So you’re stuck.

Truthfully, we’ve all been there. You’re supposed to be racking up content for the brand or agency that you represent, and the ideas just aren’t flowing. No worries, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. The expectations of consumers are getting higher and higher, and it’s your job to create engaging content that keeps them interested and informed.

So, what do you do when you’ve run out of ideas? Everything that comes to mind has already been done before.

Wait – maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Granted, not everything you’ve ever written should see the light again. On top of that, you can’t just repost your old content and hope for the best. It’s important to choose relevant, expandable posts that can be recycled into something engaging and entertaining. Why repurpose your blog content?

• Your most delicate resource is time, and repurposing saves it!
• It increases your traffic by bringing popular posts back to life
• You could reach a new audience that may not have seen your old posts
• Helps with SEO by encouraging the idea that you’re an expert on a topic
• You’ll also receive internal links that will help improve your SEO

Do inventory. Scroll back through your blog posts and determine what is worthy of a revival. Your first thought should be: does my audience care? Then, you should wonder if you’ll actually be able to dive deeper into this “used” subject. Do you have more to say? Was your post popular in the first place?

With these restrictions, you’ll probably have a few posts that stand out above the rest. Now, you can decide on the best format for bringing this piece back to life.

 

PODCASTS

The ultimate art of learning something while doing something else. If your archives contain any pieces that incite conversation or debate, podcasts are a great platform to let them live again. Don’t get us wrong. Podcasts aren’t something you can just throw together. Your team will have to commit to making a quality, conversation-worthy piece.

You’ll need scriptwriting skills, production capabilities, and the dedication to promote the heck out of it. Your consumers can sense empty content, so make sure yours is valuable and relevant.

 

 

TEACH A COURSE

So you didn’t major in education for a reason, but revitalizing your blog posts to create lessons are a great way to engage with industry thought leaders and consumers. Provide the course for free, and use it as a sales lead magnet to grow your email newsletter or subscriber list.

Pack this course with a healthy amount of valuable information. You’re already educating your readers with social posts, videos, blogs, and more! Formalize it by converting your posts into modules available for consumption.

Give your content a little bit of love by refreshing anything that needs a touch-up. Utilize those graphic design skills to make sure your course is visually engaging, and add quizzes or rewards to spice things up. As a warning, don’t write this content like a salesperson. Only link your products if they’re actually relevant to the content.

 

NEW BLOGS

In all honesty, some of your blogs are probably great. Just a little bit of TLC can turn them into new posts when you’re plagued by writer’s block. It might seem like an easy, get out of jail free card, but there are some different approaches to reposting your old writing.

Expand

Did you write about topics that could use a little more depth? Believe it or not, there was a time when all the information you had was too MUCH to include. Break your complicated content down for the beginners, or expand upon a more basic subject for your more experienced audience.

Refresh

Repurpose your blog content with new (and optimized!) information. Audit your content and see what you can make new again. Think about it like a fresh paint job.

• Add new (optimized!) images
• Replace out of date statistics
• Make sure you’re linking to relevant information
• Touch up old graphics
• Reformat it to enhance the user experience
• Improve readability
• Add new information
• Give it a new headline

Your blog or website may have subscribers that weren’t around when you created the original masterpiece, and if you’ve grown significantly since your start, that’s a lot of people who are missing out.

Get Commentary

Do you know any industry experts who could provide a point of view on the topic you’re discussing? Ask local businesses or people in related fields for a new perspective on this old topic. Hint: Check your comments section. Previously asked questions could be a great start for reviving your post.

 

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Maybe your company already sends newsletters. Pull some of your more concise content into the letter, or summarize industry-relevant material. You can include snippets from your website or social media, or include teasers on some of your newer content.

Email marketing is NOT dead. 80% of retail professionals say that email marketing is their #1 way to encourage customer retention. But, make sure you’re including valuable content or your click-through rates will plummet. With email, you have the flexibility to develop content series and get your customers to pay attention to inviting visuals and information. It’s like a sidekick for your blog, and you can use it to drive traffic.

 

 

VIDEO

If you’re surprised, we’re surprised. We’ve already told you that video marketing is on the rise, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. The statistics for producing video content in terms of consumer engagement are shockingly good. Consumers don’t just want video – they expect it. The auditory and visual combo elicits emotion and improves recall for your viewers. Needless to say, if they see your video, they see your brand.

So, how can you make a video out of old content?

Tutorials

Just as social media influencers achieve success with makeup tutorials, your business can achieve success in a similar way. Think “How To” videos that will allow you to educate your consumers on an industry-related topic. Use screen-record to demonstrate skills, make motion graphics with Adobe Character Animator for explainer videos, or actual people for a more personal tutorial.

Interviews

Talk to local people about recent trends or industry experts on what consumers can expect from companies like yours in the future. Whether it’s a selfie video or a more professional interview, your viewers can exert less effort to learn than if they’d be reading the same material.

Snippets

Post short videos for your social media content. You can give teasers on upcoming products or posts, and invite people to learn more about your brand. You’ll get them engaged in 20 seconds or less.

If video production isn’t in your wheelhouse, consider hiring a digital marketing agency. Here’s an example:

 

 

THE PART TWO

While this might require a little bit of new content creation, it does give you a great starting point for finding a subject. It’s important to pick one of your more popular posts to include in the series. If your last post had good traffic, the odds are that Part 2 will as well. There’s also an SEO benefit to creating a series like this. If you’re internally linking your Part 2 to your Part 2, etc., then your viewers will continue to search your site.

You don’t have to stop at Part 2 and the content doesn’t have to look exactly the same. Maybe you create a series on how developers can contribute to SEO, and each blog post can take a different perspective on the subject. When you repurpose your blog content like this, you will keep your readers digging through your blog (and Google will notice the time they’re spending with you).

 

SLIDEDECK

Another way to help audiences visualize your blog information. Repurpose your blog content by adding some images, and make sure your information is cohesive. Or, maybe you’ve already created an incredible powerpoint that you can’t wait to share with consumers. After all, you spent hours on those graphs and charts.

With SlideShare, you can embed the powerpoint presentation or deck into one of your web pages so that consumers don’t have to miss it. Not everyone could make it to your presentation, so it’s important that your consumers are hearing what you have to say!

 

VISUALIZATION

Turn your previously written content into fun images that your audience can skim. Make sure they’re baked with good information and create an appealing design that will grab the attention of users. You can repurpose your blog content in long form, or keep it short for sharing on your social media platforms.

How can you visualize your blog content into graphics?

Infographics

This is a little more in-depth way to repurpose your blog content. Pull statistics from a few related pieces and combine them into a one-topic, visually pleasing infographic. For instance, maybe you wrote a series of pieces on Search Engine Optimization, and you can combine a few statistics form various posts to include.

Statistics

Instead of combining your most convincing statistics on one infographic, use different images to create a series of graphics, each with a different stat. You can create a folder of these and post these sporadically on social media. If your audience won’t be engaged by statistics, you can use inspiring quotes instead.

FAQs

Take questions from your consumers or pull from your website’s frequently asked questions page. Just as we stated in our statistics section, you can create an archive of images with a variety of consumer questions. Answer them in your Instagram caption, or put the answer directly on the graphic.

 

 

CASE STUDY

You can produce a case study for your consumers or your industry as a whole when you repurpose your blog content. Whether you want the information for internal use or to educate your viewers, it’s a great way to re-tell stories. Case studies can help you sell or improve your reputation in a certain field. They also require a certain level of commitment.

Use powerful statistics and tell the story that your consumer wants to hear. Case studies can be used again at conferences, distributed in your newsletters, or linked on your website. They’re pretty versatile – so whether you create them in video form or in writing, you can take them wherever your business leads.

 

COMBINE YOUR CONTENT

If a lot of your past posts have a central theme, you can combine them to create an ebook. Daunting, we know. Fortunately, you have all the ingredients for a great starting place. Take 10 or more of your related pieces, add any additional text, and format them to be attention-grabbing. This makes it easy for your readers to find all the information they’re looking for in one place.

Hint: let readers who subscribe to your email list or blog download the ebook for free!

We’ll admit that this tactic requires a little more elbow grease than some of the other suggestions. However, the results could be worth it. Your book could gain traction and invite users to view the rest of your material or even convert them into customers.

 

 

People enjoy experiencing content in a variety of formats. What works well in one might not transfer directly to another. Or, if you repurpose your blog content, it could make your content easier to digest than it was before. It’s not repetition. Instead, you’re introducing content to new consumers in new ways. You’ll both amplify your message and fulfill your content quota!

A lot of these ideas might seem intimidating, or even time-consuming. If you’ve ever thought about hiring a digital marketing agency, now is a better time than ever to look into it. MAKE Digital Group provides content creation services, as well as motion graphics, and video capabilities. To top it off, we’re also your resident SEO experts. So, keep focusing on the core of your business, and we can take care of the rest. Consider us an extension of your marketing team.