Let’s face it, we all have a thirst for the newest content, whether it’s the latest industry news, viral videos or social updates. However, content marketers have almost become the source of their own downfall in recent years as there is now so much content being created each day, that it’s easy to get drowned in the noise!
So here are a few ideas on how you can find and manage the compelling content you need, whether for inspiration, curiosity, or to keep up to date with industry news.
Sourcing content across the social networks
1. #Hashtags
Not revolutionary now that we’re in 2014, but they really do work. Find the hashtags on Twitter that are relevant to you and keep up to date with them.
2. Facebook pages
Not all Facebook pages are equal; some have limited content or none at all, while others really do push great content.
3. LinkedIn influencers
Follow the people that you admire and that are active on LinkedIn. Some longer form blogs from influencers can be real gems.
4. Twitter lists
Create lists of accounts that are interesting to you. You can create private lists if you don’t want anyone to know that they are on your lists. This way you can segregate your twitter feed and create lists around different topics or interests.
5. News aggregators
Apps like Inside are also an excellent way of receiving the latest news. You can select topics you are interested in to ensure you get a tailored news feed.
6. RSS feeds
This is my personally favourite. I follow my favourite blogs in an RSS Feed Extension in my Chrome browser. Each time a new post is published, I get a notification in my browser. (Here is the extension I use).
7. Other content sites
Sites like Quora and Medium hold a wealth of knowledge to be tapped into.
Managing Reading Materials
When I get a chance to go through my RSS Feed or browse my social networks I will then do one of 3 things; skim an article, delete it or save it for later reading.
This is where the Pocket app comes in. I use Pocket religiously to store interesting content that I want to add to my reading list. It creates a nice extension on my Chrome browser, is compatible with Twitter and even has a mobile app for reading on the go. Any article that I would like to read, but don’t have the time for, gets added to my Pocket. It’s then there for a later date.
Filing, Storage and Organisation
Once I have read the articles, either I want to get rid of them or save them for future reference. Evernote is the godfather for organising your information. Everything that I need gets stored in my Evernote account and organised in notebooks, has tags assigned to it and I even add my own notes sometimes. Evernote also comes with a Chrome Extension making it super easy to immediately file the content.
If a piece of content needs action, then you could also add it as a task in your task management tool. My preferred choice is Asana, but you could also use Basecamp, Trello, Podio, etc.
Sharing content
As a bonus why not install the Hootsuite or Buffer Chrome extensions and be able to share the content you have found to your social networks with one click. As you can guess, I am a big fan of utilising the available chrome extensions, but they really do make everything so easy. These accessible tips will give you access to the great content that we all crave, along with the necessary tools to stay on top of it! Check out our post with 162 free stock image sites for your content.
