Increasingly, marketers are adding content curation to their marketing activity, often with objectives of sharing a certain amount of content each day. Ardath Albee (@ardath421) has a sample to-do list for a content marketer in Show Quantity the Door.

Three weeks ago I published Three Reasons Content Curation is Overrated, my reaction to research published on eMarketer and advice we frequently see about curating content in order to establish thought leadership.

That doesn’t mean curation is not valuable. It may be one of the primary ways you stay in touch with your audience. But the path to value from your curation is a winding one.

It Starts with Attention

If you consistently discover and share information and in doing so, become a better way for people to get the information they want or need, you are providing a valuable service. In exchange, you consistently receive a moment of their time and attention.

As long as you continue to be a better way for those people to get the information you share, you will keep their attention. The attention you earn is the key to delivering against your real objectives.

Turning Attention into Marketing Success

The top three content marketing objectives according a recent survey by Curata (notably, a company that offers a solution for content curation), are driving leads/sales, thought leadership and brand awareness.

1. Lead Generation
Lead generation (referring to capturing contacts through an online registration for the sake of this article) starts with attention.

When you earn attention through curation, you have the opportunity to share your own gated content or position your own products along with the information you curate.

2. Thought Leadership
Without attention, your thinking cannot lead anyone. The attention you gain through curation gives you an opportunity to share your perspectives and, over time, establish thought leadership.

3. Brand Awareness
Traditional marketing theory dictates that frequency is a key driver of establishing and increasing awareness. Content curation allows you to share relevant quality information more frequently than simply relying on your own content.

In Summary

The primary value of content curation is the attention quality curation delivers, but curation is only one of the many ways you can capture attention and deliver against your objectives.

Your Turn

What role does curation play in your marketing, and what do you do with the attention your curation activity earns? Share your experience in the comments below or with me on Twitter (@wittlake).