You’re busy. You have too much to do. And every week you need to deliver new content. Using an Editorial Calendar can minimize the pain. An Editorial Calendar will define the type of piece, the topic of focus, timing and distribution. Having those plans in place can relieve much of the pain and help you use your time more efficiently. With a topic in mind, rather than spend time brainstorming, you can use it to research your topic and write an outline. From there, write and edit your piece. Still, it does take time and effort to create. So why put all effort into creating one piece?
Why not repurpose?
The benefits of repurposing content include:
- Reaching more people. Extending your distribution channels enables you to reach those who may not have much of a presence on your primary social sites. Also, providing content in a variety of styles allows you to connect with more people (more people who can share your content), as some prefer to read text, while others prefer visuals.
- Boosting your SEO. Having a variety of pieces available, using the same keyword, can help improve the quality of your SEO ranking, as there are more pages to index via search. Google will not count content that has been repurposed as duplicate content.
- Saving time in the creation of additional content from scratch.
- Using pieces distributed in one channel to promote like pieces across another. Your Infographic can promote the extended details available in your blog.
“You don’t have to create content, day in, and day out. You just have to work on getting the content you already have… in the hands of more people.”-- Derek Halpern
Start with your original piece (typically a blog) and rework the content to create a multitude of other pieces. So let’s say your topic is “10 Ways To Change A Light Bulb.” Write your blog, using statistics and quotes to augment your view. Once your blog is complete, look to see how you can repurpose the content. Here are a few examples:
1. Original content piece – 10 Ways To Change A Light Bulb blog. Use the content in your blog to detail the steps, utilizing industry trends and helping to solve your customer problems. Surveys show that people trust information from blogs and are more likely to pay attention to blog content than traditional advertising.*
2. Tweets – Use the character limit within Twitter to your advantage. Get creative and Tweet each step, 1 through 10, of the ways to change a light bulb over the course of a week. Include images, a hashtag, and the URL to your original blog post.
3. Facebook – Post the steps to Facebook and use it as way interact with your community. Ask your community for other ways to change a light bulb.
4. Instagram/Pinterest – Post a photo or illustration collage demonstrating the 10 ways.
5. Infographic – Create an Infographic leveraging the photos or illustrations from Instagram and Pinterest.
6. Slideshare – Create a presentation. Keep it simple. One step per slide, again leveraging the photos or illustrations you already have available.
7. Create an offer - ‘The Official Guide to Changing a Light Bulb’. Use this as a way to reach your customers through email, or attract new customers to your website through social.
8. Webinar/Video – Some individuals prefer to read copy, some are visual learners, and yet there are others who prefer to have you take them through the process step-by-step. Create a webinar or video to show your customers how to change a light bulb.
“Create less, promote more.” – Salma Jafri
Repurposing your content gives you a way to reach an extended audience. It provides them with the information they are looking for to solve their problem, in a way that works best for them. And for you – you save time, energy and a bit of sanity.
*Groove Digital Marketing - http://groovedigitalmarketing.com/benefits-of-starting-a-blog/