Constantly producing fresh and engaging content can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
This is where the concept of repurposing content comes into play.
Repurposing content allows companies to maximize the value of their existing content by adapting it for different formats and platforms, reaching a wider audience, and extending its lifespan.
This guide will explore the definition, importance, strategies, best practices, implementation, and benefits of repurposing content in corporate marketing plan settings.
Definition of Repurposing Content
Repurposing content refers to the process of transforming existing content into a different format or adapting it for various platforms.
It involves repackaging, reformatting, and reimagining content for different audiences, channels, and purposes.
By repurposing content, companies can leverage their existing assets to create new opportunities for engagement, increase brand visibility, and drive more traffic to their websites or social media platforms.
Background: Why Repurposing Content is Important for Companies
Repurposing content has gained significant importance in recent years due to several reasons.
Firstly, it allows companies to maximize their content creation efforts’ return on investment (ROI). Instead of creating new content from scratch, repurposing enables companies to extract more value from their existing content by reaching new audiences and extending its lifespan.
Secondly, repurposing content helps companies maintain a consistent brand message across different platforms. By adapting content for various formats and channels, companies can ensure that their message remains consistent while catering to the preferences and behaviors of different audience segments.
Lastly, repurposing content can save time and resources. Rather than starting from scratch, companies can repurpose existing content, making necessary updates or modifications. This allows marketing teams to focus on other important tasks while maintaining an active content strategy.
5 Ways to Repurpose Content
- Create Infographics: Transform data-rich blog posts or articles into visually appealing infographics. Infographics are highly shareable and can convey complex information concisely and engagingly.
- Convert Blog Posts into Videos: Repurpose written content by creating videos summarizing the key points or providing additional insights. Videos are highly engaging and can be shared on platforms like YouTube or social media.
- Compile E-books or Whitepapers: Combine related blog posts or articles into comprehensive e-books or whitepapers. This repurposed content can be used as lead magnets or valuable resources for your audience.
- Turn Webinars into Podcasts: Convert recorded webinars or presentations into audio podcasts. This allows your audience to consume the content on-the-go and reach a wider audience through podcast platforms.
- Create Social Media Snippets: Extract key quotes, statistics, or visuals from longer-form content and repurpose them as social media posts. This helps to drive traffic back to the original content and increases engagement on social media platforms.
Why Companies are Interested in Repurposing Content
Companies are increasingly interested in repurposing content due to several reasons.
Firstly, repurposing content allows companies to reach new audiences and expand their reach. By adapting content for different formats and platforms, companies can tap into new channels and engage with audiences who prefer different types of content consumption.
Secondly, repurposing content helps companies improve their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. By creating multiple pieces of content from a single source, companies can increase their online visibility and improve their chances of ranking higher in search engine results.
Thirdly, repurposing content enables companies to reinforce their brand message and establish thought leadership. Companies can strengthen their expertise, build credibility, and establish themselves as industry leaders by consistently repurposing content across various channels.
Lastly, repurposing content saves time and resources. Instead of starting from scratch, companies can repurpose existing content, making necessary updates or modifications. This allows marketing teams to focus on other important tasks while maintaining an active content strategy.
10 Repurposing Content Best Practices
- Understand Your Audience: Before repurposing content, it’s crucial to understand your target audience’s preferences, behaviors, and content consumption habits. This will help you tailor the repurposed content to their needs and preferences.
- Identify Evergreen Content: Look for content that is timeless and can be repurposed without becoming outdated. Evergreen content provides a solid foundation for repurposing efforts.
- Repurpose with a Purpose: When repurposing content, have a clear objective in mind. Whether you’re reaching a new audience, reinforcing your brand message, or driving traffic, align your repurposing efforts with your overall marketing goals.
- Optimize for Different Platforms: Adapt the repurposed content to suit different platforms’ specific requirements and characteristics. This includes optimizing the format, length, and tone to maximize engagement.
- Maintain Consistency: While adapting content for different platforms, ensure that your brand message and tone remain consistent. This helps to reinforce your brand identity and build trust with your audience.
- Update and Refresh: Before repurposing content, review and update it to ensure its accuracy and relevance. This includes updating statistics, adding new insights, or refreshing visuals.
- Promote Across Channels: Once you’ve repurposed content, promote it across various channels to maximize its reach and impact. This includes sharing it on social media, embedding it in blog posts, or featuring it in newsletters.
- Encourage User-generated Content: Repurposing user-generated content can be a powerful way to engage your audience and build community. Encourage your audience to create content related to your brand and repurpose it with their permission.
- Track and Analyze Performance: Monitor the performance of your repurposed content to understand what works and what doesn’t. Use analytics tools to track engagement, traffic, and conversions.
- Iterate and Improve: Based on the insights gained from tracking and analyzing performance, iterate and improve your repurposing strategies. Experiment with different formats, platforms, and messaging to optimize your results.
Step-by-Step Model of Repurposing Content
- Audit Existing Content: Start by auditing your existing content assets. Identify high-performing content, evergreen topics, and pieces that can be repurposed.
- Define Objectives: Determine your objectives for repurposing content. Are you looking to reach a new audience, reinforce your brand message, or drive traffic? This will guide your repurposing efforts.
- Identify Repurposing Opportunities: Based on your objectives, identify the best opportunities for repurposing. Consider the different formats and platforms that align with your target audience’s preferences.
- Adapt and Optimize: Repurpose the selected content by adapting it to suit the chosen formats and platforms. Optimize the content for each platform, considering factors such as format, length, and tone.
- Promote and Distribute: Once the repurposed content is ready, promote and distribute it across various channels. Please share it on social media, embed it in blog posts, or feature it in newsletters to maximize its reach.
- Track and Analyze Performance: Monitor the performance of your repurposed content using analytics tools. Track metrics such as engagement, traffic, and conversions to understand its impact.
- Iterate and Improve: Based on the insights gained from tracking and analyzing performance, iterate and improve your repurposing strategies. Experiment with different formats, platforms, and messaging to optimize your results.
5 Examples of Repurposing Content in the Workplace
- Blog Post to Webinar: Convert a popular post into a webinar presentation. This allows you to engage with your audience more effectively and provide additional insights.
- Podcast Episode to Blog Post: Transcribe a podcast episode and repurpose it as a blog post. This enables you to reach a wider audience who prefer reading over listening.
- E-book to Social Media Snippets: Extract key quotes or statistics from an e-book and repurpose them as social media snippets. This drives traffic back to the e-book and increases engagement on social media.
- Video Tutorial to Infographic: Transform a video tutorial into an infographic that summarizes the key steps or tips. This makes content marketing more visually appealing and shareable.
- Case Study to Slide Deck: Repurpose a case study into a slide deck for presentations or webinars. This allows you to showcase your expertise and success stories in a concise and visually appealing format.
Features and Benefits of Repurposing Content in Corporate Marketing Settings
Repurposing content offers several features and benefits for companies in corporate marketing settings:
- Cost and Time Efficiency: Repurposing content saves time and resources by leveraging existing assets instead of creating new content from scratch.
- Extended Reach: Companies can reach new audiences and extend their brand’s visibility by adapting content for different formats and platforms.
- Consistent Brand Messaging: Repurposing content helps companies maintain a consistent brand message across various channels, reinforcing their brand identity.
- Improved SEO: Repurposing content increases online visibility and improves search engine rankings by creating multiple pieces of content from a single source.
- Thought Leadership and Credibility: Consistently repurposing content across various channels helps companies establish thought leadership, build credibility and position themselves as industry leaders.
- Increased Engagement: Repurposing content in different formats and platforms increases engagement by catering to the preferences and behaviors of various audience segments.
- Maximized ROI: Repurposing content allows companies to maximize the value of their existing content, increasing the return on investment for their content creation efforts.
Summary
Repurposing content is a valuable strategy for companies looking to maximize the value of their existing content assets.
By adapting content for different formats and platforms, companies can reach new audiences, extend their brand’s visibility, and maintain a consistent brand message.
Implementing best practices such as understanding the audience, optimizing for different platforms, and tracking performance can further enhance the effectiveness of repurposing efforts.
With the step-by-step model provided, companies can easily incorporate repurposing content into their marketing strategies and enjoy its numerous benefits in corporate marketing settings.
With 30+ years of training experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, B.A., M.A., PGDip, founded Oak Innovation (oakinnovation.com) in 1995. Catherine received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from University College Cork. She holds qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. Since 1995, clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.