You’re putting on the show, but who’s in the audience?

Curata on Content Curation (Nov 7 2011)

1. The importance of understanding what your prospects want in a curated site.

   When a comedian goes on stage what is his or her biggest fear? One would assume that it is a silent, unenthused crowd. The success of the comedian’s performance lies solely in the faces of those sitting in their chairs waiting to be entertained. The experiences of those in the audience are what make or break the performance. The same goes for content curation – the process of finding, organizing and sharing relevant content online.

   The success of any curated site depends on how the audience receives it. If the content is what they are looking for, they will come back to the site and begin to view it as a resource for their informational needs. It may seem simple but often curators overlook the importance of analyzing their audience to find out what content to deliver. What follows is a four-step process to make certain that your curated site will be given a standing ovation:

   1. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
   No comedian ever became famous by playing it safe.  The only way to accurately assess what your audience wants is to experiment.  Writing about new topics or curating out-of-the-box third party content will provide your audience a chance to broaden their horizons and engage with content they didn’t even realize they wanted.

   2. Be sure to keep your ears open.
   Listening to how your audience takes in your content is, the key to learning what it is they desire. If there is silence in the room after the punch line chances are it wasn’t that great of a joke. Content curators must always monitor what content is getting shared and examine which posts seem to be generating more traffic, driving comments and creating dialog among the community.

   3. Always be thinking of your next “big thing.”
   What people desire is constantly changing which means content on your site should be constantly changing as well.  A joke that got the room smiling a month ago could bring on the tomato throwing today.  Curators must constantly be reevaluating and reinventing content on their site.  Whether it’s the use of video, pictures or social media, it’s important to always be conscientiously thinking about what new material you can deliver.

   4. Stay with the times.
   Jokes about items in the news always get a rise from the crowd, the same goes for content on curated sites.  Take care to ensure the content on your site is reflective of what trends, issues and events are being talked about at the moment.  You audience wants to find content that is relevant to current events.  Make sure what you’re talking about fits in with what the rest of the industry is chatting about.

   Using content curation tools like Curata can help make the never-ending practice of coming to understand your audience a bit easier. Back-end analytics report the traffic attracted by each article on your site and users can create log-in names to comment on content with their feedback. This makes monitoring how your content resonates with your audience less time intensive and motivates curators to evaluate their performance on a regular basis.

   The judgment of any successful show is in the feedback of those in the crowd. If your curated content is what the audience wants, they will be sure to come back to your site and view you as a thought leader in the industry. Take Curata for a test drive today with a 30 day free trial.

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