October 9, 2024
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It takes a village to create content. It's an extensive process, from sourcing ideas to creating content to distributing it to the right audience at the right time and through the right channel. No wonder so many marketing teams are maxed out when it comes to content creation.
But what if you could take one well-researched blog post and turn it into a month of varied content? That's the power of content repurposing. One piece of content strategically distributed across various channels? That's the Swiss Army Knife approach to content strategy.
Content repurposing, at its core, is breathing new life into existing content. It involves taking a piece of content—be it a blog post, webinar, podcast, or any other format—and transforming it into a new format or updating it to reach a new audience or serve a new purpose.
Repurposing is so effective because it’s a more sustainable and efficient approach to content creation for many reasons, including:
A content repurposing strategy is a plan for taking existing content and redistributing it across different platforms and in various formats. A comprehensive strategy should include goals and guidelines for how content will be selected, transformed, and distributed. Developing a strategy can feel overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be!
Here are four steps to help you get started:
The first step is to identify the content that already resonates with your audience or covers topics core to your brand. This could be a blog post that drove significant traffic, a video that had high engagement, or a comprehensive guide that received positive feedback.
You’re looking for "evergreen" content—pieces that are relevant regardless of when they’re consumed. Using analytics tools to identify this content will help you determine which posts have been most successful and, therefore, would be most suitable for repurposing.
Once you’ve identified your top content, the next step is determining what formats make sense for repurposing and where these formats will be distributed. For example:
Always consider your target audience and where they’re most active when deciding on formats.
With your content and format choices in hand, it’s time to start repurposing! Remember, repurposing isn’t just about simply reposting the same content on different platforms. It’s about adapting and tailoring the content to fit the new format and platform.
When creating each repurposed piece of content, keep in mind the unique characteristics of each platform and what resonates with its audience. For example, content on LinkedIn tends to be more professional, while Instagram content is often more casual and visually focused.
The final step is to get your repurposed content out there! This involves planning and scheduling your content for distribution across your chosen channels.
You may also want to consider promoting your repurposed content through email marketing and paid advertising to maximize its reach. Additionally, engaging with your audience—responding to comments and shares, for example—can help to further extend the life and reach of your content.
There are a variety of tools and resources available to help with content repurposing, including AI writing tools like ChatGPT and Bard that can help with content creation and customization; design tools like Canva that can help create visually appealing infographics or social media graphics; transcription tools like Otter or Sonix that can help convert audio or video content into written content.
Investing in a content management system (CMS) that can help manage and repurpose your content across multiple channels can also be very beneficial.
While content repurposing can be highly effective, it doesn’t come without its challenges. Some common challenges include maintaining quality and consistency across different formats and platforms and avoiding duplicate content, which can harm SEO. You may also find it difficult to stay up-to-date with changing platform algorithms, as each new update could impact the effectiveness of your content.
These challenges can be overcome through careful planning, a strong understanding of each platform’s requirements, and continually monitoring the performance of your content across platforms. Plus, AI tools and automation can be powerful allies in maintaining a consistent brand voice and staying on top of algorithm changes.
For content repurposing to be truly successful, you need to keep a few key principles in mind.
Many brands have seen tremendous success with content repurposing. For instance, content creators like Gary Vaynerchuk have mastered the art of repurposing—turning one long-form piece of content into a multitude of micro-content for different platforms. This strategy has played a significant role in building his large online following.
A B2B company might take a successful case study and turn it into a whitepaper, an infographic, a LinkedIn post, and a video testimonial. This multi-format approach allows the company to reach a wider audience and get more mileage out of their successful case study.
Our clients at BlueByrd have found tremendous success repurposing content across platforms. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help develop or improve your content repurposing strategy, contact us here.
We don’t recommend creating content for the sake of creating content. At that point, you’re just wasting time, and your content will fall flat with prospective customers. Remember that you still need a deep understanding of who your target audience is, where they like to hang out, and what message will provide value and resonate with them. It’s always strategy before tactics. So, ditch that heavy toolbox, grab your Swiss Army Knife, and let’s reach your customers more efficiently. If you need help developing your content strategy, let us be the ultimate Swiss Army Knife for you. We can do a lot of things.
Let's get your wings ready!
