Content is hard.
Or, at least, good content is hard. As consumers, we see a wealth of blogs and articles out there that aren’t even useful enough to be described as “click bait.”
But good content – whether in written, audio or visual format – that combines compelling storytelling with a clear focus on solving the problems of a target audience? That’s hard. It requires considerable collaboration, research and creative/intellectual “sweat equity.” And – oh yes – editing … So much reviewing and cutting and fact checking and fine tuning and finessing … Frankly, it can make one’s head hurt.
That’s why you should maximize the value of quality content by repurposing it. It’s a classic case of working smarter, not harder. At our integrated marketing communications agency, we make the best use of our clients’ budget by getting multiple forms of content placed in top-priority publications and outlets. Leveraging existing materials optimizes the reach/impact of our clients’ investment in a highly efficient and streamlined manner.
With this in mind, here are five ways to effectively repurpose your content:
- Consider content as an “ingredient” that can be served up for multiple “dishes.” As chefs often say, yesterday’s fish entrée can become tonight’s stew. Combine pieces from a string of blogs and turn them into a byline. Assemble parts from a year’s worth of blogs and bylines on a particular topic – as well as social posts, infographics, webinars, speaking engagements, etc. — to create a white paper or an e-book. In other words, think of pieces of content more as “ingredients” rather than standalone/one-off items.
- Revive content once left on the “cutting room floor.” For blogs, articles and white papers, there are always good paragraphs and even entire sections that are cut out due to length or topic-focus considerations. In filming a corporate video, a C-suite executive will often stray from the designated subject of, say, corporate culture and offer compelling perspectives on brand differentiation, future vision, etc. In fact, for every minute of “finished” video, there could be 15 to 20 minutes of unused footage waiting to be explored – and transcribed then repurposed – for internal training, recruiting, social media or any number of additional content needs.
- Recognize that content is often seasonal. Every year, there will always be “back to school,” “summer vacation planning” and “Black Friday” stories. Certain “tips/takeaways” are evergreen, so you can repurpose them indefinitely. In the tech industry we often see “New Year’s resolutions” or “Predictions” articles as popular annual offerings, and you’ll often see content relating to “good cybersecurity hygiene” getting repurposed in those.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel for every article. If you cover a specific industry or niche, you’ll find research, anecdotes and quotes can be reused when writing about cloud adoption, industry trends, cyber attacks, etc. When writing about best practices for artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, for example, you probably want to give readers a sense of the state of AI adoption and/or projected market growth. So when you’ve nailed down that part of the package, you can repurpose it for future content needs.
- Give a topic a different spin. Revisit content of the recent past and examine how a slightly altered take can transform it into a new article. “Five Best Practices for Cloud Migration,” for instance, can turn into “Five Myths about Cloud Migration” or “Five Cloud Migration Pitfalls to Avoid.” The headline and initial approach, of course, is different. But many themes/perspectives will be very similar.
At W2 Communications, we recognize that our clients need to amplify the impact of their content spend. That’s why we never perceive a blog, article, white paper, webinar, video, etc. as a “one and done” deal. We know there will always be plenty of opportunities in the immediate and even distant future to leverage existing content for additional projects and placements. In the process, we contain costs for clients while maximizing results.