Curated Media

At Curated Towers, we work hard, play hard and write hard - well, the writers do anyway. Rather than preach to you about how great we are when it comes to creating quality content, we thought we would take you through a day in the life of a writer at Curated Media...When they are not finding out what superhero they would be on the latest Buzzfeed quiz or bickering over the Guardian crossword, our writers can be found slaving away at their desks, creating unique content for our clients.We know that every day is different - there can be training, meetings and calls with clients - but no matter what is on the schedule, every day at Curated Towers starts with the same thing… coffee.08:45 - The team of editors and senior writers obtains the content needs for clients, assigning deadlines and content to each writer based on their skills, interests...

Many law firms are experts at what they do, whether it be criminal defence, personal injury or employment law. With legal cases, clients and fresh claims coming in, it can be difficult to keep your content up-to-date and not get stuck in bad habits when it comes to content creation.Content is vitally important for your online personality, it assures customers that you are a professional firm, provides vital information for existing and potential clients and aids your firm’s visibility on search engines. Yet despite content being crucial to the online success of a company, many law firms still struggle to create and follow a successful content marketing strategy.At Curated Media, we specialise in writing legal content for law firms. Here we look at five ways to update, or freshen-up, your content marketing endeavours.Native AdvertisingNative advertising is advertising that matches the form and the platform on which it appears. Social media sites...

The New York Times has always been a leader, continuously publishing since 1851, winning 114 Pulitzer Prizes along the way; so it’s a safe bet to say that they are pretty good at what they do. But the digital age hasn’t exactly been the most glorious time in the illustrious history of one of the most popular newspapers in America - and it is this troubled past that makes the New York Times latest move even more risky, and more surprising.The New York Times announced recently that they would start moving away from publishing directly to their website (which has a paywall), and instead place their articles directly on Facebook through a new Facebook publishing app. Why has such a move been brought about? Will it pay off? Furthermore, could it work for law firms?Content Publication on Social MediaThe rise of social media has changed almost every aspect of business. Whether...

Recently we spoke of our joy at the announcement of a second series of Serial and looked at how effectively Serial had rejuvenated the podcast medium. Well, Curated Towers has been gripped by a new phenomenon: HBO’s The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.Admittedly, we are a little late to the party, but they do say that it’s better to be late than never show up at all, right?What is "The Jinx"?The series revolves around a host of murders connected with Robert Durst, a New York real estate mogul. Put together by director Andrew Jarecki for HBO, The Jinx sees Durst discuss the unsolved disappearance of his wife Kathie in 1982 and the killing of writer Susan Berman in 2000. The mini-series also looks at the murder of his neighbour, for which Durst was tried and acquitted.Using security and media footage, reconstructions and police evidence, The Jinx analyses the investigations...

While a famous Scotland win at Hampden is usually greeted with the tannoy blasting Status Quo's’ “Rockin All Over The World”, this week saw Hampden hosting Expo Scotland, where attendees were tweeting, rather than rocking, all over the world.Social media experts, novices, content marketers, law firms and business owners descended on the National Stadium for a series of seminars and networking opportunities at the Social Media and Marketing Show.As a business specialising in content marketing for law firms, we went along to see what we could learn from Expo 2015 and how we could adapt and potentially improve our digital media aspect.Expo Scotland 2015We were treated to a talk from social media expert/stand-up comedian Ross “Teddy” Craig on the best ways to reach a relevant market using social media. Craig explained the importance of a company knowing the audience, the medium and the correct channel to use. He stated that there...

Online marketing is all about content. Every content blog, research paper or expert on Twitter will try and slip in that “content is king” and that good quality content is the key to any online success. It’s been well known and documented by experts, yet, firms continually get content marketing wrong. How, in this Golden Age, are legal firms still failing to engage with clients online?Why Should Legal Firms Outsource Their Content?There is a serious issue when it comes to legal firms creating content - for many, simply getting content out there, no matter its quality or relevance, is assumed to be enough. Some firms update their sites with short, relatively meaningless and impersonal content, believing it to satisfy potential customers and show their site is up to date.This goes against all that we stand for at Curated Media. We believe in creating high quality, in-depth and optimised content.According to a...

 Last week we discussed the success of our Instagram competition in work, with the winner taking their place in the Curated Media Hall of Fame. While the contest focused on the account with the most followers, the true aim of the competition was to establish if Instagram was useful for law firms.We concluded that Instagram provided a “behind the scenes” feel that is often missing on other social media platforms for legal companies. Through Instagram firms could show that although they often conducted business professionally, and deal with numerous serious issues, they too could have a bit of fun along the way. We thought this week we would analyse some of the worst social media marketing practices and tools for sharing legal content.In order to understand some of the worst processes and tactics used by companies in social media, it is important first to comprehend the best practices for utilising the...

Instagram is associated with lifestyle bloggers, celebrities and taking pictures of your food  but can this important institution be harnessed for business marketing? If so, how do you amass a following on Instagram? How important is content, brand or engagement? We figured there was only one way to find out.A hotly contested competition saw a few members of the Curated Media team take to Instagram with shiny new Instagram accounts to see who could get the most followers. However, the real prize could be found  in  learning about one of the most underused social media tool in the business world.Every member of staff learned something valuable about the social media site, and about using it as a way of marketing a business or brand.This week we talk you through our Curated contest and analyse why Instagram may be the “unsung hero” of the content marketing world.An Introduction to InstagramInstagram is an...

Writer’s block, blank page syndrome, burnout. All content creators will face one of these at some point. We were struggling to come up with an idea for our own content, until our struggle became our idea...Six Ways to Generate Ideas for Your Blog1.Listen to your clientsJust like when using social media, you can post and post to your heart’s content, but if you fail to follow trends and listen to the market, you may as well delete your account. When creating content, listen to the feedback of your clients, gauge from analytics what appeals to them.Most importantly, listen to the feedback. If someone gets in touch with a question, respond. If someone gets in touch criticising your writing style (maybe have a little cry) but then respond. Learn from their comments and use the feedback to improve your site.If you utilise the power of social media or have frequent meetings with...

Last week we talked about “The Dress” and the importance of trends. We are going to assume that vast majority of you reading this have some idea of what “the dress” is, but if you don’t know what it is and you've evaded #TheDress, congratulations.“The Dress” became a viral sensation by an optical illusion changing the colour of a blue and black dress to white and gold for some. Whilst news channels and 24/7 media feasted on what was an easy story, many companies immediately jumped on the bandwagon of trying to make “The Dress” part of their content marketing for the week. As we discussed in last week’s post, it worked for some but proved dangerous for others.As fun as it was last week poking fun at some terrible attempts of jumping on the dress trend, we thought it would only be fair to look at some examples of fantastic...

"It's blue and black", "It's white and gold". It was practically impossible to go anywhere last week without hearing about that dress.If you were under a rock or on a plane and had the 'misfortune' of missing out on Dressgate, then allow us to fill you in. A picture was taken of a blue and black dress in such a light that to some it looked white and gold. Yes, that's it. An optical illusion. Naturally, the internet exploded as the debate raged on as to which colour everyone saw.The dress, perhaps understandably, was loved and loathed in equal measure as it dominated websites and covered news channels. At Curated Towers, we thought it raised an interesting point. When do you 'cash in' on a trend and talk about it as part of your content strategy?What Content Is Valuable?Every website is different, and everyone wishes to put their company style on...

Getting noticed online is everything for any business. It can be the difference between success and failure, yet so many companies don't do it right.At Curated Media, we specialise in creating content and making content work for clients. It is important that content is created to match your business needs and the needs of your clients.Because designing and creating a content strategy can seem difficult and slightly overwhelming, we thought we'd talk you through some of the basics.Know And Define YourselfWhat are you trying to achieve? What is your end goal? What will your company be known for? If you don't know this, then how can you tell your customers? It is imperative to know what you are trying to achieve in order for you to successfully tell, promote and sell to others. If a business doesn't know what it is, it is doomed. It is important to know what makes...

For many companies, SEO is essential to their business, whilst to other companies, SEO remains an alien idea.But just when some businesses were catching up to the SEO revolution and polishing off their 'Beginners Guides', Google went and moved the goalposts with a total revamp of the system and the removal of keywords.With such a drastic change and numerous updates, is the keyword a thing of the past?Content Is KingDespite marketing gurus insisting content ruled supreme, quality blogs and high-class content were being swept under the carpet at the expense of a site that hadn't had a new posts for four months but had 100 keywords per article.Thankfully, those days are over as a result of Google's new updates in the shape of Panda and Hummingbird.A Little Less ConversationIn the past, it was possible to add keywords and track which ones were dragging your site up the search rankings, with sites...

In keeping with our is it dead/is it alive theme we seem to have developed in the last few weeks on the Curated blog, today's post looks at the rising popularity of podcasts.Now, this isn't going to be an assessment on whether podcasts are dying, because frankly, it's impossible to say they are. Plus, if you're familiar with our content, you've probably guessed we quite like a good old podcast.But despite our love for quality audio content, everywhere you look online these days, there appears to be a podcast. With virtually everyone cashing in on podcast renaissance, are the good ones going to be lost in in an ocean of content? And will their sheer number ultimately lead to their demise?The Rise of the PodcastIf you, like many of us, are fans of podcasts, then you may have noted the rise in the vast number of them with keen interest, and...

Every blog needs content to survive, especially in the business world. People must be assured that your site is continually working and being upgraded in order for readers to believe and trust the company. Continual visits will aid growth of the site, the reputation of the company and potentially increase sales and trust.Last week an article from 2009 was in the top ten most popular articles on Moz. It was six years old, yet it was still one of the most read articles of the day. Despite Moz publishing articles daily, why was an article that was written when ER was still on TV and JLS were the hottest boyband around, being read six years later?Was it the optimal length for an article? Did it mention Taylor Swift and everyone was therefore fawning over it? No.The simple answer was that the article was evergreen.What Is Evergreen Content?Every blog needs to be...

Update: This is now available as a recorded webinar you can watch - click here and fill out the form to get access.We are pleased to be guest speaking on a Hootsuite-exclusive webinar on Tuesday 3rd February at 11am GMT. With law firms in the UK still not fully embracing social media marketing to its fullest potential, this webinar featuring our Chris Davidson and Gavin Ward will show you:-How the right social media strategy can help you become trusted business advisors to your clients—not simply their solicitorsHow to leverage social media with a firm-wide coordinated strategic approach sharing great content to achieve specific and measurable business goals.The most relevant platforms to focus on—and how to create better profiles and engage effectivelyHow investing in social media can fast track your business development resultsVisit Hootsuite's Webinar page here now to register to watch this webinar.

Last week we briefly touched on how brand journalism and other content strategy tactics were taking over from the traditional news values of a journalist. If you have read last weeks' post, abandoned all hope, thrown your copy of The Universal Journalist in the bin and vowed to never even look at a journalist again, then we're afraid you've jumped the gun, because journalism is not going down without a fight.Traditional SourcesWhilst most of the daily newspapers in the UK, like The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and numerous others experience dwindling paper sales over the course of a few years, there has been a surge in other print publications. Newspapers like The i (currently 30p) and in Scotland The National (50p) are relatively young in comparison to established names such as The Daily Post or The Times.Like any product, it would appear that cost plays a significant role in the sales...

When writing an article on the history of weightlifting for a previous employer, I conducted my research, jotted down the need-to-know facts, dotted the i's, crossed the t's, and sent the piece to my editor to be fine-tuned.When I saw the final published article, the statistics I had cited were scrapped in favour of brand equivalents. The record weight had been converted into car wheels by the marketing department, who had the final say over all published articles.The change wasn't made to aid the readers in understanding or visualising such a weight, but to appease a company who were paying millions of pounds in sponsorship. It was at this moment that I realised marketing and journalism were meshing together, and that I was becoming a brand journalist, whether I liked it or not.The Death of Journalism?Even the most hardcore print journalist would admit that the world of journalism is changing. If...

As National Public Radio (NPR) announces a second season of Serial, the podcast that focuses on a potential case of miscarriage of justice, we look at the possibility of a retrial for Adnan Syed and how the podcast is shaping the world of journalism, the mainstream media and the very roots of the US Court system.

At Curated Media we are always looking to help our readers and clients to cut through the noise of the internet. When we find articles of value whether from industry leaders or individual bloggers we always look to highlight their work.One of the recurring themes in our updates is the message that quality online content is important – apologies if we go on and on about it, it`s just that we know it works and helps our clients win business and retain customers.Just to prove though that it isn’t only us, here is an article from Econsultancy on the factors that Google looks for in determining quality content. Click here to view.The points outlined show the importance not only of creating quality content but that its presentation to search engines in terms of format, length, use of images and so on is a science in itself. Merely creating content – even...