Content curation refers to the work of aggregating and editing digital content (news, blogs, social media, events, etc) as part of an online strategy to nurture leads and build an online community. Just as a museum curator is in charge of collecting, displaying, editing and cataloging relevant gallery objects for a physical display, so to does a website content curator with digital resources. Providing automation enables web content publishers and curators to focus on providing relevant, contextual and topical information for its users, while stretching its marketing budget which is especially relevant for new, green companies entering the marketplace.

It is becoming increasingly important to consider content curation to help synchronize a community (Christy Barksdale, PR 20/20), bring order to information overload (Steve Rosenbaum, Fast Company & Magnify.net), and is the key to building visibility, authority and value (Robin Good, MasterNewMedia). The tipping point may have been reached when, WordPress, the world’s biggest blogging platform added a curation feature recently. According to Pawan Deshpande, the CEO of HiveFire, content curation is a win-win because it allows companies to more effectively use marketing dollars while providing a better service to its end-users.

Weather it’s done solely by a human or with the help of automation software, many green businesses are paying attention. A good example content curation in action can be found at Greentech Media, Green Data Center News and Go Green Web Directory. By providing current and contextual information companies can provide considerable value to its users, building their sales pipeline and positing your company as the though leader – a win/win for everyone.

Challenges for adoption include rules and ethical questions around content aggregation, as well as budgetary and ROI considerations. There are several players in the content curation space, namely HiveFire (Boston, MA), Magnify.net (NY, NY) and OneSpot (Austin, TX).

Does your company utilize content curation? Why or why not?

About Joanna Hamblin

A results driven marketing and communications professional, Joanna has over 7 years of experience in developing marketing strategies that generate leads, raise awareness and grow market share. Working with clients of various sizes and stages she’s helping to build strong foundations for the clean tech, energy, sustainability and local food verticals by developing marketing strategies that are effective, scalable and provide consistent ROI. Her specialty includes project management, web 2.0 and social media planning, event management and corporate communications. To learn more about Joanna and her work you can follow her on Twitter @GoodNatureGirl .