Feeling like you’re in content creation overload? Stop struggling and start thinking strategically. Here’s how repurposing old blog posts can simplify your life.
Ever feel like you’re in a content creation hamster wheel?
Many companies face content creation overload. Writers (and managing editors) feel like they’re in a never-ending loop of “what do we write about now?” It’s not enough to write an occasional blog post. Today, content development teams must brainstorm tweets, create smart social updates and maintain an active blog presence. Plus, they have to handle their other writing duties.
If you’re feeling the time-crunch, you’re not alone. According to the 2014 B2B Content Marketing: Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends study from MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, “Aside from lack of time, B2B marketers consistently cite producing enough content and producing the kind of content that engages as their top challenges.”
The key to successful ongoing content creation is working smarter, not harder. Leveraging content you’ve already written is the key to success (and can help you keep your sanity!). With a little tweaking, old blog posts can be dusted off and turned into a variety of new content assets.
Here’s how to make it happen:
Revise old blog posts. Every site has “good, but could be better” blog posts. Maybe the post is dated and requires some freshening up. Maybe you can add additional information and enhance the readers’ experience. Or maybe, some additional TLC could turn a good blog post into a great one. Simply make any necessary revisions (including a note stating why you revised the post) and repost the article. This is also a great way to ensure all of your old posts are relevant and up-to-date.
Create an ebook. Want to write an ebook but you’re short on time? Find five to 10 posts that are grouped around a common theme and use them as your ebook foundation. You’ll have to write an introduction, a conclusion and make sure the content flows – so there is some writing involved. However, utilizing this technique will take you far less time than writing an ebook from scratch.
Comb through your site for “tweetable” blurbs. Review your pages and look for the “wow statement” – a succinct, powerful sentence that grabs your readers’ attention. You can post these “wow statements” as LinkedIn updates, tweets, Google+, and Facebook posts. Don’t forget to link back to the original post. This way, people can read the post and (hopefully) sign up for your newsletter. Because you do have a newsletter. Right?
Create content roundups from old blog posts. Content roundups are a great way to write a new blog post, fast. All you need to do is choose a theme and link to five to ten related blog posts. For instance, “Five Consumer Psychology Posts Every Writer Should Read” or “7 Ways to Shorten Your Sales Cycle.” It’s best to include an introduction and a short, catchy post summary (3-5 sentences) after every article link. Writing short “why you should read this now” summaries fleshes out your post and gives your readers more information.
Develop an educational autoresponder series. Many prospects require additional education before they can make an informed buying decision. Instead of bombarding them with all of your information at once, pull content from existing posts and develop a short email series. The series could be a quick read, highly educational, and include a tip or action step. Plus, since prospects would opt-in to your email series, you’ll reach a highly targeted (and motivated) reader.
Isn’t it time to break free of the content creation hamster wheel? Your older posts will see fresh, new traffic. You’ll create new, value-added content assets. And your writing life will be simplified.
Why not give it a try?
