Last week, I wrote about Content Creators, and how they can effectively use social media to build a following for their ideas. But what about those of you who can’t or don’t want to create content on a schedule? Are you out of luck for being known as a go-to person in your field?
Nope. You have another approach. You can be a Content Curator. And we need you!
If you are active in your field or industry, you are probably already spending time reading articles and commentary. Why not use that time to build your reputation? Disseminate the good stuff, occasionally comment on why the bad stuff is bad, and we’ll keep coming back to you. For myself, I’m interested in a lot of different fields, but I don’t have time to read everything. I value the people in my network who read all the crap and direct my attention to just the good stuff.
Who will be comfortable in this role? Anyone in the real estate, financial or health and nutrition fields are naturals. There is a lot of information being disseminated in those areas. Some of it good. Some not so much. If you are willing to filter and comment on what is being presented, you’ll be valuable.
How do you use social media to disseminate information? The good news is that you have lots of choices. You can use any of the major channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube. How?
Facebook: Set up a Business page and use that as the repository of all the links to good content. You can write your own commentary on both good and bad articles, and you’re not limited to just 140 characters.
Twitter: Obviously tweeting links can work. If you want to build relationships with the major players in your industry, that’s easier here than on Facebook. Lots of business Facebook pages are maintained by a PR company, and it can be difficult to interact directly. But many Twitter accounts are maintained by the people, and some of them will respond back to your @Mention.
LinkedIn: Join a Group, participate in Discussions and post links in your status updates. It’s not quite as easy to use LinkedIn for this purpose, but if your industry in more active on LinkedIn than the other channels, then definitely use it. Be aware that it’s actually easier to be a Content Curator on LinkedIn than a Content Creator. Many Groups disallow posting links to content you’ve created. They rarely have limits on posting links to content others have created.
YouTube: If the content you are filtering is primarily video then YouTube is the natural. You can create a profile and use your “Favorites” as a repository for the content you want to promote.
How do you manage your time? Obviously, the majority of your time will be spent reading and/or watching content. But you should already be doing that, so it’s not a new demand on your time. Other than the time spent reading, you’ll be selecting the content to share and sharing it. You’ll want to leave time to engage in discussions around what you’re sharing. Over time, you’ll want to build and maintain relationships with the major players in your field. And they should want to know you. If you are promoting them, it’s in their interests to be on your good side.
How does this give you business? Go back to who I said were naturals for this role. All of them are in professions requiring a high degree of trust. This role will build that trust and, over time, lead to customers and referrals. After all, if you are the one we’re going to for trusted information, why wouldn’t we go to you when we need your services?
Sound like you? Excellent. You have a place to start. But maybe you’re not all about the content. Perhaps your focus in on relationships. Not a problem. The “Networker” is the next role. Stay tuned.
Image credit: By Sofiaperesoa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
