Curation Counts: Why Customers Want Condensed Updates

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Today’s customer is inundated with excessive content. Every single minute around the world, more than 204 million emails are sent, 1,400 new blog posts are published, and Facebook users share a whopping 2.46 million pieces of content.

While the average individual will only ever see a fraction of this content, it doesn’t take much to become overwhelmed. As a marketer, this is where you need to think about roundup or recap content.

Types of Roundup Content

Recaps and roundups come in a variety of forms. Depending on the purpose of the roundup and the medium you’re using, the exact structure and frequency may vary. With that being said, here are three of the most common and effective types:

  • Email roundup. With the average person receiving dozens of emails on a daily basis, it’s possible that some of your emails are going unnoticed. An email roundup – which is sent on a weekly or monthly basis – simply provides subscribers with a “greatest hits” version of the previous period’s emails. There’s even an app that many customers use – called Unroll.me – that lets subscribers create their own roundups, but it’s better to do it yourself.

  • News recaps. For companies that report news or depend on real-time information, news recaps are a fantastic way to organize content and provide customers with value. Here’s one example from RJO Futures, which provides website visitors with daily recaps of the energy market.

  • Curated blog posts. If there’s one type of blog post that continually produces the highest ROI, it’s the curated blog post. This is a blog post that simply provides readers with a list of relevant articles and resources in a single, consolidated format. These posts tend to be very sticky and continue to generate traffic and shares for months, or even years. Here’s a good example of a curated blog post.

  • Social media recaps. Finally, some brands will send out social media recaps. These are simple posts at the end of the day or week that say something like, “Here are our five most viewed posts of the week…check them out!” These give followers a final chance to see something you posted.

Whether it’s email, blogging, or social media, roundup content can be leveraged in unique and effective ways. Understanding the flexibility you have on this front is an important aspect of staying relevant in the eyes of your customers.

The Value of Roundup Content

While roundup content is popular in today’s marketplace, have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? What value does this type of content provide and how does it influence customers? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why it works so well:

  1. So Much Noise

As noted at the beginning of this article, the internet is a noisy place. Between the ding of your email inbox, constantly refreshing social media newsfeeds, search engines, and push notifications, customers are constantly distracted. Roundup content serves the purpose of cutting through the noise and saying, “Here’s what you really need to know.” It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s better than publishing content, crossing your fingers, and saying, “Hope you find it!”

  1. Filters Make Things Easy

How would you find anything on the internet without the assistance of a tool like Google? Search engines make it easy to find content by filtering out irrelevant links and serving you the best possible resources. Well, roundup posts have the same purpose. They help your customers filter through content and find what they need.

  1. Short Attention Spans

Did you know that the average human attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish? Interestingly, this steep decline in attention span can be directly linked to the rise of the internet, social media, and mobile devices. The data shows that the average human attention span was 12 seconds in 2000, but is just 8 seconds today. Roundup posts are often the only way to reach customers who can’t stay focused long enough to find and consume your content.

  1. Easy to Reference

Finally, roundup content is easy to reference. Whether it’s an email or a blog post, recaps are preferred because they allow customers to pick and choose exactly what they want to read. They simply mine the article for keywords and titles that appeal to them and then click. This is exponentially easier than conducting a Google search or cycling through multiple pages of your blog just to find topics that interest them.

Rounding it All Up

While it’s easy to feel like roundup posts and emails are redundant, you have to remember that the majority of your followers/viewers/subscribers don’t see your content the first time around. The internet is a vast sea of content and your posts represent just a small drop in the ocean.

Do your customers a favor and provide them with roundup content.

Larry Alton
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Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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