Social Media Content Curation: Twitter Edition

Social Media Content Curation Twitter Edition

Twitter has become an important part of many peoples’ lives. With 300 million monthly active users and approximately 500 million tweets being sent out every single day, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Today, I’d like to talk about how I use Twitter as a social media content curation tool for my clients as well as for my personal use.

Content curation is basically sorting through data that we receive every day (images, videos, blogs, memes, etc.) and taking out the most attention-grabbing content to share with followers or clients.

Why should you curate content?

  • You present a new perspective to your followers and clients

Even if you are able to write great articles for your readers, sharing thought-provoking pieces by other writers brings in a fresh perspective that your followers and clients will surely appreciate. Reading content from one person’s point of view can become boring after a period of time.

  • It takes off some of the pressure to create new content

Let’s face it. There are times when you have difficulty coming up with new ideas or new topics to write. Content curation can help you in these situations.

  • You will be recognized as a thought leader

When you share content that is relevant to your field, it still shows your expertise. People know that you have answers when they need help, whether it is through your own content or a resource that you shared.

  • It can help expand your network

Sharing content that engages your audience can bring more people into discussions about your brand. This may also bring in new connections with thought-leaders in your field.

  • It can help you track industry trends

When you curate content, you get a glimpse of current trends in your field. You see new topics, discussions, and opinions of other people in your industry.

Using Twitter for Content Curation

  • First, follow industry leaders on Twitter. Doing this will give you access to a variety of content curation options. You can do this in two ways:witter - Social Media Content Curation - "IT Services"

1. You can type specific keywords in the search bar on your Twitter Home Page. For example, typing in “IT Services CEO” will give you these results (see image):

2. The “Who to follow” recommendations (See the red box in the picture) will also give you ideas on who to follow and what content to curate based on your current search or your own interests or profile.

After following people or organizations that you want to curate content from, here are the next steps you should take:

  • If you are following more than 100 Twitter users, you will have a hard time keeping up with content coming into your feed. You need to organize your feed using:

1. Twitter Lists

These lists help organize and curate feeds and make it easier for you to digest content that is relevant to you. You can create a Twitter List for clients and another one for your personal interests. You can also subscribe to other users’ lists. As a result, you can easily see content that you like whenever you need it. You just click on the list you want to view and scroll through the members’ updates anytime you check on it.

2. HootSuite

You can also create Twitter lists using Hootsuite:

  1. Choose Streams from the launch menu.
  2. Click the tab that will host the stream.
  3. Click Add Stream, choose Twitter from the list on the left and click on the Lists tab.
  4. Choose the Twitter profile from the picker.
  5. Click Create a new list and type in the name for the list in the field below.
  6. Click Public list if you want anyone to view your lists or Private list if you don’t want others to view your lists.
  7. Click Add Stream
  8. Drag-and-drop profile photos of people or organizations that you want to add to the list.

3. Set up an RSS feed reader

Subscribe to news sites, blogs, and other publications that regularly produce the type of content you want to share.

You can share content immediately on Twitter. However, if you find several articles you want to share, do not flood your followers’ feeds. Spread them out by using:

  1. TweetDeck
    This free tool is offered by Twitter. It allows you to schedule tweets, monitors your feeds, and engage your audience.
  2. Hootlet
    This is another free tool offered by Hootsuite. This allows you to share content quickly and easily to Twitter and other social networks.
  3. HootSuite
    HootSuite allows you to monitor your feeds to find content you can share. It also allows you to retweet and like content, and helps you schedule tweets you want to send out at a later time.

Twitter is a great tool to use in curating content that you can share with clients and friends. You may not see results in the beginning but with perseverance, you will find that it is worth it once you’ve established your social media presence and online reputation.

Just remember that despite having several tools at your disposal to help you curate content, building a relationship with your audience is still the most important factor if you want to succeed.

What tools do you use to curate content?

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