Quality content creation takes work and this is nothing new. We know that consumers want longer, richer material which requires a hell of a lot of time and energy. Yes - producing great content is something you should be investing in not only for SEO purposes but also for your users. But do you have to keep reinventing the wheel and churning out new stuff daily? Not necessarily.
Instead of burning yourself out, take a step back and consider repurposing content you already have. Not only will this save resources, but it could also open up possibilities to reach a new audience. We like to think of it as going green - out with the outdated and in with the new and improved.
Why repurposing content works
It’s great for SEO
When you repurpose content into different formats you create new avenues for attracting search traffic - and this stuff gets us excited!
It provides more ways to reach out
We all like to consume content differently - some people prefer blogs, other people prefer podcasts and if you’re like us then you love attention grabbing infographics and statistics. Repurposing your content into a new format gives it a new perspective and it might appeal to new users.
It’s maximum output with less input
You can’t control who actually pays attention to your posts and if you’ve gathered a collection of brilliant blogs chances are - not everyone has seen them all. Repurposing your content gives your hot blog an extra chance to be seen, in a flashy, new format. In an age of fragmented content - repurposing is like content promotion 2.0.
Before you jump on the SEO bandwagon, here are a few things to remember
So how can you transform one piece of awesome content into 5?
How to repurpose content
Let us run you through some pointers on how you can use your existing content to help your SEO strategy without exhausting your creative time.
- Polish your evergreen blogs You’ve probably heard this buzz word being thrown around a lot. Evergreen content is simply content without an expiration date - meaning it’s relevant for months and even years after it’s posted. You’re bound to have some pieces floating around your site that can be posted again on social or sent out via email. Just refresh any outdated information, check the links it should be good to go. Generally, as a rule of thumb, we recommend reposting a blog once a year.
- Update cornerstone content- Cornerstone content is another name for the bulk content that makes up your site, which normally consists of articles. These articles should provide the best and most complete information on a key topic related to your business. Not only should they always be relevant but they should be timeless - so always keep them updated. As you add to the content on your site you will create opportunities for internal linking which is great for climbing up rankings.
- Transform articles into snackable content - This point builds on the idea of reformatting your content. You could do this by taking existing content such as ‘how-to guides’ or quotes from testimonials and picking out snackable bites of content to use elsewhere. You could create quote graphics, infographics or even instructional images and how-to illustrations. Remember to take an omnichannel approach to this and create graphics that can be embedded in blogs and used for social posts.
Threadless does a great job of this, they take photos from their blog posts and use them in quirky Twitter posts to link to their collection.
- Compile your blogs into an ebook
Chances are your blog is full of useful stuff, so why limit it to just a blog post? You could easily compile this information into an ebook. If your SEO conscious like us, then your blog will have a clear structure and format, so you can use the headings, subheadings and body of the text to fill in the pages. When doing this think of how you can add something extra that doesn’t exist within the blog - more stats, graphics and fancy design. Essentially this can be a more condensed version of your blog post but for people who prefer visuals like to click through instead of scroll through a lengthy blog.
Zapier has jumped on this - they create blog-powered ebooks by editing articles and turning them into chapters. They say the key here is planning.
- Consider doing a webinar
Just like there are readers who prefer to click rather than a scroll - there are people who love popping on a webinar in their spare time and you don’t need us to harp on about the impact of video. If you have the recourses you could be reaching a whole new kettle of fish. Your blog can be the basis for your script and you can easily add a personal touch to your webinar by adding personal tips and insights. Not only will this add more authority to your brand, but you’re opening up new avenues to a potential new audience.
Moz has masses of content on their site and occasionally host hour-long webinars providing a ton of useful information for users interested in all elements of inbound marketing strategy.
What NOT to do
Now we’ve given you the down-low on repurposing content, let us run you through the pitfalls that will negatively impact your SEO and inevitably annoy Google.
- Avoid directly copying your content
If you create a blog for your website don’t make it into a Linked In article. According to Google, duplicate content is content that is the same or “appreciably similar” and appears in more than one place on the internet. And although duplicate content is not a direct penalty by Google, it does affect how search engines decide which version is more relevant to display in response to a search query - which doesn’t help your visibility online.
- Update your content but don’t change the date.
When you are busy fluffing up your evergreen articles, make sure to keep the same URL and do not change the original date - as this can lead to penalties. Instead, make your readers aware you’ve updated your blog by writing in a note at the bottom of the article. Why do you need to do this? In 2010 Google released Caffeine - an update for freshness. Caffeine is all about finding the freshest content no matter the origin. But we know Google and if you play trickery and mess with publishing dates you will regret it and live to tell the tale.
The round-up
When repurposing your content remember to think smart. If a piece of content hasn’t performed well in the past - don’t bother building on it. To add to this, if there are any negative comments on your posts, those topics are probably not the best. Lead by example and take your most successful pieces and get creative.
When repurposing your content remember to think smart. If a piece of content hasn’t performed well in the past - don’t bother building on it. To add to this, if there are any negative comments on your posts, those topics are probably not the best. Lead by example and take your most successful pieces and get creative.
Need some more advice? Feel free to contact us and we’ll see how we can help transform your online marketing efforts.
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