logo
Struggling to create fresh content every day? Content repurposing could be your way out.
Many small businesses put hours into creating awesome content, only for it to vanish into the vast internet void. Then comes the struggle of creating endless new content.
But what if you could squeeze more life, more reach, and more ROI out of the content you already have? That’s where content repurposing enters the conversation. It can breathe new life into your overlooked blog posts, social snippets, and presentations.
So, let’s explore what content repurposing is and how you can get good at it!
What Is Content Repurposing?
Content repurposing is the art of taking existing content and giving it new life across different platforms, formats, or channels. Think of it as a content recycling program in which you turn a well-researched blog post into an eye-catching infographic, a series of social media posts, or even a script for an engaging podcast episode.
Repurposing doesn’t mean simply reposting the same thing everywhere. It’s about strategically adapting and tailoring your content to fit different audiences and platforms. This might involve changing the format, style, or even the specific message to ensure it resonates with each new audience.
Why Should You Repurpose Existing Content?
For small businesses, time and resources are often stretched thin. Content repurposing offers a smart and efficient way to maximize your content marketing efforts without starting from scratch every time.
Here’s why it’s particularly beneficial for you:
- Maximize Your ROI: By repurposing, you’re essentially getting multiple pieces of content for the price of one. This extends the lifespan of your original piece and ensures it reaches a wider audience, increasing your return on the initial investment of time and resources.
- Boost Your Visibility: Different people prefer different platforms and formats. By diversifying your content, you increase your chances of showing up where your potential customers are most likely to engage with you.
- Strengthen Your Message: Consistency is key in branding. Content repurposing allows you to repeat your core messages across different channels, reinforcing them in the minds of your audience.
- Save Time and Money: Creating high-quality content takes time and money. Repurposing lets you leverage existing assets, freeing up resources for other areas of your business.
- Enhance Your SEO: When you repurpose content and share it across different platforms, you increase your chances of gaining backlinks and social shares, which are both important factors for search engine optimization.
- Combat Content Fatigue: Let’s face it, creating new content constantly can be exhausting. Repurposing existing content can give you a break while still maintaining a consistent content calendar.
- Cater to Different Learning Styles: Some people prefer reading, others watching, and some listening. By offering your content in multiple formats, you cater to different learning styles and preferences.
7 Types of Content That Are Great for Repurposing
Here are 7 content types you can repurpose easily:
Blog Posts
Well-written blog posts can increase your authority and help you become your industry’s thought leader. But why stop at just that?
You can repurpose your blog posts to get maximum value from them. Here’s how:
- Infographics: Turn complex data and statistics from your posts into visually appealing and shareable infographics.
- Social Media Posts: Create bite-sized snippets from a statistic or specific point in the blog post with eye-catching visuals for easy sharing.
- Email Newsletters: Summarize key points or offer a fresh perspective on an old post topic in your email campaigns.
- Podcast Episodes: Discuss the topic in-depth or interview experts to add new insights.
- Videos: Create animated explainer videos, whiteboard videos, or even talking-head videos summarizing the blog post.
Notice how we use a stat from one of our blog posts on cold outreach to create a Facebook post that promotes the post:
Social Media Posts
Social media posts are a fantastic way to increase your reach and communicate with your target audience. You can also repurpose those posts as:
- Blog Post: Compile a series of related posts into a comprehensive blog post that delves deeper into the topic.
- E-book or Guide: If you have enough high-quality social media content on a specific theme, bundle it into a downloadable resource.
- Visual Quote Cards: Design visually appealing images featuring quotes from your posts to make them more shareable.
- Customer Testimonials: If your social media posts generate positive comments or feedback, incorporate them into your testimonial videos or a blog post showcasing your brand’s impact.
Videos
Video marketing is an excellent medium to reach prospects and present your products and services or promote your brand.
But you can also use our video content to create:
- Blog Posts: Transcribe your videos and turn them into informative blog topics. This also improves accessibility for those who prefer to read or have hearing impairments.
- Social Media Soundbites: Extract short, engaging clips and share them on platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.
- Teaser Videos: Create shorter versions of your videos to promote the full-length content on your website or YouTube channel.
- Quote Graphics: Turn powerful quotes from your videos into eye-catching visuals for social media.
Check out how HubSpot uses a quote on social media repurposed from its free course:
Presentations
Presentations are a great way to impress and convert potential clients. But what about after you have achieved your goal? You can’t let the excellent material go to waste.
With content repurposing, you can use that material for:
- Slide Decks for Social Media: Break down your presentations into individual slides with key takeaways and visuals, and share them on LinkedIn or Twitter.
- Webinars: Host live or recorded webinars to share your expertise with a broader audience.
- Blog Posts: Summarize the main points of your presentation in a blog post, incorporating additional details and examples.
Customer Testimonials
Great customer testimonials can help bolster your online reputation, and you can also repurpose them as:
- Social Media Posts: Highlight positive reviews and testimonials on your social media channels.
- Case Studies: Develop in-depth case studies that showcase your clients’ success stories.
- Email Marketing Material: Include testimonials in your email newsletters to build trust and credibility.
- Website Feature: Feature testimonials prominently on your homepage or dedicated testimonial page.
- User-Generated Content: With certain testimonials, you can even ask the satisfied customer to create an authentic UGC campaign-style video or reel that you can post online to promote your brand.
Webinars
Webinars are a surefire way to build your credibility as an expert in your industry. However, they require a lot of thought, research, and time to execute. So, why would you want your resources to go to waste?
Use the webinar materials for:
- Shorter Videos: Repurpose webinar recordings into bite-sized videos that can be easily shared on social media or embedded in blog posts.
- Blog Posts: Write comprehensive summaries of your webinars, including key takeaways and actionable tips.
- Email Series: Break down your webinar content into a series of email lessons delivered over several days or weeks.
Semrush does a great job of creating YouTube videos out of its webinars:
Internal Data & Reports
A company, regardless of how big or small, always has internal data that helps them formulate their marketing plans. You can use that data to create:
- Infographics: Transform complex data into visually appealing and easy-to-understand infographics that can be shared on social media and embedded in blog posts.
- Blog Posts: Analyze your data and share insights, trends, or predictions relevant to your industry.
- White Papers or E-books: If you have extensive research data, package it into a long-form piece that establishes your authority in your field.
How to Repurpose Old Content to Drive Maximum Value
Here are the steps you need to take to repurpose old content effectively:
Audit Your Content
Start by thoroughly reviewing your existing content library. Look for high-performing pieces that have garnered a lot of traffic, engagement, or shares and evergreen content that is still relevant and valuable.
You can also look for content that aligns with your current marketing goals. Create an Excel sheet or compile the content you have shortlisted in your drive for easy access.
Choose Your Formats
Consider your target audience and their preferred platforms. Do they love visuals? Are they podcast enthusiasts? Choose formats that are most likely to resonate with them and achieve your objectives.
Refresh and Adapt
Even if your content is evergreen, it might need a little updating. Double-check for accuracy, replace outdated information, and ensure it aligns with your current brand voice and messaging.
Optimize for Each Platform
Each platform has unique requirements and best practices. Tailor your repurposed content to each. This might include:
- Using the right dimensions and aspect ratios for images and videos.
- Incorporating relevant keywords and hashtags.
- Crafting attention-grabbing headlines and captions.
Promote Across Channels
Don’t just publish your repurposed content and hope people find it. Share it across all your channels – website, blog, social media, email newsletters, etc. – to maximize its visibility.
Track Your Results
Use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your repurposed content. Track metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and conversions. Analyze what’s working and what’s not so you can improve your strategy over time.
5 Businesses That Excel at Content Repurposing
Here are 5 businesses that seamlessly repurpose their content:
TED
TED is a prime example of content repurposing done right. They take their popular TED Talks (videos) and repurpose them into blog posts, animated summaries, social media snippets, podcasts, and even educational courses.
The TED Blog features articles based on TED Talks, often including embedded videos, quotes, and further analysis.
Also, TED-Ed, an educational initiative, turns TED Talks into animated lessons and quizzes for students.
National Geographic
National Geographic excels at transforming their long-form articles and documentaries into shorter videos for social media, Instagram stories, and even educational materials for schools.
Natgeo’s Instagram is a prime example of how they repurpose their stunning photography and videography into bite-sized, engaging content:
The New York Times
The New York Times frequently repurposes their news articles into podcasts (like “The Daily”), social media posts, and even interactive experiences on their website. They also repackage their investigative reporting into documentaries for platforms like Hulu.
The Times’ daily news podcast often features stories and interviews that were originally published as articles in the newspaper:
General Electric (GE)
GE uses content repurposing to educate and engage its audience. They take complex engineering concepts and turn them into easily digestible infographics, videos, and even virtual reality experiences.
GE News, GE’s online publication, features stories, videos, and infographics that showcase GE’s technology and innovation, often repurposed from internal reports and data:
Khan Academy
This educational non-profit organization repurposes its educational videos into transcripts, practice exercises, and quizzes to create a comprehensive learning experience.
Start Repurposing Your Content Smartly
Content repurposing is a smart, efficient, and cost-effective way for small businesses to maximize their content marketing efforts.
By giving your existing content a new lease on life, you can reach wider audiences, reinforce your brand message, and ultimately drive more traffic and conversions.
So, start digging into your content archives today. If you don’t have the time or resources to repurpose and optimize existing content, trust the pros at 2020 Vision Digital.
Our content marketing experts will assess all your existing content and repurpose it into top-notch, diverse, and fresh content that will help you achieve your business goals.