“If all you’re sharing is other people’s content, why do people need to follow you?”
~ Anita Kirkbride
Recently I’ve sat with a couple of small business owners who have been “on social media” for a while but have not been doing much there. In planning to ramp up their social game, one of the first things they both wanted to do was to get apps that help curate (bring them content based on keywords). This way they would have content to share.
I couldn’t understand why this was important to them. I’m never at a loss for something to share.
Granted, we all have different strategies and goals. Here’s where I find my content to share:
- Experts I Know – I’m really lucky to know a few of them and their information is very relevant for my target market.
- Clients and Friends – I follow all of my clients on all social media platforms. Their information is not always relevant to my target market but sometimes peripherally. I pick and choose to share what makes sense.
- Service Providers and Other Trusted Sources – This list changes but includes my hosting provider and bulk email service provider, plus people like Seth Godin.
- Search Topics – I search for information on something specific because I want to learn. Then I share the best of the results.
- My Own Content – I spend a fair bit of time creating content and want to maximize its usefulness to others. By far most of what I share is original content in one form or another.
Being able to curate good content is important but not as important as creating your own original content. That’s where your time is better invested.