Social media has integrated into all our lives in such a way that we cannot imagine our days without it. You may prefer Facebook over Twitter, or Instagram over Facebook, but almost everyone has a social media platform that they follow diligently.
As the content consumption rate is so high on social media, it holds the power to become a game-changer in content curation and marketing. In the digital marketing space, content curation refers to the process of gathering content related to a specific topic or genre, with the purpose of organizing and presenting it to add value to your brand.
The art of “going viral” has been explored and practiced extensively on social media over the last few years. On social media, viral content refers to a piece of content that has gained extreme popularity through a massive number of views, likes, shares, and mentions. Sometimes, these viral posts are featured on the news, adopted in marketing campaigns, and replicated by millions of people around the world.
The Ice-Bucket Challenge went viral on social media in 2014. Many celebrities and public figures participated in it, which involved dumping a bucket of ice-cold water on your head to raise money and awareness about Lou Gehrig’s disease.
This kind of viral content can lead to a boost in social media marketing. So, here’s how you can create and use trends to curate viral content on social media.
Tips to Curate Viral Content for Social Media
Going viral on social media can be a matter of luck. However, you can curate viral content with these tips and tricks that any SEM agency would recommend.
1.Spend time on social media and keep track of trends
Social media trends develop and change overnight. So, if you want to become a viral content curator, you must keep your eyes on the ball. Once you spend time on social media constructively, it becomes very easy to spot rising trends and understand the pulse of the audience.
Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have their Trends section, where you will find the trending topics of the day. Often, viral content is associated with these topics. Depending on the type of content you want to curate, you will need to discover the correct areas to find them, and that can only be achieved by spending time on the platform.
2.Use SEM tools to curate from your favorite sites
There are many online platforms that help in content curation. Some of them are Google, Google+ Communities, Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, etc. Following these platforms will give you an idea of where to find viral content and use it for marketing purposes.
Many free sites offer you great content curation services. If you are someone who deals extensively with online content, these SEM tools can help you direct your marketing campaign towards a certain trend.
Some SEM tools that can be used for content curation are Storify, ContentGems, ContentStudio, etc.
To be part of a viral trend, you need to be in the right place at the right time, as most of the trends are time-bound. Here, these tools will act as a roadmap to take you on the right path.
3.Create a list of sources
Content curation involves a lot of sifting through data and spotting a needle in a haystack. In such a scenario, a great tip for curating viral content is to make a list of your sources.
Once you know where to go to look for information, it will not take a lot of time to figure out what works for your brand. Make sure that your list is neither too short nor too long. Your priority should be to find original content sources. Use tools, if necessary, to discover fresh content in your genre and find a way of harnessing it.
For instance, if you want to curate science-related content, you should keep an eye on the websites that publish research and the social media channels that explain it. Keep an eye out for interesting representations of the basic content, as unique takes tend to go viral quickly.
4.Subscribe to communities and newsletters
Subscribing to newsletters and communities is a content curation strategy that experts swear by. Often, you will find successful curators saying that they hit the jackpot by following certain communities and getting their hands on viral content at its inception.
Always remember that your email inbox might be a goldmine of viral content. Apart from newsletters and subscriptions, skim through your promotional mails occasionally for viral references. You will find that there is valuable information in the most unlikely places.
5.Follow interesting people from all fields
There is no rhyme or reason to what can go viral. There have been viral videos of plane crashes as well as a father and daughter singing a song in their home. So, essentially, you need to follow people from all fields and have access to content from all genres if you want to be a successful viral content curator.
Follow interesting people on Twitter and keep an eye on the hashtags they use. Also, make sure you check out which people are sharing the kind of links or stories that might be beneficial to you. It is also a good idea to follow people from the same field to be on top of trends as they emerge.
However, make sure you are following interesting profiles and pages. To ensure that, judge as if you are the audience. If something doesn’t hold your attention enough to create an interest, chances are your users will not find it interesting either.
Benefits of Curating Viral Content
Once you learn all the tricks to curate viral content, you may wonder about the benefits of it. When you think about it, content curation on a social media platform just involves handpicking a set of interesting content and publishing it after adding your own touch.
But why, you may ask, should we do this? Because, ideally, excelling in this field comes with its own set of advantages.
By curating viral content, you can:
- Become an expert in the field and gain your own set of followers.
- Build a brand voice for your business and control how your product or offering is viewed by the audience.
- Share excellent content without actually having to create it.
- Increase your social media followers and build engagement on your page.
- Grow your business by increasing reach among potential customers.
- Be aware of the viral news and trends across the world.
- Stay informed about current issues.
Conclusion
Curating viral content might seem exhausting when you look at the bigger picture, but, done right, it can work wonders for your social media image and brand. You can consult an agency if you are looking for such SEM Services. All you have to do is keep an eye on interesting content, make it personal before sharing, and maintain an active social media profile.
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