How to Repurpose Older Content
(By Elizabeth Tuico) Marketing teams work harder than ever to produce high-quality content that engages the target audience. Burnout and other internal pressures can result in a “set it and forget it” mindset, so it is crucial to continually evaluate your content strategy throughout the year. By repurposing older content, brands get better results and reap benefits from one well-performing piece.
Transforming Existing Content Step by Step
#1 Identify your most popular content. Your first step is to determine what content resonated the best. Predicting what an audience reacts favorably to is not an exact science. Often it is haphazard. Find blogs, social media, videos, and infographics that perform well. Make a list and determine themes and trends.
#2 Repost popular content. Reposting content is when marketers republish on the same platform. Reposting high-traction content, especially social media posts, is quick and easy. However, make sure that the content is evergreen.
#3 Update popular content. Go back through your archives and find popular blog posts to refresh and update. For example, update service lines and case studies or incorporate a new team member. Marketers can add new statistics and insights. Consider rewriting 10-20% of a blog post but keep the headline the same to maintain SEO results.
#4 Transfer content to a different format. Effective strategies exist to take a foundational piece of content and transfer it into another format. A popular blog post can be repurposed into multiple social media posts. A social media post can transform into a TikTok video or Instagram reel.
Repurposing is re-packaging a piece of content into different content types, such as:
Converting case studies into infographics to share on social media.
Taking a website blog written for an external audience and reworking the text for employees.
Curating five to ten blog posts to create an e-book. This thought leadership piece can also become gated content on your website.
Making a video using key points from a thought leadership piece.
Podcasts present a wealth of content: A) Sections can become blog posts. B) Marketers can use the audio to create an accompanying slide deck for social media channels. C) Summarize key points made in podcasts and develop infographics.
Key Takeaways for Success
Continually monitor your metrics.
It is important to always keep an eye on your website, email blasts, and social media analytics. Look at performance statistics at the end of each week and create a monthly report. Identify trends and use that information to propel your brand forward. Marketers should consider:
What formats get the most traction with your target audience?
What themes generate the most interest?
Adjust language for each platform.
When you switch from platform to platform, marketers will need to adjust language and tone of voice. Be mindful that quick cut and paste from platform to platform is not wise. Take the time to do an appropriate edit. In other words, fit the format.
Increase engagement across platforms.
Engage your audience by asking questions, responding to comments, and running polls to build a community around your firm’s content strategy.
Content marketing strategies are organic. The most successful content marketing campaigns rely on real-time information and remain flexible enough to take advantage of current trends.
Elizabeth Tuico owns Rebel Road Creative, a marketing and content consultancy based in Washington, D.C. Reach out to talk about your content marketing strategy.