In the content marketing world, sometimes you strike gold. You write a blog post that gets a lot more buzz than you’re used to, or an article that gets great feedback in comments and on social media. It could be that you had a great new idea, or explained something in a fresh way, or gave smart advice that others responded to. Whatever it is, this is your moment!
But then, it’s over. The buzz passes, your wise advice or clever idea falls off the radar. Why should you let that solid gold content drift off into obscurity? There are ways you can repurpose and alter your original content, to get it in front of new audiences who might have missed it the first time around. It’s smart marketing from every angle.
Get the Most Bang for Your Buck Blog
If you put quality time, energy and thought into a top-tier blog post or article, you should be milking it for all its worth. Repurposing content doesn’t make you lazy or sneaky, it makes you smart. You’ve found what works for your audience, so now it’s time to make it work for new audiences, too.
First, a word of caution: as we all know, Google loves original content, and penalizes duplicate content. Properly repurposed content should be like new, and avoid entirely the gray area of ‘spinning’ your old content to look fresh. We’re talking here about using your original piece as the seed for something extra. Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Go Further with a Long Form Piece
In all likelihood, the blog post or article you wrote sits within a larger context or topic. If you wrote about using Twitter for new leads, for example, the umbrella topic would be social media marketing. If you wrote about pay per click ads, your larger topic would be online advertising. Use your original piece as a springboard for a longer, more in-depth white paper, eBook, or guide. You could even use your original post as a chapter or section within the longer piece.
This immediately opens up your first idea into a bigger discussion that appeals to more readers, and also gives you the perfect way to draw in niche audiences who are specifically looking for long form research or guides. You can even offer it as a free download (with lead capture, of course).
Related Class: Creating and Curating Content People Love
2. Transform Your Post into an Infographic
There are few things more shareable than a good infographic. Taking the information in your original piece of content and parsing it into an image can help you reach a whole new audience.
An infographic is, by nature of being an image, much easier to post in full on social media sites (Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest in particular show off images best), since you don’t need to worry about blocky text or character limits. Make sure your infographic has your website listed somewhere in the image, so users who like what they see can choose to see more.
Related Class: B2B Social Visual Storytelling on Instagram, Pinterest & Tumblr
3. Expand Reach through Guest Posting
Focus on one or two key points from your original, successful post, and use this as the basis for a new, different guest post that you can share elsewhere. Guest blogging, as I recently discussed here, is a free and effective way to reach a new audience of potential leads, and draw them back to your blog or website (if you’re good!).
Of course, you’ll need to be careful that your new guest blog is entirely fresh and not just a reworded version of the original. Also be sure that your new take fits in with the tone and topic of the blog you’re hoping to guest post on. Think carefully about what specifically from your original piece will resonate with and be relevant to this new readership you’d like to tap into.
Related Class: Content Marketing Best Practices
Truly great, buzz-worthy, valuable content is not an everyday occurrence in the world of content marketing. When you have it, you’d be crazy not to try to stretch it and grow it, so you can wow new readers, social media users, and potential leads with your great piece of content. As long as you’re careful to make smart adjustments and develop your original piece in the right way, there’s no downside to repurposing worthwhile content within your marketing efforts.