In the marketing world, content is thought to be King. However, consistently producing at a high standard can be a challenge. One of the ways to solve this problem is to repurpose content. Repurposing content is basically taking content that’s already been shared and either updating it or using it to create other forms for extended use. As an entrepreneur, this is a huge time-saving method that allows you to still build value and sustain engagement with your audience.

 

But is repurposing content really worth it? According to Neil Patel – “ Experimenting with repurposing existing content into infographics and videos can actually help you score more social media shares.” Also, take a page out of the television industry’s playbook – A hit show births a spin-off and voila! – new content is created. If it works for them, it will surely work for you. However, when you’re trying to decide what content to repurpose, look at the ones that are performing the best in terms of traffic or shares as that is what your audience cares the most about.

 

I personally love repurposing content, specifically my blog posts for use on social media. To help you decide what other content options you can utilise, I’ve listed 8 ways below that allow you to repurpose any content and still connect with your following.

 

1. Syndication

If you’re looking to extend the life of your blog posts and reach a wider audience, then syndication is your best bet. In this context, syndication means, posting your content on other networks to take advantage of their readership. There are a few websites that let you submit content, specifically blog articles, once it meets their criteria. Websites like Social Media Today, Entrepreneur and Medium are good platforms to use to get your message or blog post seen by new eyes. In order for syndication to be really effective, it has to link back to your original blog post, similar to my post on Medium shown below.

 

2. Video

If you haven’t been living under a rock or had your head in the sand, then you’ll know the biggest content trend at the moment is video. According to Small Business Trends, global consumer internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic by 2019. That’s a huge percentage! So how can you utilise the content you already have and capitalise on the video trend? Here are some ways for you to consider:

 

• Take key points from a blog post and turn it into an animated slideshow video
• Take key points from a webinar and record a video highlighting those points
• Take your behind the scenes social media posts and turn them into a video series

 

3. Infographics

Did you feature some interesting stats in your latest blog post or ebook? Then an infographic is the best way to showcase those stats and prolong the life of your content. Visually appealing and easy to read it’s a great format to summarise information for those audience members who didn’t get a chance to view your previous content. Below is an example of an infographic I used to promote and extend the life of a blog post on Inbound Marketing.

 

 

4. Podcasts

Not everyone likes to read and some people will likely want to consume content just by listening. It’s possible that parts of your audience may be like this as well. If this is what you discover through your research, a good way to grab their attention and even expand your reach is through a podcast. You can use this avenue to further expand on content you have created in the past.

 

5. eBooks

How many of you have purchased or downloaded an ebook within the last year? I know I have. If this sounds like you, that should be enough to convince you how viable ebooks are as a content source. Expanding a blog post or creating an ebook from your most popular social media topics is a great way to repurpose content. One thing to note, take the time to make sure that the ebook packs more value and information that your previous content. Do that, and this can be your most worthwhile venture, especially if used as a revenue source.

 

6. Courses

I love taking courses but more importantly, I love learning. You, in turn, can delight your audience who loves to learn by creating a course. Centre your course content around your high performing blog topics or social media posts and provide an extra boost of value while extending the life of the subject matter. As a bonus, online courses have been shown to be a viable revenue option for those looking for additional income streams.

 

7. Social Media Posts

All of the content posted above can be shared on social media and social media posts, in turn, can also be re-engineered into any of the content above. I ’ve actually done that in the past. Created a high performing social media posts and realised they would make a great blog topic. One of my blog posts – 15 Tips to Skyrocket Your Social Media Strategy was re-engineered entirely from social media tips posted on my Instagram page.

 

8. Email Series

As noted above, any of the content options listed can be taken on its own and created into an email series. You can take podcasts, share how-to methods, best practices for creating them and include the various tools used and best platforms to post.

 

I hope the list above gave you new inspiration when it comes to repurposing your content.  Although this list is not exhaustive, it does, however, highlight the core repurposing avenues that work. Now that you are aware, which one are you going to choose to maximise your exposure?

 

With love from Barbados,

 

If you liked this post, don’t forget to share!

---