Curation is a key element of social media and content marketing. As a small business you need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to sourcing useful apps that can be used as efficient tools for self-promotion online. Today, I’m walking you through Flipboard, and how it can be used as a tool for gaining visibility, new community members and sales.

Courtesy of inside.flipboard.com

*Please note that we are not affiliated with Flipboard in any way!

What is Flipboard?

In an ever expanding internet environment it is becoming more and more challenging to get people to view and interact with your content. You probably see the internet through the eyes of Google, Mozilla or another search engine.

If you do, then you know maybe 10% of the content is worth reading, and the rest is basically rubbish you don’t need to read at all. Flipboard is an app designed for use on your iPad, iPhone or Android device.

It’s a way for you to make sense of the web in a new way, by adding your niche likes and social feeds to this ‘content aggregator.’ It then collects the info and turns it into a type of social magazine, made up of content you actually want to read.

Flipboard says: “Find everything that matters to you from world news, to life’s greatest moments. Just tap the + to save anything from the web – stories, photos, audio and more – into your own magazines to flip through later, or share with friends.”

Why Does This Matter To Social Media Marketers?

You may have already noticed that Flipboard is catching on – it already has over 50 million users and climbing. Flipboard is interesting to the social marketer because it offers a mobile alternative to browser searching, and presents a very different – more personal – version of the internet to people. And the internet is where your brand lives.

You can see the benefits already:

• If you are added to someone’s Flipboard they will see your posts more often
• They will engage with you more often
• They are much more likely to buy from your brand
• They see you as a leader, an authority figure they can rely on
• They will trust your news and opinions above other brands

There are a number of ways you can use Flipboard as a social media manager. In fact, I would suggest you start doing this now, to benefit the most from early adoption.

Use Number #1: Flipboard as a Management Tool

Add your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn group feeds to your Flipboard to keep an eye on your communities in real time. It’s a great monitoring tool, as you can see which hashtags you have been mentioned in, or who has responded to one of your past messages.

Plus you can access your main profiles and add to your social media campaign – posting as you see opportunities arise, or replying to fan comments. It’s far better than using a management tool on your smartphone.

Use Number #2: Flipboard as a Curation Tool

If only there was some way you could gather all of your niche feeds and alerts in one general location! Now you can with Flipboard. This means that Flipboard doubles as a superb content curation tool for the social marketer who is also a content creator.

Courtesy of intomobile.com

Spend no time at all, flipping through your favorite niche sites to find excellent information to Facebook about, retweet, mention in a LinkedIn post, or use as the basis for your new infographic or YouTube video.

The sky is really the limit with Flipboard, as you can add as many streams as you like. I find it significantly easier to use than a browser, and the clumsy curation processes you have to work through when you are not in the office. This is much more efficient!

Use Number #3: Flipboard as a New Social Asset

There is a new feature from Flipboard that allows users to share the personalized magazines they have created with other users. That means your brand can curate the best possible information in your niche, turn it into an incredible magazine and use it to further your own brand. Promotion like this is easy, free and invaluable!

Your sites would make up the flagship feeds, then you can add other great feeds to build up the content. This is an awesome magazine to recommend to your Flipboard using fans. They can add multiple magazines to their app, along with their own.

Create and share your own digital magazine with other users of the app. It’s an exciting way to promote your brand in a non-threatening manner, in a quality environment.

• Promote your magazine on your social sites
• Promote your magazine in your next newsletter
• Promote your magazine in your email signature

The basic rule is – wherever your URL goes, this link can go. It’s easier to sell and build a quality fan base with great content. So brush up on those curation skills and put together the best niche magazine anyone has ever seen.

This will instantly make your magazine the one to download in your niche. That’s not just clever social marketing, that’s clever fan retention! As more of these apps arise, I will be doing posts on them to keep the SMMU community in the loop about progressive technology and how it can help you with your social media strategies.

If you don’t have Flipboard on your mobile device yet, download it here.

Would you add Flipboard to your current social media strategy?