Originally published April 17, 2014. Updated April 7, 2020.
You know how you should recycle because it’s good for the environment? Well, the same principle can be applied to repurposing your content.
High-quality content is undoubtedly important — you’ve heard web experts from across the globe say this over and over. However, the time it takes to continuously create that content and come up with new ideas takes resources that some brands just don’t have.
But there’s a simple fix for that: Repurpose your content.
Not only does repurposing content cut writing time in half, but if you repurpose your highest-performing posts, it also gives your customers more of what they’ve already expressed interest in.
So if you’re struggling to come up with new topics, just build on what you’ve already done.
Repurpose Your Best-Performing Content
Now, I’m not saying you should just take every piece of content your company has ever written and rewrite it; instead, check your analytics and start with your best performers.
For example, if you’re a fashion retailer with a company blog and your top-performing post from 2018 talked about how tech is disrupting the fashion industry, spin it with fresh, timely updates.
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Repurpose for Your Next Piece of Gated Content
If you’re looking to create gated content, such as a whitepaper or an e-book, go to your blog’s comment section index and analyze which problems your readers have questions on or enjoy talking about. Compile the questions they’re asking, and come up with a helpful guide your customers can use the next time that problem arises.
Gated content is important because it gives readers information on a larger, more detailed scale, but it isn’t something that always takes weeks or months to complete. Listen to your audience, and let its conversations drive your content strategy.
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Create a Graphic
If you’re still struggling with how you should repurpose your content, why not make an infographic out of an old blog post? Enticing visuals are one of the best ways you can mix things up and get your readers to share your content.
Going back to the fashion example, if you talk about the evolution of denim and how styles have changed over the years (I will always love you, bell-bottom jeans!), take that information and either ask your designer to put together a colorful, attractive infographic or hire a freelancer to do so. That way, you can create a visually appealing, easily consumable timeline of the evolution of denim that readers can interact with and easily share on their social channels.
One tip from Neil Patel is to design your infographics vertically rather than horizontally. Vertical infographics are tweeted 28.9% more and are 41.7% more likely to be embedded on other websites.
If you still aren’t convinced, here’s an infographic about why you should use infographics for your content marketing strategy. (Yep, we went there.)
If it’s designed and executed well, a graphic is one of the easiest ways to update your content and add another element to your blog that gives your readers a reason to keep coming back.
Although it’s important to continue developing fresh, new ideas, adding repurposed content to your strategy can save a lot of time and energy. Figure out what your customers enjoy reading, and create content and graphics from there. Who knows? Your next big idea could be hidden in that post you wrote three years ago.
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