Who is Curatoring?
It used to be that the only curators around were at museums, art galleries and zoos. Progressive companies have been employing curators but in completely different capacities.
Curator for a Company
Next to loyal customers and any influencers a company may have, employees can be the next best brand ambassadors. Customers can get a sense of an organization’s culture when shopping or dining out by the way an employee responds to their questions,
Employees who use “they” generally feel a separation between themselves and management. On the other hand, when they say “we,” there’s generally a sense of inclusivity and empowerment.
How to Use a Curator for your Business
If a company has been successfully using digital marketing to help drive sales and foster relationships with its target demographics, the importance of effective content that connects with the customer is clear. The same is true for any curators they recruit. Because they don’t wield the same authority as management, they can educate, motivate and inspire peers about the company, products and/or services.
The first step is to gather a team and determine what the most important content is that the company wishes to share and promote with employees. That’s the easy part because the content should align with the company’s goals.
For starters, begin with three or four topics. Ideally, it’s nice to get a good mix. That can expand as the program gains momentum.
Identify potential curators and employees who are respected by their peers and who are also knowledgeable in the content areas identified. It’s important to be clear about expectations. Besides being willing to take on this added responsibility, curators will be reaching out to fellow workers on a regular basis and will often be sought out with questions, comments, etc.
With a successful marketing team, train curators so that they recognize “cool” and “great” looks for your product(s) or services. Show them what good copy looks like. Be clear what is expected of them. How frequently does the company expect them to reach out to fellow employees? What kind of voice is the company looking for?
Voice is key because the tone of the curator should parallel them and the way they speak. It should reflect their personality and be recognizable to their co-workers.
Show Time!
Prior to launch, build excitement and enthusiasm by alerting employees of this upcoming program. Don’t reveal everything, just enough to build suspense.
On launch day, make it a big event. Promote curators throughout the company with their pictures and a bit of background information about their work expertise.
Follow-up
Be sure to monitor and measure employee reactions. Are the curators encouraging workers to share their content? Are employees doing so? This is the primary reason for having curators. At Microsoft, their study showed a sharing rate of 82% within the organization. Consider setting that as a goal.
If it isn’t being done, expand what is asked of customers and your target demographics by inquiring how they discovered the company. If you’re already asking, be sure to include employees as a choice.
Most importantly, acknowledge and honor the company’s curators. Adjust what is being done when and where it is needed, and don’t stop measuring.
