We’re on a content roll, so let’s keep going.
We’ve talked recently about content audits and the value of identifying and purging outdated, redundant, and irrelevant content. We’ve also discussed 5 key elements to an effective content strategy.
Now the rubber hits the road.
You need a steady stream of fresh content to feed demand. Demand from different audiences in different stages of your sales funnels. Demand from the different networks where your organization has a presence. Demand from all the eyeballs yet to land in your orbit.
You need help.
Here’s a secret: You don’t need as much original content as you think you need.
Find your big idea and repurpose it like crazy.
One mistake almost all of us make is assuming that once we’ve said something we’re done. We’ve burned the big idea. We need to find a new one. I get it. When we seem to repeat ourselves, we think everyone else is shrugging their shoulders in boredom. The problem with this approach is that your audience is distributed across multiple platforms. Even my most ardent Independent Thinking readers (and I love you!) don’t necessarily read every blog post.
The other mistake we make is thinking our audience is constant. It’s not. People come and go, and the ones who are just discovering your organization need to see your best content and hear your big ideas.
Rather than forget it, hammer home the good ideas. Find your best content and refresh it for a new audience. Repackage and re-post your content like crazy. Don’t assume that because I like you I’m just waiting to see what you have to say.
You can call this the cornerstones and cobblestones approach.
11 ways to repurpose your content.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about repurposing content. Instead of writing one blog post and moving on, think instead about recasting or augmenting that information:
- blog post
- blog post series
- FAQ
- fact sheet
- speech
- podcast
- slide presentation
- video presentation
- video conversation
- Twitter moment
- visual recording
For example, I repurposed this blog post into a slide presentation. I turned these articles on turning 20 and weathering the economic downturn into blog posts and a podcast. I pulled the information into speeches too.
Are you resurfacing your big ideas? How can you repurpose your content across mediums and platforms? What’s worked for you?
Feature photo by jvc (Flickr).
