By Stephanie Vermillion
I often wonder if Hermione Granger knew how good she had it. I mean, one day she’s dating the top Quidditch player in the world, and the next she has the power to stop time.
Now, Quidditch players aren’t really my type (too much injury risk in flying broomsticks), but stopping time to read, write, and learn more?
I could get used to that.
Sadly, that time turner has yet to find its way to me. So, I’ve moved on to one of the most valuable marketing superpowers of all—how to repurpose content.
Repurpose Content: The Content Marketing Superpower
Say what? That’s a superpower?
For (busy) content marketers, I’d argue yes, because it’s the closest we can come to being Emma Watts—er, I mean, freezing time.
For example, if you’re a blogger, reaching and attracting new audiences is probably on your goals list.
But, at the same time, you already have a community of readers you’re writing for and you write for that loyal group first and foremost.
So how can you reach new readers and continue pleasing your audience?
I’ll say it again: Repurpose content.
(Enter triumphant victory music here.)
If you turn those posts into presentations, visuals or eBooks, you can reach new readers across a variety of platforms.
The following six tactics are my go-to to repurpose content and reach new audiences.
SlideShare Turns Content into Presentations
Are list posts part of your blog strategy? What about step-by-step or how-to guides?
Then it’s time to make presentations out of blog posts.
Develop a branded presentation (add social handles, website URL); give each number, step or section its own abbreviated slide; and upload that presentation to SlideShare.
If you repurpose content, it allows you to embed your new presentation on your blog, your LinkedIn profile, or both.
Here’s a blog post I turned into a SlideShare presentation, recapping tips from @AnnHandley’s book “Everybody Writes.”
Make it Visual with Canva
Similarly, those how-to guides and checklists can easily be turned into visuals and infographics with one of my favorite tools ever: Canva.
To create your visual:
- Pull out those highlights (usually the subhead or bolded part of the list);
- Paste them into a pre-designed or custom template (based on where you plan to share it);
- Add some graphics to illustrate the story; and
- Place your brand’s logo somewhere small (so the visual won’t get stolen).
For example, here’s a simple checklist my agency developed to complement a blog post about B2B content marketing.
Create a Video Legacy through YouTube
If you’re reading Spin Sucks, you already know why video is important for marketing (SEO, engagement, community building, and more,) so I won’t belabor the point.
But YouTube is also the perfect place to repurpose content.
Follow the lead of Convince and Convert with Jay Today, and summarize your most compelling, thought-provoking, or helpful blog posts in a short YouTube clip.
It doesn’t have to be professional. It doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it’s authentic, your audience will enjoy getting to know you in a more personal way.
Tell a Story with Storify
Does your brand host Twitter chats? Or perhaps you had a live Twitter stream during a client event or news conference?
Either way, if there’s a conversation trending on Twitter, there’s a story to be shared on Storify.
Every month the PRSA New Professionals social media chairs host Twitter chats with prominent PR pros. The chats include great conversation, insightful tips, and a lot of takeaways.
Following each chat, the social chairs embed the #NPPRSA tweets into a Storify post, then embed that Storify post onto the PRSA New Professionals main blog.
Recap the conversation to repurpose content and be at its very best. We are able to show participants they were heard, and provide engagement content for new readers.
Repurpose Content the eBook Way
If you have a set of series posts, or you’re following a content hub strategy for blogging, compile similarly themed posts into one comprehensive eBook.
Another PRSA example to repurpose content follows this strategy: With the PRSA New Professionals blog, we have a monthly series of #ThrowbackThursday posts in which established PR pros share lessons from their days as new pros, along with tips for young pros in the industry.
At the end of the year, we’ll combine all 12 #ThrowbackThursday posts into one downloadable “career tips from the pros” eBook for section members.
Take Advantage of LinkedIn Publishing
The LinkedIn Publisher tool is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools to repurpose content and star staple in my blog strategy.
A few days after publishing on my blog, I’ll share the post (with a link back and mention to where it originally appeared) on LinkedIn Publisher for those connections who may not regularly visit my site.
Once published, LinkedIn notifies connections about my new post, which is great for both reaching new readers and staying top-of-mind in case those connections just happen to need PR help now or in the future.
Stretch Your Content Further
While we may not have enough magic to stop time, to repurpose content gives us the power to increase efficiency, expand our reach, and further business goals. Just make sure the altered content aligns with the platform you’re publishing on (e.g., short videos, succinct presentations) to keep those new readers engaged.
And, more importantly, if you do happen to have that coveted time turner, please take note that my birthday is April 28, and my shipping address is 969 Parad…
photo credit: Penton’s Clock via photopin (license)