With 2018 in full effect, I’d hate to see killer content from 2017 and earlier get lost or forgotten. I’m a big believer in the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” model, so naturally, content repurposing is a big deal to me. Why create a completely new piece of content about a topic when you already have content that could be tweaked for relevancy? And why should you work so hard on a strong, extra-long asset if it’s only going to be used in one format?
Repurposing content is ideal for amplifying reach, boosting lead generation, experimenting with cool, new formats and getting more value out of content investments. Not to mention, when reusing content, you can create new assets faster using fewer resources. It’s basically a win-win situation.
My colleague Alicia Esposito, Content Strategist for Content4Demand, and I recently hosted a short presentation to our company about new ways to repurpose content. It was well received, so I figured I’d share the key takeaways from the presentation with our readers. Basically, I’m repurposing my own content by turning a PowerPoint into a blog post. It doesn’t get easier than that.
Here are five ways to bring new life into your content…
Turn Emails Into High-Impact Content
I learned this trick from Andy Crestodina, Founder of Orbit Media, during his presentation at Uberflip’s Content Experience event in Toronto last year. Essentially, whenever you are asked to share insight and answer questions for thought-leadership content, save it!
An easy way to save the information is by making a label or folder in your inbox and saving those emails in that folder. Then, from time to time, you can put it all in a document and probably gain pages on pages of content you’ve already written and quotes you already have.
You can categorize the answers and quotes based on topic to make it easier, as well.
So, don’t say you’re too busy to write a blog post, because you probably have one in your inbox already!
Maximize The Value Of Testimonials
Another good idea from Crestodina: “Never make a testimonials page because visitors don’t go to testimonials pages.” Instead, make every page of your website a testimonials page — spread them out to various areas for maximum coverage.
Here are the seven necessary items to make testimonials more effective, according to Crestodina:
1. Logo: It should be visual and attractive to the eye so add it to the top of the testimonial.
2. Headline: “There’s a reason why Amazon makes you put a headline on your reviews,” said Crestodina. “It’s to give something on that review of more visual prominence.” Cut out the juiciest five or less words and make them the headline. People are more likely to see it when scanning the page. A big block of uniformed text is less likely to get read.
3-6. Picture, Name, Title, Company: These will make the person giving the testimonial more real and credible.
7. Bold or highlight a key phrase: A keyword-focused testimonial is a way to increase both traffic through indicating relevance in search and maximize conversion rates by adding social proof and evidence.
Transform Events Into Multi-Touch Campaigns
Events aren’t just for networking and learning about the next best tech solution. I’ve been to enough conferences to know that they pack a ton of fascinating speakers and presentations that make ideal content.
Additionally, if you’re hosting an event, tap into sponsors, presenters and attendees to score testimonials (see above), create Q&A blog posts and more.
Alicia highlighted a variety of high impact promotional content formats that we you can use from presentations and themes from events, including:
- Podcasts/video segments;
- Articles/trend pieces;
- Themes email nurtures/ABM programs;
- Content toolkits; and
- Infographics.
Give Static Content An Interactive Facelift
Interactive content is generating a lot of hype, and for good reason. The content it easy (and more fun) to digest, engaging and eye-catching. But many companies are still not sure if interactive will resonate with their audience.
A great way to dip your toes into interactive is to reuse what you already have. If you have a long white paper, take five key takeaways out of it and make it an interactive infographic, or let visuals and embedded videos to the talking within an interactive white paper. The possibilities are endless — check out this interactive report on interactive content marketing for more inspiration.
Get More Out Of Surveys
RSR Research does this really well. The company often sends emails highlighting blog posts that cover survey results that didn’t make it into their reports. They call this blog series “Uncharted RSR” (which I thought was really clever).
So, next time you’re sitting on a ton of survey data that won’t make the final cut for a report, turn the information into a blog post or email promotion to get more bang for your buck.
Have more great ideas for reusing content? Share them in the comments sections below and I just might turn them into a follow-up blog post!
