You might be the best in the game at what you do. But these days, unless you’re able to back it all up with even better content – you’re not going to come out on top.
Seems a little unfair, yes. But it’s all part of the digital world we live in.
If you want to establish and grow your brand online, it’s essential to have an effective content marketing strategy in place.
That’s often easier said than done, though!
You’re already pretty flat to the mat tending to the ins and outs of running your business and doing what you do best. So how in the Mary Poppins are you supposed to be able to consistently create and deliver high-quality, engaging content that attracts and converts your target audience?
And even if you do have a little extra time on your hands, there always comes a point when coming up with fresh ideas and original content starts to feel next to impossible. (Why do you forsake us, dear creativity, just when we need you most!)
Just when you’re starting to flatline, repurposing content can be a real life-saver.
Now, we’re not talking about reposting the same stuff over and over just to get yourself out of having to put an ounce of thought into creating content.
We mean thoughtfully recycling and reusing content in a strategic way that not only breathes new life into your content marketing efforts, but makes your life so much easier, too.
Let’s get down to the benefits of content repurposing
You’re missing out if content repurposing isn’t part of your content marketing strategy yet.
Besides the fact that 42% of digital marketers finding that it resulted in marketing success (swit swoo!), here’s why.
1. Extends lifespan of content
Content creation has been known to cause existential spirals, manic pacing, and concerning levels of coffee consumption in marketers the world over.
You spend so much of your precious time and effort creating content, you might as well get the most out of it!
When you repurpose existing content and use it to create something new, you prolong its life cycle – meaning it does more work for you, for longer! I like the sound of that!
2. Saves time and resources
Reduce, reuse, recycle – an important mantra for a materialistic world.
Guess what? Content recycling is just as important! Reusing content strategically and meaningfully is the simplest way to cut down on wasted time and resources while still ensuring you’re producing high quality content.
Good news for anyone who doesn’t want to have to worry about coming up with another thing to add to an already saturated online space, when quite frankly, you’ve got nothing new to say anyway, because you’re tired and just want to take a little nap.
3. Maximises reach
These days, people consume content in all sorts of different ways. So, if you want to reach the most people, you’ve got to be present across a variety of mediums!
But who has the time? When you repurpose content, you can reach different audiences by targeting them where they’re most likely to be hanging about.
Whether your ideal clients are avid online readers or big time scrollers, reusing content across different platforms helps you reach them when they need you most. I can see them now, slow-motion-running into your arms soundtracked by the Chariots of Fire theme song.
4. Boosts SEO and organic traffic
Search engines and social media platforms, although different beasts, have one thing in common. They both love fresh, relevant content. Yum, yum!
When you repurpose content, you quite simply have more of it, making it easier for you to feed the hungry machine that is the algorithm.
Updating content with fresh keyword research is a fast-track to climbing the ranks on search engines and boost organic traffic to your website.
5. Keeps content relevant and on trend
Are you down with the kids, man? (I, apparently, am not.)
Online trends change faster than I change my mind after I order at a restaurant. I mean, fast.
By keeping on top of what’s hip-hop-and-happenin’, you can reflect your wisdom and coolness in your content. Use Google Analytics to see what pieces of your existing content are performing well, and then update them accordingly to reflect current trends and times.
How to repurpose content: 5 useful examples
Now for the main event: how to repurpose existing content so you can achieve all of the blissful benefits above and preserve your sanity (to the best of your ability).
Let’s explore the different ways you can go about it, as well as the different content formats to consider dipping your toe into if you haven’t already.
1. Write a blog post based on a customer problem
Has a client of yours come to you with a particular issue lately? This is a great opportunity to create content based on their pain points that your target audience is also likely experiencing!
Write an original post that addresses their problems and provides useful solutions. Not only is this super valuable to your audience, but will help boost SEO too, as people will likely be searching for these answers online anyway. Two birds, as they say.
2. Use blog content to make social media posts
Did you know that you can take sections from longform blog posts and post them across different social media platforms? Well, you do now!
When coming up with something to say on social media is all too much, blog content is your answer. You can also extract snippets to create insightful visual content like infographics, too.
3. Make an eBook out of blogs
You’ve already invested a ton of time and resources into creating a wealth of online blogs. So, why not bring them together to create one big super blog, designed to rule the internet?
Or, you know, an eBook. These are super useful resources and can be used as a free download to attract potential clients and show off how wonderfully knowledgeable and professional you are, darling.
4. Start a podcast or video series
I know what you’re thinking – the world doesn’t need another podcaster or YouTuber.
That said, when you’re focused on creating genuinely valuable content that serves to help people, maybe these platforms do need you. Use your existing content to come up with topics for your next YouTube video or engaging podcast discussion.
5. Make old blog posts evergreen
While “X trends for [insert year here]” type blogs serve a purpose, they wind up only serving you for 12 months. Go back to old blogs that are restricted by a time period and turn them into evergreen content by removing references to dates and switching the focus to a more “your ultimate guide” approach.
You can also take an old blog post and use it to create fresh guest posts to be hosted on a third-party website with a wide reach in your niche.
Don’t want to have to think about creating fresh content at all?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you!
While repurposing content can certainly help lighten the load, sometimes you just need a team of professional copywriters to help you achieve content marketing success.
Get in touch today and let’s talk about your goals 🙂