During an age when being “green” is an important corporate initiative, how can marketers be sure they’re doing their part? By recycling content, marketers can be more efficient, save precious financial resources, expand their content library and widen their marketing reach. Repurposing content involves using existing elements of content in multiple ways—giving it new life.
Benefits of content reuse
Repurposing content has significant benefits. In addition to lowering the cost of development, content reuse reduces the time required to create new content. When content takes the form of different mediums, it appeals to varied audiences and learning styles. Also, content recycling increases messaging consistency and quality and extends longevity. Even more important, in our “content is king” digital age, content reuse can boost all-important SEO and inbound marketing initiatives.
Recycling process
The first step is to determine which existing pieces of content deserve repurposing. Using free tools, such as Google Analytics, or plugins (either free or paid) like Jetpack or Buzzsumo, determine which blogs are your most popular. When looking at your reports, keep an eye out for top content that was published in the past and continues to rank as a leading topic. Ask yourself why the posts performed so well. Also, look for evergreen content that is timeless and still relevant to your target audiences. As you are browsing through your archives, make notes of any topics that could use refreshing or updating.
Eight ways to repurpose content
Content repurposing doesn’t mean that you reuse an old piece of content over and over again. Instead, alter it to make it fresh and appealing to a new audience. Here are some suggestions for making old content novel again:
- Turn lists into multiple blog posts. We are big fans of numbered and bulleted lists. Take a list post that you’ve created and break out each item on the list into a of its own. This gives you an opportunity to expand at length on different aspects of the original article.
- Refresh and republish old posts. Business changes at lightning speed. Posts that were topical and accurate a few months back might not ring 100 percent true today. Update statistics, refresh content and be sure to link the new post to the original, especially if it was a high-ranking piece.
- Repost and re-share on social media. While it may seem counterintuitive to share the same content multiple times on your social media channels, it can be effective for reaching people in different time zones, attracting new followers and testing headlines or calls to action.
- Share statistics on Twitter. Everyone loves interesting or compelling facts and figures. But when combined in one piece, they can blur together and lose appeal. Instead, turn them into individual tweetable elements to encourage sharing and boost reach.
- Develop an article. Some blogs beg to be something more. By adding research, interviews with industry leaders and real-world examples, a blog can become a bylined article that will appeal to editors and readers alike.
- Design an infographic. Using data from an article, white paper or case study, capture the most powerful figures in an infographic. In addition to being ideal for sharing on social media, infographics appeal to visual learners.
- Create a podcast or video series. The truth is not everyone likes to read. Therefore, podcasts and videos open up a whole new way to connect with your target audiences. An additional benefit is that when you add each podcast or video to your website, it can enhance SEO.
- Host a webinar. Webinars allow you to share your thought leadership and expertise while engaging your audience in conversation. Existing content can be a great jumping-off point to determine which topics your audiences want to learn more about.
Get the most out of your content
When developing new content, it is important to think beyond the project at hand. Look at content from a broader perspective. Plan ahead and find new ways to share your message across multiple channels. The more reusable your content is, the more it becomes a strategic asset. While repurposing content isn’t always the right choice, when used appropriately, it can have far-reaching benefits for the organization and its customers. To learn more about how to effectively recycle marketing content, contact Trade Press Services today.
