Producing content helps drive engagement and brand awareness. However, creating content for all social media channels can be incredibly time-consuming and sometimes counterproductive, especially when you have a full to-do list of other tasks. Repurposing assets you’ve already created can save you a lot of time.
Here are the benefits of repurposing content and how to do it successfully.
Why Repurpose Content?
There are a number of reasons. First, it maximizes output while minimizing effort. Obviously, your goal should not be to create a continuous cycle of old content but to use it as a buffer between pieces of new collateral. Keep an eye on content marketing trends and tailor your strategy accordingly.
Transforming your content can also be used to link back to your original posts and expand your content’s reach. Use your audience as a way to encourage engagement. For example, an instructional blog post can become an infographic on social media that relays important information but encourages readers to seek out the original post for more in-depth information.
Repurposing your content can also improve your SEO. Since it’ll be posted across different platforms, you can use more keywords and add more backlinks. This gives your audience more avenues to find your posts and discover more about your business through the backlinks. Social media posts tend to be more shareable, which can also boost your rankings on search engines. Blog posts can be being repurposed and shared on different platforms for ongoing opportunities to reach new audiences.
By repurposing content, you’re opening it up to more people. Blogs are only seen by those who visit your website. By sharing content across different platforms, you have more opportunities to grow your audience. It is a great way to reach different demographics and diversify your audience, too.
Choosing Content to Repurpose
Working out which blog post or copy is going to translate well to social media can be tricky. The thing to keep in mind is whether or not the content is high-quality. Think about which blog pieces performed well. Why do you think it did, and does this mean a new audience may also enjoy it? Does that particular post align with your brand’s personality and is the tone and message something you want to continue to project? Can you condense the post down to create a single soundbite or image which encapsulates the point of the post? The key is to optimize the content you know converts.
Event-Specific vs Evergreen Content
Event-specific content is designed to capitalize on the popularity of an event or cultural phenomenon. It has a guaranteed audience. Using things that have a place in the zeitgeist assures cultural relevancy. However, that thing can exit the zeitgeist just as quickly and lose its appeal. The key to event-specific content is to turn it around as quickly as possible while it still has its relevance. It’s often pointless to try to repurpose this content down the line unless, of course, the topic is seeing a resurgence.
Evergreen content, on the other hand, has long-term viability. These topics tend to remain consistently popular and relevant, and they can be stalwarts when it comes to driving traffic to your site. This content can be more general, avoiding specifics to retain its appeal. Or it can be more in-depth and designed to fulfill a niche, again guaranteeing it’ll retain its appeal. The information also remains up to date, which is what makes it great to repurpose for multiple channels.
How to Repurpose the Content
Transforming a blog post is somewhat similar to creating it in the first place; know your audience and the message you’re trying to convey. Your audience will dictate a lot once you know what you’re trying to do. Do you want to gain followers, direct them back to the original post, or raise your brand awareness? Decide on this before you go any further.
The next step is to consider for which platforms you’re repurposing the post. This will influence the editing process. Think about the demographics that reside on that platform and appeal to them. For example, repurposing a blog post for Instagram will look a lot different from a Twitter thread or a LinkedIn post. Keep this in mind when choosing the blog post, too, because some are better suited to certain transformations than others. Social media, while great for the most part, can have a disastrous effect if misused.
After this, start to reconstruct the content. Think about the mechanics of the post; it needs to be grammatically sound. Mistakes can make your business look unpolished and lead to questions about professionalism. Ambiguity leads to confusion, so try to be clear and concise. Some platforms require you to take more of a formal tone, and others need a more laidback approach. Humor can also be a great way to help you connect with your audience.
Lastly, does your content need an accompaniment? For example, transforming a blog post into an Instagram caption is pointless unless you have a picture or an infographic to post with it. When creating these other accompanying pieces, consider the aesthetics of your brand. Designs should remain consistent to build your brand recognition. Utilize memes if you want, but there is a risk of choosing outdated ones and seeming out of touch.
Repurposing Content More Than Once
If approached properly, you can repurpose content more than once and across multiple different channels, too. To do this, learn the differing format requirements, demographics, expectations, and aesthetics that each platform demands. Rather than simply sharing a blog post as-is across each platform, take the time to tailor it for each. Otherwise, it comes across as ill-thought-out and clunky.
Think about your digital presence. Where can you be found? On what platforms? How does your approach or strategy vary based on these platforms? Take notes on what works and what doesn’t. Does your audience change, or is it somewhat similar? This can help when it comes to rejigging the content. Some platforms are somewhat similar, so they won’t need as much tweaking. That said, others are polar opposite, and making the content suitable will take more work.
Adapting your approach is vital. It ensures your content continues to appeal to your target audience. Think about how you incorporate SEO practices into your posts as well as syncing your SEO and social media strategy. By including keywords and phrases in your posts across channels, you help improve your search engine rankings to increase web traffic to your business organically.
Lastly, don’t forget to adjust the visuals as much as you adjust the text. The digital space is incredibly visual. Visual assets ensure you can grab the attention of your audience and stand out among your competitors. Posts can be accompanied by or transformed into infographics or images to illustrate your point. Create pictures or videos to design an atmosphere and further demonstrate your point. Images can help to break up the text and make it feel more accessible. You can even create your own memes or participate in social media trends or challenges; these demonstrate your brand’s personality and also make it seem more current and fun.
To Conclude
Repurposing content simply makes good business sense. It ensures you maximize your potential output and get everything you can out of a concept. It can also make it easier to develop a posting schedule because you don’t have to come up with new ideas as often. Do your best to ensure repurposed content doesn’t feel as though it has been copied and pasted without thought.