In content marketing, creativity is admirable but not efficient. Savvy content marketers not only create, they beg, borrow and steal from themselves to amplify their message and reach different audiences.
Repurposing Begins with Topic Selection
Repurposed content, no matter how innovative, is only as successful as its topic. One of the best sources of topics for any business: its sales department. Sales people work with customers and prospects every day. They know which product/service benefits matter and which don't. They know the key questions that must be answered before a sale can be made. They've heard every objection, and know which responses overcome them and which don't.
Start by asking the sales force:
· What can we write about that will help you sell more stuff?
· What are the key points to convey?
The content that flows from the answers to these two questions will be relevant, useful, authoritative and persuasive, the crucial elements that determine the value and popularity of any given piece of content.
10 Ways to Repurpose Content
Just about any topic developed in the manner outlined above can be used in a variety of ways to reach a variety of audiences. A bit of tweaking may be necessary, but even a lot of tweaking is preferable to inventing the wheel with every piece of content.
1. Onsite Blog Post. A blog is a good starting point for a sales-generated topic, as there are relatively few restrictions on style and word count; you can lay out the issue in as much detail and as conversationally as you'd like. Even if the company blog has few subscribers, your sales staff can point prospects and customers to the post whenever it is needed, saving them the time and trouble to compose a response from scratch.
2. Offsite Blog Post. A modest reworking of the topic will produce an article of interest to industry blogs and blogs in related niches. Offsite publishing gives you access to new segments of the market or new prospects within existing segments, as well as new (and possibly plentiful) social media mentions.
3.Onsite Web Page. A more formal and detailed treatment of the topic makes for an effective sub-page for a given product/service on your company website. Besides appealing to site visitors looking for in-depth information, pages such as these are highly effective for SEO, as they allow you to optimize for long-tail search terms. The result: more search visibility for people who need what you sell but don't know who you are.
4. Email Marketing. Reach hot, medium and/or cold prospects through email marketing. The email's content could be a reworking of the topic (probably making it shorter) or could be merely a blurb that points readers back to the blog post or onsite Web page.
5. Slide Presentation. Adapting the topic to a slide presentation gives sales people something they can use in the field. Make sure it is mobile-friendly and tablet-friendly. Adding the presentation to SlideShare, a widely searched business platform, will enable new prospects to find you.
6. Video. A video rendering of your topic has the same advantages as a slide presentation, with more potential for search visibility. YouTube and Instagram are wildly popular sites. If people in your niche hang out on either of these platforms, video is a must.
7. Landing Page. If your firm engages in PPC marketing, the original topic can be made into a perfect landing page to support a PPC ad for that product/service. Don't let your PPC team work in a vacuum - you may have already produced the content they are struggling to create.
8.Downloadable Brochure. Your audience will be interested in a detailed treatment of the topic - remember, it is something your customers and prospects are known to be thinking about. Downloadable brochures can be offered through your blog, website, email marketing, landing pages or even email signatures. For really strong downloads, ask for the user's email address before downloading, and you will build a strong house list for future marketing activities.
9.Infographic. An infographic is superb for handling complex topics or ideas that are new to the market. If your topic fits this description, a well-executed infographic on your website or blog will attract social media mentions and be republished by industry blogs and blogs in related niches. All of this adds up to new exposure - and new links back to your site, giving you a big SEO boost.
10.Social Media Post. Your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages all can be used to convey the key ideas in your original topic. For Twitter, this may mean a series of Tweets; on the other platforms, longer versions or excerpts straight from the original blog post will work.
All of these content types are widely used. The innovation comes in to play when you think about and use them systematically. Many businesses fail to approach content marketing systematically because they are too busy thinking about creating the next piece of new content. To be really innovative, stop innovating and start adapting!