Have you ever looked at an empty content calendar and started to sweat? How will you find the time to create all of the blog posts, social media snippets, print articles, and eBooks your customers (and your bosses) really want?
Here’s a secret.
Smart content marketing teams wring every last bit of value from the assets they create. Often, that means repurposing content. By doing more with less, they can fill up the calendar with goodies—and they won’t have to stay up all night to do it.
If you haven’t tried content repurposing, here’s why I think it’s a smart idea and how you can get started.
What Is Content Repurposing, Anyway?
Content repurposing involves tweaking existing content to fit a new medium. Sometimes, teams combine several assets to make something entirely new, and sometimes, they strip short bits from large assets to have a deep impact in a new place.
Content repurposing is not grabbing something, printing it, and hoping it works. Instead, this is a targeted approach that can help you take content that’s working and amplify its impact.
4 Ways to Repurpose Your Content
The best way to explain content repurposing and why it’s effective is to show you how it’s done. Here are a few of my favorite ways to repurpose content for clients.
1. FAQs Into Social Media Posts
Most companies have a formal FAQ page sitting somewhere on the corporate website. Those that don’t have training materials for front-line staff (such as receptionists or intake coordinators) that contain detailed answers to common questions. Social media managers may have their own documents about how they answer typical complaints and queries.
All of these documents are gold mines.
If you know customers have asked these questions in the past, why not pop them into social medial posts and educate future clients? You could create a peppy video with someone explaining a common question and why your answer makes the most sense.
For example, you may have an FAQ about dogs on your restaurant patio. You could shoot a quick video of an employee on your patio with a dog in which you explain why dogs have to be on a leash, and how you’ll provide free water and snacks.
Don’t have time to shoot video? No problem. Your social media post could also be a quick quiz or two cards (question/answer) people can swipe between.
2. Social Media Posts Into Blogs
Sites like Instagram allow content creators to get wordy. Chances are, some of your most successful posts went into great detail about a person, place, or thing that’s near and dear to your heart. Repurpose that content into a blog post.
For example, you could write a quick introduction about why you created the social media post, embed the comment, and then explain the reactions you received. End the post with a CTA asking people for more blog ideas.
A post like this could be completed in less than an hour, and it could pay big dividends.
3. Blogs Into eBooks
This is one of my very favorite strategies. Blog posts can be very time-consuming to create, and often, companies write variations on the same topic. For example, I have plenty of blogs about social media marketing, content creation, and grant writing. I could organize all of my blogs by topic and allow each entry to become a chapter. With a little editing on transitions and headings, I have an eBook for people to download.
Unlike blog posts, eBooks are typically gated. Readers must give you something (like a contact email) to download it. An asset like this could help you build your business in no time.
4. Blogs Into Print Pieces
Print marketing can help you reach those customers who don’t like to fuss with websites and social media. A flyer, magazine, or handout could be a key asset if you’re heading to a trade show or community event. And blogs could help you fill the pages.
I’ve helped clients repurpose blog posts for print magazines and pulled blogs into tiny snippets that end with a QR code for those who want to read the whole thing. This snippet technique is especially helpful when you’re left with a tiny part of a page that must be filled.
How to Identify Content to Repurpose
The best content to repurpose has already been successful somewhere else. For example, if you’re hoping to repurpose FAQ content, pick the one people ask about most frequently. Similarly, if you want to repurpose your social media posts, you should choose the version that had the most comments and other interactions.
Get Help with Content Marketing Projects
While content repurposing can save you time, it does require an investment. If you need help making this work, reach out! I would love to help.
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