Learning To Share
As you were growing up, you categorized kids in your classes from K-6 as either “sharers” or “non-sharers.” Sometimes that meant sharing a treat your Mom packed in your sack lunch … or, maybe it was sharing your extra pencil when both of your pals broke during a test. You shared because that’s who you were then. And likely are now.
In today’s digital world, we have opportunities to share all kinds of things we like or not; we can like a company (and the people who know you know that you like that particular company … or you may not be so fond of it (and they know that too).
Today we call it “content curation,” and quite simply, it’s the practice of sharing third-party blogs, infographics, reports and more to enhance your own brand (be it personal or corporate).
Curation will enable you to share high-quality content in less time, establish you as a credible source of news and information, and publicly associate you with the experts in your field.
But to be taken seriously, choose your content carefully and follow these established best practices for sharing:
Validate what you share
Don’t share or post content without checking it and doubly checking it first. Will the people to whom you’re sending it to take time from their busy days to read something from you? What’s in it for them? When it comes to curation, quality is far more important than frequency. The more low-interest materials you send, the more you diminish your brand … and your credibility.
Be consistent
Create a schedule you can keep, and then stick to it. Get far enough ahead so that you can take some time off now and then to get your mind straight and keep your copy fresh.
Give credit where credit is due
Provide links to your sources (even at the risk of losing the reader to the link), and credit the author or source of anything you share. Remember: attribution builds relationships.
Engage with content producers and writers
Never be afraid to offer your own opinion on people’s content. If you have legitimate comments, share them! This will help build your reputation as well as relationships that may wind up getting your content shared some time in the future.
When you follow these simple steps, you can establish your company (and you personally) as a trusted source of information as well as (long-term) an industry thought leader.