subtly point out the benefits or value your product or service brings to the table. A meaty blog packed full of solid material hands your audience the ability to be well informed and educated. They are much more likely to buy from an industry expert versus a company that focuses solely on conversion.
News: Your business is constantly growing. Show your growth by creating and sharing interesting news content. Press releases are a great way to tackle newsworthy topics. Don’t shy away from posting news from your industry as well. News content has the ability to position your business as a subject matter expert that is in the know and in touch with current news and trends.
Timely: It’s vital to ensure your content is timely and properly positioned. For example, displaying outdated news or information on your site’s main page will give the impression that you’re not prioritizing. In fact, the audience might conclude you are outdated and unworthy of attention in the now. Take the time to inventory your content. Either ensure it is timely and that old information is positioned in older, dated content for those conducting research (recommended), or weed it out completely.
Products and services: The goal of your online content is no doubt to develop interest in your business and compel the audience to take action. Therefore, your copy should include enough of an explanation about your products and/or services to generate audience appeal. They should know enough to either want to research more (via your online presence) or contact you. Always take care in deciding how much information you will present about your products and/or services. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with so much info that they lose sight of the value you’re offering.
Social media: It’s the “in” thing of 2014. Social media and search engine rankings go hand-in-hand because the strength of your social media will affect the strength of your overall rankings. Building this type of content is an absolute must. The key to creating killer social media is in crafting the sort of content people simply must share. This requires interesting and fresh content. Variety is vital. Give your audience a generous mix of both serious and entertaining material while keeping self-promotion to a minimum.
6 Tips for Writing Killer Online Content
According to Social Media Today, we’ve reached a point in the content marketing industry where “the line between writing [killer] SEO copy for search engines and engaging copy for humans has all but disappeared.” It sounds silly, but writing for humans means you’re writing for search engines and writing for search engines means you’re writing for humans. Confused? Don’t be! It all boils down to the basic ingredients of killer content:
Get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush. People don’t have time for that. They want value, and they want it now. They are inundated with information at an alarming rate. Get to the point quickly or risk losing their attention.
Keep it tight. The majority of your audiences are likely using mobile devices, which means they’re viewing your content on a compact screen. Make your copy user friendly by keeping it tight. Sentences and paragraphs should be short and concise. Headings and subheadings should be easily visible and contain the main point of the text beneath them.
Don’t be shy. You must compel your audience to take action. Don’t be shy! Tell them what to do. Make each call to action logical and blunt. Ensure copywriting from one web page to the next transitions smoothly.
Be professional. There’s nothing wrong with a little entertainment value, but your copy should reflect your professionalism. Tap into personal stories, funny anecdotes, and peppy wording, but don’t go overboard. Oh, and don’t misspell words either. A typo or two is understandable, but if you display a pattern of misspelling, people won’t take you seriously.
Stay active. What’s the old adage? “A body in motion stays in motion.” The same is true of copy. Active writing engages the audience; it keeps them motivated to move through your content. Lose the active voice, risk losing that important movement.
Choose audience friendly topics. Unless your topics are of interest to your audience, all of these tips will be for not. The best way to brainstorm is to find out what works. Invest in learning how to use a good analytics tool. Business2Community recommends researching the topics people are looking for through your website search tool or search engine referrals and cater to them.
5 Industry Standards To Remember
The best strategy for creating online content is incorporating tactics that have a proven success rate. The tactics with proven worth all have a simple quality in common: they revolve around your online content. For example, you should consider:
Always striving to create FRESH content: Business2Community points out that when search engines determine ranking, they factor in a website’s size. More pages equates to more credibility. One of the best ways to achieve this is by constantly brainstorming, crafting, and publishing fresh content. Staying fresh also means following and using the current trends, problems, and solution in your industry to keep your audience happy and stay relevant.
Invest in content: The truth is not everyone is gifted in the writing department. Some of us can weave words and craft a 1,000 plus word piece at lightning speed, while others struggle to craft a single paragraph. If you are the latter, don’t feel iffy about investing in a strong copywriter. It’ll likely be the best content investment you make.
Think outside the box: Online content isn’t just written copy. Get creative with your content. Consider using infographics, podcasts, videos, and SlideShares.
Consider syndication: According to Business2Community, search engines index content from multiple sources. Therefore, syndicating your content is something to consider. It can significantly increase visibility and ranking.
Create and publish regularly: Business2Community points out that Google author rankings inherently favor authors who publish valuable content on a regular and frequent basis. Not only that, but Google also favors content pushed through Google Plus. Credibility and a boost in search engine rankings can be quickly earned through content that bears a combo of code markup and +1 sharing.
Online content is rapidly evolving into the foundational aspect of online presence. It really does rule the online world. It’s present in everything we publish, no matter how major or minor. It’s the biggest factor in SEO today, and it doesn’t look like this “trend” will be trending down anytime soon.
How decked out is your content throne? Are you a shining spectacle folks can’t take their eyes off of and want to exam in detail? When they pull out the magnifying glass, what will they find? If your online content isn’t ready for close inspection, then it’s time to take an inventory and apply the tips we’ve discussed. Online content is king. Don’t be caught without it!
Yes, you heard right: Express Writers is hiring writers as we speak.
Whether you adore the written word, are an aspiring scribe, or are knee-deep in the trenches of content creation, we think you should join us.
We’re hiring writers who are superb at sentences and on-point with punctuation, but, more importantly, we want you if you have a passion for writing.
There are plenty of reasons to submit your resume right now.
But first, a little about us!
All About the Express Writers Team (And Why We’re Hiring Writers Like You)
First things first.
Some of the most important things to know about us:
Our team is totally remote (we work anywhere and everywhere).
We adore good writing and quality content (naturally).
We don’t hire just anybody (because quality matters).
[clickToTweet tweet=”Want to join an amazing #copywriting team? Learn how you can work for @ExpWriters!” quote=”Want to join an amazing #copywriting team? Learn how you can work for @ExpWriters!”]
The Perks of a Remote Team: Pajamas at Work? Sure!
Let’s be honest: working in your pajamas is pretty awesome.
What’s even better about working remotely with our team, besides wearing your bunny slippers to the “office”?
We respect your schedule.
We’re hiring writers for both full- and part-time work. This means you can come aboard to make some extra change on the side, or settle in for a real, long-term writing gig that pays.
Quality Content Starts with Quality Staff
Here are some of the friendly faces you may get to work with if you join us. Say hi to our management team:
All of the content we produce begins and ends with them.
They get the deets from the clients, and that information is passed to the writer (this could be you!). When you submit your work, it’s reviewed and edited, and then sent back to the client. Plus, everything is facilitated through our totally online, custom Teamroom.
Together, we all work as a unit to produce the best possible end product for our customers. We pride ourselves on quality, and it’s evident in everything we do.
If that doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy, we don’t know what will.
The Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens: The Express Writers Story
If you want to work with us, you should know a little of our history.
Express Writers started with our CEO and founder, Julia McCoy.
She was a young copywriter who started getting more work than she could handle on her own. Out of this personal success, the idea for her company was born.
Imagine a team of writers who are passionate about their craft, who offer a one-stop-shop for all your writing and content creation needs.
That was the dream, and, six years later, that dream is still growing. Join our team, and you could be part of it.
Yes, We’re Hiring Writers – Here’s What to Do Next
At Express Writers, we are constantly hiring writers.
Out of any given month, we are interviewing at least half the time in order to find just the right candidates to add to our team.
Read more about us, including our company values. If you like what you see, submit your resume for one of our open roles!
Who We Hire
We interview lots of different candidates. Not everyone makes it through, but if you have the skills, the creativity, and the passion, you’ve got a shot!
Here’s who we’re looking for:
Copywriters (for general topics) – 5+ years of experience
Expert copywriters (for intensive, authority content) – 8-10+ years of experience, solid portfolio, specific field expertise – from legal to medical
Social Media Experts (social media copywriters)
Designers (for ebooks, social media images, and more)
Copy editors
If you want the inside scoop on what it’s like to dive into one of these roles and work for us, here’s what one of our full-time copywriters, Alyssa, has to say about it.
A Day in the Life at Express Writers: Full-Time Copywriter Alyssa
There is one thing I’ll say about working for Express Writers full-time: it’s never boring.
I roll out of bed around 8:00 a.m. each day. Depending on how well I slept, I either stumble or zombie-shuffle to the kitchen to make iced coffee or tea. Caffeine in hand, I grab the rest of my breakfast and head to my computer. Usually, I’m sitting down to work by 9 a.m., ready to roll up my sleeves and write.
(And, yes, I do get the luxury of working in my pajamas, thank-you-very-much.)
When I log-on to the Teamroom, a few assignments will be waiting, including an ongoing project. I hone my focus and bang out whatever is most pressing, then move on to other deadlines.
As the day progresses, I get more assignments from Katria, the team content manager. My work varies – sometimes I’m writing web copy for a fresh company, sometimes I’m penning fun product descriptions, and much of the time I’m writing SEO blogs on a rainbow of topics. I love the variety – it keeps me on my toes.
I continue plugging away steadily until lunchtime. I break for a bite to eat and a quick walk with my dog. When I return to my desk, I turn on some music because I can start to drag a little. My top choices are Dario Marianelli, Debussy, and Chopin (instrumental music gets my brain humming but doesn’t distract me).
Usually, 5:00 p.m. is quitting time, but sometimes I work later to get ahead. I want to produce work that clients will love – every single time.
Interested? Submit Your Resume Today and Join a Successful Writing Team
We’re always hiring writers. If you’re skilled, creative, and motivated, we want you on our team.
To write professionally and work in your pajamas (what? It’s really great!), then get on board and submit your resume and writing samples. The writers’ application is here. Editors, go here. Or, contact us directly at [email protected].
Express Writers is the place for creative, passionate writers and editors who keep improving their craft. Join us and get writing!
Where were you on June 25th? Nigeria, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Honduras, Switzerland, Ecuador, and France were all battling it out at the World Cup. The chatter around the office was filled with score updates and talk about how the US was fairing. And there I was, glued to my computer screen, reading news about the world cup creating a global exposure opportunity.
Italy’s Mario Balotelli had made a request as his team entered a key World Cup match last Friday: he wanted a kiss from Queen Elizabeth II in the event that Italy beat Costa Rica, thereby keeping England’s chances for advancement alive. But this wasn’t really the breaking news. Balotelli had over 170,000 people retweet his message and managed to generate even more chatter for a game that bred 3.2 million tweets.
The Birth of a Global Opportunity
Preparing your brand for big sporting events is a no-brainer. Every year the Super Bowl rolls around and the world of copywriting goes crazy with new content creation. And it all happens for one simple reason: businesses see an opportunity for mass exposure.
It’s no surprise that the World Cup, one of the largest global events on the planet, has become the biggest-ever global event for social media. According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook saw over 141 million users post over 459 million interactions during the first week of the event. Twitter recorded:
12.2 million tweets during Brazil’s win against Croatia on June 12th
8 million tweets during the U.S. versus Portugal match
6.1 million tweets when Brazil faced down Cameroon
The World Cup is an outstanding example of exposure opportunity, grossing more social activity than the Super Bowl, Oscars, and Sochi Winter Olympics combined! There is no better time to jump in on a conversation and get your business or brand involved. We’re talking about engaging people on a global level because the entire world is watching this event. Is your copy up to the task?
Why Quality Copy Matters
It’s June. We’re half way through 2014. We’ve heard it all, from Google pushing the need for quality content to the latest trends in search engine optimization methods. We know the technical jargon behind the latest Panda 4.0 and Payday Loan 2.0 updates. We get it, already! So, was your copy up to par for global exposure?
We were all expecting the World Cup to make a social media impact. I mean, it only makes sense; it is the World Cup, right? The truth is any international or global event that you jump into on social media has the potential to gain extra exposure. A pithy comment on Twitter or Facebook could suddenly trigger publicity as curious spectators click to your profile and then to your website. And that, my dear reader, is why high quality copy matters. Forget Google. Forget SEO. At that very moment, the quality of your copy will determine:
Whether a potential client decides to stay on your website. It’s been known to happen. Your profile comes up on a trending Twitter topic, and suddenly you have your first international customer. You’re staring down the barrel at a fresh, untapped, and potentially HUGE audience. If your copy isn’t quality, chances are they’ll never contact you. Ouch!
Whether or not you gain a new follower. There’s power in community. A new follower is a new audience member. If the copy you publish, from your blogs to PRs, is packed with value and quality, they’ll share. Before you know it, that one new follower turns into a trend of newbies from…Australia? England? France? Germany? It is the World Cup after all!
Whether or not you gain a new contact. As a business owner, you know the power of a network, especially a strong network of colleagues. If the visitor perusing your website happens to be a colleague, high quality copy will go a long ways toward their reaching out to connect. Suddenly, you have a contact with an international perspective!
The truth is we hear about the need to prepare and craft quality copy so much that we often forget just how useful sheer quality can be. The explosion of social media activity since the start of the World Cup has been a fine example of how the simplest bit of participation, the pithiest tweet, or the most lighthearted Facebook comment can lead to an unprecedented exposure opportunity.
So, is your copy ready to go global? Is it up to the task of making the perfect on the spot impression? It’s time to take a little inventory, do a little tweaking, and call in some expert help if you’re unsure. After all, you never know who is watching or, more importantly, who is reading.
