So, you’re ready to start using content marketing to help supplement your lead generation efforts – excellent decision! However, you’re not really sure where to start or even what content to market. Like most businesses, you probably have a wealth of information that you share with your customers, maybe even your leads, however, it doesn’t really get out in the public eye – to your potential customers – those you haven’t already welcomed into your sales funnel. Well, you’ll be happy to know that content marketing doesn’t rely on new content for every marketing method you have. It does rely on repurposing your content.

HOW YOU SHOULD START & WHAT YOU SHOULD START WITH

There are multiple ways to start repurposing your content – just as there are multiple kinds of content to share. The most important thing to do is to start with a piece of content that provides value. You should determine its “value” by not looking at it from your point of view, but, rather, by that of your customers and potential customers – what do they really want to know? What do they really want from you? If you’re already providing “value” to your customers and you feel like you’re giving too much away, don’t. Typically, people will see the value you’re providing and will see it as proof of your expertise in the field and will be more likely to work with you. So, make sure your content has lots of value for your customers.

As for what kind of content to share, or how to share your first bit of content, if you’re not already using content marketing, choose a medium that makes sense for the folks that you want to consume your content, or your target audience. Whether it’s a blog post, e-book, white paper, newsletter (both traditional and email), podcast, course, etc. – find a medium that will help you reach that target audience.

You’ll want to make sure that, if your initial content is written, like a blog post, that it’s written in an engaging manner. As a general rule, I use this blog as the place to start my content. Blogs are great because they lend themselves to repurposing (even reposting, retweeting, etc.) Some people use a traditional printed newsletter and create multiple blog posts from the articles within it. The important thing is that the content is written well and is engaging for your audience. Once it’s ready, publish it to your network(s) and let it be consumed.

REPURPOSING YOUR CONTENT

As I said, there are multiple ways to repurpose your content. Depending on what you start with, you may move on the next logical type of content – for example, if you’re writing a blog post about how to setup a social media account or accounts, you might consider your next piece of content being an e-book or white paper that includes that information AND maybe a little freebie just for those who download the e-book. They key here is to collect emails and contact information as leads before they download the e-book or white paper. Now, don’t be concerned that the same people who read your blog will download the e-book – in fact, that’s probably what you’d like to have happen. This demonstrates that they are looking for solutions and find value with what you’re providing. Ideally, you should probably setup a landing page also, for your download, to optimize for conversions.

There’s really no limit on how many times you can repurpose a piece of content, however, keep in mind while you are repurposing your content, it should still provide some value to your audience. Some content is “evergreen”, meaning, it has no expiration on how long the information is valid for. Some of your content could be time-sensitive and should prompt the user to take action in the designated timeframe. You should have a good mix of both evergreen and time-sensitive content to ensure that if someone stumbles across an indexed piece of content in a search engine result, that it, or, content related to it is still valid. Make sure they have a reason to visit your website and consume your content.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO REPURPOSE YOUR CONTENT

Blogging
Blogging is perhaps the most popular and easiest method of posting, sharing and repurposing content. Most blogging platforms are free – some are even integrated with your own website. Sharing content here helps engage people with your website and social media networks. Content to repurpose here: Printed newsletters, online or offline courses, podcasts, white papers, e-books, and videos.

E-Book or Whitepaper
E-books and white papers (digital downloads) are a perfect way of repurposing content for the purpose of acquiring leads. Using a landing page, and requiring an email address to access the download, you can repurpose all kinds of content and build your leads and contact lists at the same time. Content to repurpose here: Printed newsletters, blog posts, online or offline courses, podcasts, courses, and videos.

Podcast or Videocast
While podcasting and videocasting require extra equipment and expenses to maintain, they are an effective method of both generating and repurposing your content online. Consider the following statistic: More video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major US television networks have created in 30 years. Content to repurpose here: Printed newsletters, blog posts, online courses, white papers, e-books, and anything written.

E-Newsletters (or Traditional Newsletters)
Newsletters, whether emailed or printed, serve as a repository for content that has been repurposed – articles, pictures, news, etc. Dont’ forget the power of a printed piece in the hands of someone who may not be online to receive your digital marketing. Content to repurpose here: Blog posts, online or offline courses, podcast content, white papers and e-books.

Essentially anything can be repurposed IF if makes sense in another medium and can get more traffic or attention. Always consider how valuable or not the repurposed content is because it just may not be sensible to do so. Have a good mix of time-sensitive and evergreen content that people can visit again and again without becoming stale. Utilize all the methods you can to help repurpose your content – publishing in a different form can lead to new opportunities and help you discover new topics and things to create content about.

Do you already repurpose your content? How do you do it? Did I miss any content repurposing methods? Let me know!