Repurposing Makes Your Content Work Harder For You

Did you know that you are creating content for your business on a daily basis? Every time you write a memo, post a blog, record a workshop, or put together a PowerPoint presentation, you’re creating useful content. Did you ever wonder what else you could do with it all?
Repurposing gives your existing content new life, and allows you to reach brand new audiences without having to budget more marketing dollars for new material. When you repurpose, you’re taking your intellectual property and re-formatting it. For example, you can take notes from a meeting and turn them into a script for an educational video. Or, excerpts from an eBook could become articles. Even photos from a trade show event could end up in a magazine or newsletter.
Not only does repurposing make economic sense, it also gives you broader reach with your target markets. People have different learning styles, and absorb information differently. In general, there are 4 main ways that your readers learn:
Visual (seeing)
Auditory (hearing)
Tactile (touching)
Kinesthetic (movement)
So, turning a white paper into a slide show presentation helps the visual learner connect with the information more easily, while a trade show display containing content from various sources will appeal to the kinesthetic learner. Those who don’t have the patience for the written word would probably like to see your eBook in a video format.
In order to get the most out of your repurposing efforts, invite feedback from your customers. Add a survey to your email newsletter, or write a blog about the topic and ask for comments and opinions. By including all learning styles, you’ll be sure to reach the most people possible while adding variety to the content that creates your Web presence.
Here are some more ideas for repurposing content:
Create an eBook by putting together several articles
Record a video using blog content as the script
Write white papers based on interviews with others in your industry
Post a series of blogs based on internal memos
Turn your eBook into an audio format by creating a CD and allowing people to download it or play it from their computers
Another way to repurpose content is to take content that has been written for one market and customize it for another. For example, articles written for your technology customers could be adapted for your readers in the medical field. Or, consider having your material translated into other languages and/or localized for a foreign market. Even small businesses are now starting to go global, and repurposing can help these companies break down language barriers to capitalize on new opportunities.
With thoughtful repurposing, you can make your content work harder for you! Consider how you can appeal to more people by re-formatting to suit different learning styles. Reach new markets, both foreign and domestic, by tailoring your content to the needs of specific groups of people. Your content will pay for itself many times over when it’s repurposed in fresh and creative ways.