10 Content Curation Tools Every Marketer Needs

"Curation" is one of those words that's always conveyed coolness to me.

Take, for example, curating an art gallery, or curating music for a soundtrack. Cool, right? Content curation can be just as cool – and just as important.

Where do you get started on content curation?

In this blog post, you'll find an explanation of what it is, how it can serve your brand and a series of tools you can use at every experience level.

What is content curation?

Content curation consists of finding material relevant to your audience from a variety of sources and sharing it strategically through your communication channels.

Say you’re a marketing agency. You could write a blog post with a roundup of top product demos and add some context on why you picked them. That list of demos would be curated by you based on what you believe your audience will find most valuable.

So, now that we’ve answered, “What is curated content? ” Let’s get into the benefits of this approach.

Benefits of Content Curation

One of the biggest benefits of content curation is that it adds value to your audience.

There’s so much information out there today and most consumers don’t have the time (or the desire) to sift through hours of content. That’s where you come in.

You can figure out what matters most to them, find the content they care the most about and present it to them in a perfect bow. Who wouldn’t want that?

Think about your favorite music station, whether it’s on the radio or a streaming platform like Spotify or Pandora. While you could listen to hours of music and create your own playlists, it’s even better when someone does it for you and delivers all the hits you love most.

That develops into trust. Even if the curator drops a song you haven’t heard before, you give it a chance knowing there’s a good chance you’ll end up liking it.

The same goes for content curation. As you deliver great content, your audience starts to trust you and see you as a thought leader.

Furthermore, content curation is a great strategy for those weeks when you’re low on original content.

It’s easier to gather content from other sources than start from scratch. So when in doubt, curate content that other experts in your industry have covered.

What makes a successful content curator?

1. Content curation should be personal.

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The beauty of news roundup NextDraft is the personal touch and context that its chief curator, Dave Pell, gives to each story.

I don't just want a bunch of browsable links – I want to know why I should read this stuff, and how it pertains to me. That personalized context creates a type of bond between curator and reader that link aggregators doesn’t humanize quite as much.

2. Content curation should build value.

No matter which industry your customers are in, all of them want to stay informed but also save time.

Just like you, they have demands and can’t possibly keep up with all the latest news in their industry – but they want to. Solving this problem through content curation presents a huge opportunity for brands to build a relationship with their audience.

If you can deliver a curated experience that saves your customers time in getting the information they need, you’ve taken a major step on the path of building trust and loyalty.

3. Content curation should offset promotional content.

Customers can grow tired of brands ceaselessly promoting their own wares, which is why brands must think beyond products or features.

The relationship customers have with brands today transcends the product itself. After all, that's part of the foundation of inbound marketing. While a product may initially attract you to a specific brand, it’s likely something else – like great content or remarkable service – that keeps you around.

4. Content curation shouldn’t take all day.

Once you’ve decided to curate content, the hard part begins gathering content. While bookmarking and reading lists may work in the beginning, those are not sustainable options.

Instead, there are curation tools specifically designed to help you gather, sift through, and curate content. Here’s our list below, categorized by level of expertise.

For Beginning Curators

If you occasionally share a relevant post with your customers, you’re already curating content. To build this into a scalable strategy, here are free curation tools to help you start getting in the habit of curating content, without being overwhelmed by complex tools, subscription fees, or convoluted dashboards.

1. Flipboard

Flipboard is a mobile and desktop app that allows you to create mini-magazines with links to your favorite news stories, blog posts, and websites.

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After creating these magazines, you can open them up to the public so consumers can follow your content and share them on social media networks.

You can also include your own blog posts and links in your magazine, making it an opportunity for readers to learn more about your business.

To start using Flipboard, all you need to do is download the app and create an account. You can also look through the magazines of other users and share their stories in your own mini "publication with a quick tap.

Here's a quick demo that walks you through how to use the app:

2. Pocket

Pocket is a great place to get into the habit of accruing content to save and read later.

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Instead of a laundry list of bookmarks or countless emails you’ve sent to yourself with links, it stores all your chosen images, articles, and videos in one place for reference.

You can group articles with tags, and the site's built-in search functionality makes finding those articles easy. Plus, it integrates with over 500 other apps, like Evernote, easy easy synching.

And as a bonus, Pocket tweets out their @PocketHits for the most-saved articles on their platform – a must-follow if you're active on Twitter.

3. Elink.io

Collecting content from various websites and sharing them in a way that is presentable and context is key to successful content curation.

Elink.io takes the pain out of content curation and allows anyone to save links on the go and turn them into beautiful, shareable content.

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You can convert your links into a web page and embed them on a website or send them as a newsletter. They have a whopping 30+ responsive templates that you can customize to your liking. With over 80,000 users worldwide, elink is one of the best tools when it comes to fast and beautiful content curation.

4. Twitter Lists

Twitter can be hard to keep up with if you don't organize the accounts you follow. That's where Twitter Lists come in handy: curated groups of Twitter users that you can categorize and follow separately from the rest of your feed.

Say you curate marketing content, you could create a Twitter list for email marketing, another for blogging, and so on. Even better, you can make it public so that other Twitter users can access your lists as well.

Furthermore, if you create a Pocket account (mentioned above), you can easily save articles from Twitter directly into your account.

Click here to learn how to start your first Twitter list.

5. Newsletters

Whatever industry you’re in, stay on the lookout for newsletter subscriptions. And if a good one doesn’t exist in your industry, that’s the perfect opportunity to create one.

But before you start your own newsletter, learn from what other outlets are doing. Here are a few that are doing a great job in original content curation:

• The Hustle – Every day, The Hustle brings business and tech news right to your inbox. The team expertly breaks down top news in a witty, sharp tone that its audience enjoys – plus links to read the original content.
• The Daily Carnage – Want to stay updated on all things marketing? Carney’s got you covered. Their daily newsletter includes snippets of news in the marketing world along with a longer section that provides context for an external article they link to.
• The Daily Skimm – What this newsletter excels at is the tone and the brand voice. The team behind The Skimm knows exactly that its readers want the TLDR version of top news stories in a digestible way. Their newsletter does just that and that’s why it resonates so well with readers.

• Quartz Daily Brief: Quartz has figured out how to make a text-heavy newsletter a stalwart in the news business with its Daily Brief. The beauty of the newsletter, because it’s text-based, is the cross-platform functionality. Without heavy images, the Daily Brief loads quickly on phones, tablets, and desktops, making it easy to read on any device.
• Internet Brunch: Digital agency Big Spaceship created Internet Brunch to help folks "find the best news, GIFs, and trends from across the Internet." From holidays to current events, to celebrity birthdays, this roundup is sure to cover the important stuff that helps readers stay in the loop.

For Intermediate Content Curators

Here are some great sources for when you’ve got the basics covered and you’re looking for something a little more comprehensive.

6. Scoop.it

I like to think of Scoop.it as a nexus of content curation and social media, with a Pinterest-like user interface.

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Start with a topic of interest, and Scoop.it will generate the most relevant articles to view and share as well as suggest relevant topics

Why we recommend Scoop.it:

• Their smart engine can monitor the topics you’re most interested in and identify related content you may like.
• Easy integration with WordPress.
• Content creation for multiple channels, including websites, emails, and social media

Pricing: $0 to $79/month, with customized pricing available for enterprise accounts.

7. Feedly

If you’re stepping up your content curation game, Feedly should be at the top of your list. This tool is a news aggregator powered by artificial intelligence, one the brand has named Leo. Image Source

When you add a few of your favorite sources to Feedly, you can aggregate and browse these feeds in one place from your desktop and mobile devices.

This tool is best for filtering the content you’re interested in. Feedly leverages Leo to identify the content you care most about and filter out the ones you don’t.

Pricing: $6 to $12 a month, with a customizable plan available for enterprise accounts.

8. Sniply

You might be wondering why Sniply, a conversion platform, is on this list.

Well, this tool actually goes hand-in-hand with content curation.

Let’s say you have a monthly newsletter in which you include links to articles pertaining to your industry. With a tool like Sniply, you can place a call-to-action (CTA) on the page you’re linking to. This way, you can redirect users back to your content and help them convert.

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It's also a custom link shortener, so you can create branded links that are short enough to share on Twitter and the like.

Pricing: $29 - $299/month

7. Quuu

Want to focus your content curation on social media? Consider Quuu. Image Source

Quuu integrates with most major social media scheduling tools, including HubSpot, and allows you to discover and share content.

Why we recommend Quuu:

• It auto-categorizes your content, making it easier to sift through later.
• It offers reader-mode to make your experience free of distractions.
• The integrated scheduling dashboard makes it easy to share the content you discover.

Pricing: $0 to $15.83/month

9. UpContent

Are you looking for a one-stop shop for your content curation? UpContent’s got you covered.

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UpContent’s top features include:

• Content recommendations backed by machine learning algorithms.
• Approval workflows to ensure articles meant brands’ guidelines.
• Integration with top web hosting, social media scheduling, and email marketing software.

Pricing: $15 to $265/month

For Advanced Content Curators

Now we’re getting into some serious, enterprise-level curation software. These solutions are ideal for companies looking for a proven platform capable of supporting a team of users, editors, and content curators.

Enterprise-level curation requires advanced algorithms to find identify relevant content, a centralized publishing platform, and customizable publishing options.

10. Curata

The power of Curata lies in its ability to recommend and help you discover relevant content relevant to their respective audiences without manual labor.

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Users can fine-tune, customize, and categorize content sources for review, and then distribute them – all from one central platform.

You can then use Curata’s publishing and promotion tools to repurpose curated content across your blog, social media accounts, newsletter, and automated marketing platforms.

Pricing: Not available

Which Tool Is Right For You?

Before you select the best tools for your business, it's important to understand the role content curation will play in your marketing operations and the size of your team.

If you're a one-person marketing department, for example, the beginner and intermediate options should suffice for your needs. As your business and team grow, content curation may play a larger role and require more powerful software.

At that point, some of the advanced tools will help save time curating and ensure everyone is on the same page. Regardless of your team or business size, content curation should become a part of your content marketing strategy.

Great curators build trust with their audiences and become an indispensable resource, as they distribute content their audiences care most about.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

10 Content Curation Tools Every Marketer Needs was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

40 Clever 404 Error Pages From Real Websites

Running a successful website means staying alert for errors like broken pages or slow performance. However, sometimes there are problems that you just can’t avoid, and 404 errors are one of them.

A 404 occurs when a user requests a page on your website that doesn’t exist, thus throwing a 404 error page prompting users to return to the right place. No matter how many resources you put into ensuring your website never goes down ... there's always a chance that users could end up here.

It's inconvenient, but a fact of life. And the reaction of visitors when they land on a nonexistent page can range from "taking it in stride" to "totally losing their minds."

While there's nothing you can do about the latter, you can make things a little less of a pain by having a creative error 404 message. This can do wonders to make your website visitors crack a smile in an otherwise frustrating situation.

To get your website design juices flowing, this post will showcase some of our favorite website error pages. Hopefully, you'll be able to take away a few ideas to snazz up your own 404 message.

What is a 404 Error?

A 404 error is a standard HTTP error message code that means the website you were trying to reach couldn't be found on the server. It's a client-side error, meaning either the webpage was removed or moved and the URL wasn't changed accordingly, or the person just typed in the URL incorrectly.

For the most part, you can configure your server to create a customized 404 error page. (If you're a HubSpot customer, click here to learn how to customize your 404 page in HubSpot.)

Some customized 404 error pages include a hero image, witty description, site map, search form, or basic contact information.

The Best 404 Web Page Examples

Over the years, websites have found different ways to inform visitors of a 404 error and channel them back to the right place, some simply, some creatively, and some hilariously. Let’s start by looking at some creative 404 pages, then check out some funny examples that are sure to delight anyone who comes across them.

Page Not Found: TK Creative 404 Error Pages

1. Pipcorn

While a 404 page can easily stick out from a website, Pipcorn’s error page aligns perfectly with the rest of the site’s branding. There’s a nice animated background, a friendly text prompt directing visitors to search the website (complete with a clever pun), and a piece of popcorn used as the “0” in “404.”

2. Spotify

Music streaming giant Spotify has covered its bases with a clever 404 page. With a witty pun off Kanye West’s album “808s and Heartbreak” and a record animation, the website briefly entertains and then sends visitors back to the page they came from.

3. Genially

One simple way to ease the tension on your 404 page is to add a quick “Oops!” message — it helps your site feel more personable as you guide users back to the right place. In the case of Genially’s site, the page also includes a nifty illustration paired with some playful copy.

4. Adobe

As you would expect, Adobe’s 404 error page is both useful and visually pleasing. It lists out popular links that visitors might want alongside some cool digital artwork serving as a visual metaphor for a broken or lost page. Honestly, websites should use visual metaphors more often.

5. Clorox

The 404 page for Clorox cleaning products rotates between three lighthearted photos to signal to visitors that they’ve made a misstep. It’s a smart use of branding to add a brief delight moment while helping out lost users.

6. Duma Collective

Other times, you might not need a witty blurb — just tell visitors that there’s no page at the address and let them move on. Entertainment consulting agency Duma Collective does just this with its error page, though it’s complemented by a background image for some minor flair.

7. Chillhouse

Speaking of flair, self-care brand Chillhouse has put in the extra work to reroute its visitors in style. The 404 page is branded appropriately and even takes visitors on a little journey through a few image stills before they go back to the homepage.

8. Bitly

If you enter an incorrect Bitly link, you’ll be taken to Bitly’s 404 page. We assume this happens a fair amount, which is why the 404 page gets straight to the point. It explains what might have gone wrong and prompts users to visit the Bitly homepage if that’s what they’re after.

9. Ikea

Ikea’s 404 page is similarly minimalist but still manages to sneak some smart branding in there. This example shows that your error pages don’t need to be elaborate to get the point across, but there’s nothing wrong with injecting some fun either.

10. Moxie Design Co.

Sure, “blew up the Internet” might be a bit hyperbolic, but it tells visitors that Moxie Design Co. doesn’t take itself too seriously with small slip-ups like this one. Also, a search bar is conveniently placed at the bottom to send you on your way.

11. McKissack & McKissack

Ah, the classic “we lost the page” trick. Again, an easy way to present a 404 without alienating your audience. If you’re an agency like McKissack & McKissack that manages many client interactions, clear and concise copy is essential for all of your site’s pages, including error pages.

12. CSS Tricks

Ever ripped away a website's wrapping to see what's underneath? That's the concept that CSS Tricks was going for in their 404 error page. This is both witty and reminiscent of what the website is all about: smart use of page styling.

13. Good Old Games

For other websites, you unwrap the front end and there's … just the vast emptiness of space. This page is a clever reference to GOG Galaxy, which is Good Old Games’ native video game client. Thankfully, a little video game character is there to give visitors a place to report an error if they want.

14. Canva

For something a little different, check out Canva’s 404 page. It includes not just an error message, but a nifty tile puzzle visitors can play for some brief entertainment. There’s no harm in letting your visitors slack off for a couple of minutes, right?

15. Innotech

Similar to Canva’s approach, Innotech features a Pong-esque game on its 404 page to provide some brief entertainment. Chances are you’ll remember a website like this. Plus, the fun detour complements a truly impressive website — seriously, when you’re done playing, head to the home page and take it all in.

16. Myriad

Video agency Myriad has opted for a quirky, on-brand 404 page design that mimics the classic SMPTE color bars that appear on old tapes and TVs. It’s a funny throwback to older technologies while representing the more modern problem of a nonexistent web page.

17. KonMari

Known for her popular cleaning and organization methods and brand, Marie Kondo has brought a similar feel to her website’s 404 page. The copy briefly and humorously harkens back to her tidying philosophy — a small but well-branded detail that fans will recognize.

18. BrandCrowd

Not only is the illustration on this error page detailed and engaging — the copy is clever, too. We love the reference to the Semisonic song “Closing Time”: “You can click anywhere else, but you can't click here.”

19. Hot Dot Productions

Hot Dot's error page stays true to its tagline, “the intersection of new technologies and design.” The page is animated by hundreds of tiny dots that change direction in response to where you move your cursor. It's mesmerizing and a great showcase of the agency’s design capabilities.

20. OrangeCoat

If you're going to give an error message, why not entertain the user for a few seconds while you help them out? Following a friendly greeting, OrangeCoat offers a flowchart that actually helps users figure out why they reached an error page in the first place.

21. Ervin & Smith

This 404 page does more than redirect users back to active pages. Instead, Ervin & Smith’s 404 page invites you to scroll down and learn why you need a digital marketing agency, and why to choose Ervin & Smith in particular, capped off with a contact form. True to its mission, this agency shows that any page can be a conversion opportunity.

22. DayCloud Studios

… or, your 404 can just be a place to waste time for a minute, as can be seen on the website for DayCloud Studios. Moving the cursor around the screen reveals a 404 message illuminated by lasers shooting from a cat’s eyes. Because why not?

23. Headspace

Another instance of a website smartly incorporating its brand messaging into a 404 page — guided meditation app Headspace makes the effort to calm users, encouraging us to take a deep breath, then return to the main site.

24. Wildwood Bakery

Some websites thus far have integrated clever branded copy in their pages, while others have hosted full-blown online games on theirs. But, there’s nothing wrong with a brief push back in the right direction. Wildwood Bakery’s exquisite site keeps things short and sweet (literally).

 

Page Not Found: TK Funny 404 Error Pages

25. Astuteo

Design agency Astuteo’s 404 page is a perfect balance of elegant visuals, humor, and helpfulness. The minimal layout gives users the information they need alongside another amusing visual metaphor, a sinking cargo ship and a fleeing figure.

26. LEGO

There’s few words needed on LEGO's 404 error page — the character’s expression makes everything clear. Plus, fans of the LEGO movie franchise will enjoy the fun reference in the copy.

27. Magnt

In this funny error message, Magnt pokes fun at the fact that, yes, they could have broken something — or, you just can't type. The visual serves as a quick way to quickly illustrate their point.

28. IconFinder

IconFinder's error page is simple but delightful. The company’s mascot wearing a robe and appearing weary is a relatable nod to lost visitors. No worries though, since the site lists some of its links to visit down below.

29. Sweet Dreams

Apparently, the team at sleep aid company Sweet Dreams took too many of its products according to the website’s 404 page. Not only is this page humorous — it also blends well with the rest of the site’s front-end aesthetic and messaging for a cohesive feel.

30. GitHub

The line "These aren't the droids you're looking for" refers to Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi mind trick on Stormtroopers in Star Wars Episode IV, and it's become a well-known phrase used to tell someone they're pursuing the wrong course of action. GitHub plays on this famous line in their 404 error message.

31. Patagonia

Patagonia’s custom 404 page captures the brand’s vibe perfectly, complete with a boomerang video of a frisbee twirler, a clever pun combining “404” and “aloha,” and links to its product pages. It’s a friendly and funny way to greet visitors who wound up in the wrong place.

32. Cloud Sigma

Check it out: Cloud Sigma's letting us in on some behind-the-scenes action. Their 404 error page pretends to be a "junior developer's homepage" — that junior developer being, well, a cat.

33. AMC Theatres

You might have been to an AMC movie theater before, but you’ve hopefully never seen their website’s 404 page. The website makes use of a quick, funny, and relevant one-liner before it sends you back to the right place.

34. Bruno

It’s no coincidence that creative agencies are great at coming up with cool 404 pages. Here’s another one from the creatives at Bruno that plays off the 2000 cult comedy classic Dude, Where’s My Car? No, it has nothing to do with the company or website, but it’s sure to get a chuckle.

35. NPR

At first, NPR's error page seems like nothing special. But keep reading and you'll see how they cleverly link to some of their great stories about lost people, places, and things, like a piece on Amelia Earhart and one on Waldo. This might just make lost users feel a little less alone.

36. Medium

Medium takes a similar approach to NPR’s 404 page, recommending articles about getting lost and losing things. Check these articles out if you have time — they’re quite good reads.

37. HomeStarRunner

HomeStarRunner.com, home to a Flash-animated cartoon series, has had a series of hilarious 404 error pages over the years. The most recent features characters from the cartoon series in a scene that could've come straight out of one of their episodes. If you turn the sound on when you load the page, you'll hear their character Strong Bad — known for yelling phrases out loud — saying, "404'd!"

38. Blizzard Entertainment

Here's a simple idea that ends up looking slick: Blizzard Entertainment's 404 page features an animated character lost in an actual blizzard and some humor that World of Warcraft fans will appreciate.

39. Hello Big Idea

A quick trip around marketing and social media experts Hello Big Idea’s website will tell you what you need to know about its bold and blunt style of copy. And, of course, its 404 error page is no exception.

40. HubSpot

It happens to us, too! This is the message we put up to tell our site visitors that there are some website issues. Our goal was to stay true to HubSpot's brand voice by being as lovable, empathetic, and helpful as possible.

Turn a 404 Error Page Into a Delight Moment

Nobody wants to land on a 404 page — they’re annoying and unexpected. However, you can’t really avoid them, so it’s always a good idea to have a 404 page to fall back on for your website.

And, from a user experience perspective, your 404 page should be a small speed bump, not a brick wall. The right design can be the difference between a frustrated bounce and a possible conversion, so why not make it fun?

Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

40 Clever 404 Error Pages From Real Websites was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns