Repurposing content – Giving your ideas a new spin

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There comes a time when almost everyone struggles with fresh ideas and themes for content. Marketers who use content to drive engagement on social media face this challenge day in and day out. The answer doesn’t lie in churning out new ideas alone. Let’s face it. There’s only so far you can go with that approach, no matter how passionate and creative you are.

When new ideas seem elusive, you need to embrace a term that’s sure to keep your content marketing machinery fired up through those dull patches: repurposing content. Essentially, it means that you take your own stuff and make it shine all over again. You do this in a way that appeals to your audience and on platforms where you’re most likely to find them. In other words, you give your published content a new lease of life, with just dash of smart thinking.

It may sound like you’re taking the easy way out by simply rehashing old material. The trick lies in how you do this, though. When you repurpose content, you find new ways to present the original idea and information, and in a more current context. Most often, this can boost impact and engagement and take your ideas to a whole new level.

Here are some ways you can repurpose your content across platforms and audiences:

1. Split it up

Articles or blog posts are ripe for spin-off ideas. Your well-researched thought leadership article on, say, the impact of new technology on manufacturing practices, could be turned wholly or partly into a YouTube video on the subject, or a more in-depth whitepaper for your clients or even a series of interactive Facebook posts and infographics.

2. Deploy across media

Repurposing across traditional and social media platforms offers an additional benefit of cross-linking your content so that there is a possibility of greater audience engagement. This helps direct a person to the version that he or she is most comfortable with, improves the shareability from a variety of options, and increases the conversion rates in the long run.

3. Target sharply

Choosing your platform is vital to achieve content repurposing success. You probably already know this, but what goes where is a fundamental tenet that you mustn’t lose sight of – precise targeting, in short. So, for instance, repurposed content on HR could go on LinkedIn where the chances of getting views and engagement would be higher, a marketing and product-related blog can strike a powerful connect with audiences on Instagram or Facebook when executed well, and repurposing a piece of content as a Power Point presentation on Slideshare can do wonders. Cross

4. Old is gold (sometimes)

Just resharing an older blog post or article is yet another way to repurpose content. Here, updating the context is important and can sometimes work wonders in bringing in readers/viewers. This applies particularly to subjects and themes that have enduring value. Themes around the future of work or sustainability are some common examples of enduring content ideas. The reverse works as well – your older FB or Instagram posts can serve as a rich source of ideas that were buried in the sea of content you would have created in the past.

5. Bring it all together

Sometimes, a scattered bunch of content can come together in one high-impact message. Think of it as the opposite of splitting up an article or blog into smaller elements. By combining a few related perspectives across media – articles, blog posts, Twitter, FB or Instagram posts – around a larger, central theme you can build a new piece of content that delivers a more comprehensive POV for your audience. Revisiting your work over time is a good way to spot such hidden opportunities.

6. Find experts

Whether it is about turning articles into videos, PDFs, ebooks, podcasts, lists, social media posts or even doing it the other way around, the number of ways you can use transform one type of content into another is limited only by your imagination. Resources to achieve this are freely available, but it helps to seek the services of a professional agency if yours is a big brand or if you’re aiming to build one.

Repurposing is an oft-ignored but surprisingly efficient route to growing your content portfolio and reach. It helps save time and content marketing spends by stretching successful ideas in a way that is both appealing and impactful. This makes it a truly smart tool to make your content marketing plan work for your brand.