By Willona Sloan
I know what you’re thinking: “What do you mean by repurposing content? It’s hard enough to come up with content for my next blog post let alone content for each of my social media channels.”
Developing streamlined content that’s consistent with your brand, messaging strategy, and goals can feel daunting. The good thing to note is that while, yes, you do need a lot of content, you can also dig deeper into the content you already have to get more bang for your buck. This is called “repurposing content.”
First, it’s important to note that repurposing content does not mean reposting the same thing repeatedly. Repurposing content means finding creative ways to re-use the same content source in various ways.
Let’s look at an example of how repurposing content could work. Say your company produced a new video that you want to promote: “Ten Ways to Grow Your Business.”
First, you would write content for your e-store. Next, you could develop a blog post (not your marketing copy) to tell your customers why this video will change their lives, make their job easier, or both.
You could do a Q & A with an expert featured in your video. You could further elaborate on one of the topics addressed in the video. You could provide a behind-the-scenes story about how the video came to be. This post should be about more than just plugging the video for sale. It’s important to use authentic content to hook your readers so they will learn more.
Now, for the social media posts. Instead of just putting a link to your blog post on Facebook, try posing an intriguing question or highlighting a captivating part of the video. On Twitter, you could use a photo to grab your followers’ attention. State the problem that this video can solve. Again, try asking a question.
Think about each channel you use and create content that is appropriate for that channel. For example, on Pinterest, you could post a photo with a thought-provoking quote from the video.
Remember that simply stating, “Check out our new video” doesn’t make anyone want to click through to your website. Get creative. When you think about what would interest your readers rather than your need to push the product you will achieve much better results.
Ideas for Repurposing Content
- Create an infographic to visualize your data points.
- Make a slideshow with captions. Offer tips or quotes with each image.
- Do a round-up of previous pieces you’ve published on the topic.
- Point readers to additional resources to help them learn more.
- Make a short video.
- Incorporate a poll or another interactive feedback tool.
- Start a meme.
- Create a podcast related to the content topic.
- Offer a giveaway.
The point is that you should be purposeful with your content creation.
Thinking about your content as being dynamic rather than static will help you to generate new ideas of conveying your message.
If you have ideas for successfully repurposing content, please share.
