We’ve all been there. We’ve got a website full of great content but sometimes run into the proverbial brick wall, stuck for something new that will be relevant for our customers/clients. Or perhaps you don’t have time to write or record new content, or maybe hiring someone to do these tasks is becoming more costly than you expected. But before you start worrying that your website content will become stale and you’ll stop attracting visitors, consider a step that many website owners take regularly – repurpose content already on your site!

What is repurposed content?

Also sometimes referred to as “recycled content”, repurposed content is reusing all or some of your existing content. You may reuse an entire blog, for example, or just elements of that blog. However, when repurposing content, website owners often transform that content into a new format. For example, you might take a blog that’s been popular with your audience and turn it into a video or perhaps an infographic. Therefore, it takes on a new life and won’t look the same as it did the first time you used it.

Why should I repurpose content?

Reusing existing content from your website is smart for many reasons, but the main one is that it makes content much easier to scale. In other words, you aren’t creating content from scratch whenever you want to post something new. That amounts to less time spent on content, and less money doled out to a content manager or writer.

In addition, if the content you’ve been posting remains quite popular, you may not have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. If you simply refresh your current content, it appears new and interesting and continues to hold the attention of your current customers while attracting new ones. In essence, you’re giving already good content a new life.

Repurposing content also allows you to reinforce your message in a new and interesting way. The “Rule of Seven”, one of the oldest concepts in marketing, states that buyers need to hear your message about seven times before they take action. So, when you repurpose content with a particular message, you put that message in front of your customers repeatedly. This way, high-value content doesn’t just disappear after one pass. The traffic you attract can read it several times.

Studies show that repurposed content also greatly improves organic visibility and traffic. Since organic searches still provide the majority of site traffic, this could represent a major boost for your company.

Which content should be repurposed?

Of course, you won’t want to repurpose all the content on your website. After all, some of it will have performed better than other content you’ve posted. That means a good place to start is to take a look at your metrics – or ask your website builder/manager to do so – and search for content that has been popular with your readers.

Once you’ve identified that content, look at it carefully to determine if you can turn it into something new. In some cases, the content may need updating (changing data, etc.), while in other instances, you might be able to give it an entirely different spin.

Also, decide which topics you’ve already covered are particularly relevant at this time. It may be, for example, that a trend from 10 years ago is back, so you’ll want to bring information about it to the forefront where your readers will see it.

How can I repurpose my content?

There are several ways to take old content and make it new. Here’s a list of ideas you might consider:

  • Turn blog content into video content. Visual learners will love this.
  • Turn a blog into a podcast. Auditory learners may be more likely to take the time to listen.
  • Take several pieces of related content and turn them into an eBook.
  • Update old blog posts by adding new information that makes them more relevant.
  • Use testimonials from happy customers/clients as social media posts. Things like this are often your best advertisements.
  • Take the data you collect, like social media metrics, collect SEO data, or analysis of traffic performance, and turn it into a case study. For distribution, turn the case study into a blog post.
  • Gather  blog posts and turn them into an informational online course for your customers. This can be distributed to your email list or linked to your website.

 

These are just a handful of ideas. Truly, there are various ways to repurpose content, and our website-building professionals at Watershed9 can help steer you in the right direction. For a no-obligation virtual consultation or to learn more about taking your website to the next level, call us at 604-337-1449.