4 Content Curation Tools

Content curation is described as the process of discovering, gathering and presenting online content based on keywords that describe a particular niche.  In the past you may have unknowingly curated content using RSS feeds from Google reader.  But Google has only just announced that Google Reader will be shut down on July 1st 2013.  So I thought this might be a good time to look at the more hip content curation sites.
But first why curate content at all?  Some say curating original content is what gets you noticed.  I have seen it described as the difference between being a social media leader  or a social media follower.  Which would you rather be?  Realistically put it allows you to show that you know what is going on in your field and it compliments your own content. 

I simply suggest clicking on the following links and try them out for yourself,  as they all achieve slightly different results.


Flipboard

is a new way to read news or content.  It is for smart phones only and very entertaining when you are

on the go.  The curated pages do literally flip from one to another just like with a real book. Besides creating your own specialised magazine you can connect your own twitter followers to this and read all your followers' tweets on a particular subject.  Its a great way to see qualitatively which tweets are worth retweeting. 

Flipboard came pre-installed on my Samsung S3 but I took no notice of it until I saw it mentioned in a recent blog post.  It was described as a cross between Pinterest and Tumblr.
Apparently Flipboard already has 6 billion pages flipped per month so its well worth a look.

Pulse 

looks like a cross between Pinterest and LinkedIn Today.  Not surprisingly LinkedIn just bought Pulse.  You must choose a minimum of three areas of interest.  It was designed to bring all your favourite websites together.  Personally I found the areas of interest too broad.
Once you find an article of interest, you can post it to Facebook, tweet it, email it or save it for later.

Prismatic

allows you to create a newsfeed based on your interests.
Prismatic seems to pull topics based on the websites that you most visit.  It features your areas of interest very precisely.  Prismatic users can like and comment on your curated posts. 

Scoop.it

is one of my favourites.  It displays blog posts on a specific topic.  These can be retweeted or sent to your LinkedIn  newsfeed.  There was a time when you could send curated articles to Linkedin with Twitterfeed.  As this service is now no longer available Scoop.it fills this gap. I've had authors thank me for scooping their content, as Scoop.it increases their reach.

As mentioned these tools all deliver different end results, so explore and see which you prefer.
If you are publishing curated content just remember to credit the original source and link to that source.

This list includes some of my favourite content curation tools but there are many more.  If you have a favourite please feel free to list it in the comments below.

"Get Clients Using Linkedin" Screen Capture Video

LinkedIn Webinar Invitation

"How To Get Clients Using LinkedIn"

Free Webinar with Chris Lentzy, hosted by Lana Karasevych 

On Monday, 8th of April 

1pm EST - 6pm GMT - 7pm CET

 

 

We will cover the main points of attracting and engaging your ideal client using LinkedIn to get clients. All are welcome.  To sign up use the link below.  Places are limited to 200 attendees.

 

Register For Free Webinar Here

 Here is the audience log-in link

 Presenter Lana Karasevych is an intuitive Business Coach and a former Corporate Lawyer.
Lana specializes in helping women lawyers, who are uncomfortable with marketing, sales, or money conversations to authentically accelerate their success from a new place of ease.

 

She coaches women lawyers all around the world how to partner universal energetic principles with practical step by step how-to’s to joyfully serve your clients and bring more money into your legal practice. 
 

Coaching with Lana focuses on both sides of the business:

1.    The strategic side of your business, including your marketing and your sales, and
2.    The spiritual and motivational side, or who you’re being in your business, including your confidence, authenticity, and alignment with your values.



Chris Lentzy, MBA is a management consultant who specialises in business development using social media. 

As a social media strategist Chris selects a mix of social media activity that supports your business model. 

His typical projects range include online product marketing, raising the profile of experts, online business promotion and PR.

 

 

 

 

 

 In optimising your LinkedIn profile we will discuss the key points from:

1. Your Name – what’s allowed/not allowed
2. Your Photo – what’s recommended
3. Professional Headline – it’s not about you (120 characters)
4. Setting Your Public Profile URL – so you will be found
5. Formulating your website links for maximum traffic
6. Be Contactable via IM, phone, Twitter & address
7. Summary  – compose using AIDA (2000 characters)
8. Experience – reinforces Summary with keywords
9. Publications – including online publications
10. Languages
11. Interests – keywords
12. Personal Details – not needed
13. Advice For Contacting You – who is to contact you
14. Your Professional Organisations
15. Recommendations – for social proof
16. Groups – 50 max. – how to choose
17. Using SlideShare Effectively
18. Setting Your Skills & Expertise – 50 to choose
19. Company Profile
20. Volunteering & Causes

 LinkedIn engagement strategies covered include:

1. Adding To Your Existing Contacts
2. Use “In Common With”
3. Using Advanced Search
4. Blanket Connections
5. Engaging with Questions/Answers
6. Engaging with InMail
7. Engaging with Groups
8. Maintaining Contact with an Autoresponder
9. CardMunch/Business Card Reader App

Register Here
 Here is the audience log-in link

Hope you can make it.   If not, do leave any questions in the comment box below.

 

 

 

 

 

Succcess With Facebook For Business

You will notice from my blog posts that I have until now shied away from Facebook related topics.  Sure I've been on Facebook for a number of years and find it effective for communicating with friends and colleagues.  But I've always struggled using Facebook effectively for business.  Until recently that is.   More importantly I have found that the type of business you are in determines your success with Facebook.
Previously I was always dealing with small start-ups with no customer or supplier networks.  Recently I was working behind the scenes with an event catering company which operates in multiple locations throughout Ireland.   The first hundred LIKEs seems to come out of nowhere.  Offline measures are being taken to support online success even.  This started with management buy-in with support for the project and the need to increased brand visibility on the ground.  Absolutely nothing to do with the technical aspects of Facebook.  Yet this unexpected and  time consuming aspect of the project is now seen as the first vital step for online B2C success.   Encouraging staff members along with supplier and customers to provide content for posting will also make the task of communicating via Facebook easier.  Everyone seems to want to be seen or heard on the fan page, it just removes that fear of being short on content.  Thirdly training of the company's social media manager in relation to generating maximum engagement is import.

Success with Facebook for your business requires

1. Management buy-in
2. On the ground brand visibility
3. Encouraging your network to join in
4. Training to create maximum engagement.

Many companies will tell you that it is becoming harder and harder to create interaction/engagement on Facebook.  Engagement is vital so that Facebook's Edgerank algorithm ensures that your posts are seen by as many as possible. There are however a number of things that can be done.  These include:

1. Make sure you have a clear clickable link back to your website in your Facebook page's "About" section.
2. Tagging of staff and customers in any photographs. This will ensure that your Facebook content arrives in their newsfeeds.
3. Posting your news and photographs on your business network's fan pages, so that you can cross-promote one another.  And by all means, formally decide who you will partner with and co-promote.  Your suppliers and associates are an obviously first port of call here. 
4. Remember social media isn't about products, services or brands but the people behind these.
5. Brand the most important of your fan page photographs using your company name and logo with PicMonkey. 
6. Encourage employees to put "Visit our fan page at xxxx" in their "Work and Education - Employers" section on their on Facebook page.  This drives traffic and creates more business.
7. If you work at multiple locations, mention the specific location for clarity and be descriptive as this is all good for raking in Google. 
8. Brand your emails using Wisestamp
9. Create engagement using questions, comments and call-to-action.  Craft these so that a reply can be as short as possible. 
10. Watch your posting times, afternoons and evening are best, this is proven.
11. Try to post twice a day.  Some would recommend even four times a day.  But whatever you do be consistent.   Don't dump a whole pile of posts on one go and then maintain "radio silence" for a number of days.
12. Use competitions to reward customer participation on your Facebook page.
13. Failing all of the above you can always pay for advertising on Facebook.

I'm sure there's more.  If I have left out anything import or anything that you feel needs a mention please comment below.

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