How to effectively repurpose your existing content and generate 10x more content from efforts you’re already doing.
Whether you’re a marketing professional, business developer, proposal manager, or somewhere in between, you’ve definitely experienced the scramble for new content. And if you’re a one-person team, then you especially know the urgency of making your content last.
This article guides you on working smarter, not harder, to maximize the value of your existing company information. Learn how to transform your current marketing efforts into a continuous source of fresh content that lasts for months. This article pairs real-life scenarios with actionable marketing opportunities to integrate into your workflow, saving time and effort. By adopting this approach, you'll develop a new mindset, recognizing value in everything you do without reinventing the wheel each time.
How Repurposing Content Can Maximize Your Output
Repurposing content does not mean simply copying and pasting a blog post from two years ago and reposting it again. It’s about leveraging existing content to its fullest potential -- a way to get the most mileage out of your efforts. It's not a substitute for creating new content but a strategic approach to extend the lifespan of your existing materials and uncover overlooked opportunities. By strategically repurposing content, you…
Maximize ROI: By revisiting and slightly updating existing content, you capitalize on the effort and time you've already invested. This saves resources and allows your content to remain relevant for a longer period, increasing your return on investment.
Enhance SEO: Search engines reward updated content. By refreshing old blogs or webpages, you improve your search engine rankings, driving more organic traffic to your site.
Reach new audiences: Different channels attract diverse audiences. Repurposing content across various platforms ensures you engage with a wider demographic. Your Instagram followers might not overlap with your newsletter readers, providing fresh exposure to new people.
Change your mindset: Repurposing content challenges your perspective, encouraging you to find new angles within your existing work. This mindset shift leads to innovative approaches, enabling you to extract more value from your efforts with minimal additional work. Your future marketing projects will be so much more enjoyable and effective when you realize the exponential impact it has.
So… how do you start?
1. CREATE AN OUTLINE
This may seem obvious, but don’t underestimate the value of creating an outline. What do you actually need to create content for? Where are you lacking content? Are you focusing too much on one thing? Make an outline of your needs helps you pinpoint the gaps in your marketing strategy and maximize your output.
2. TAKE NOTE OF WHAT’S PERFORMED WELL IN THE PAST.
Review your strongest performing efforts and repurpose them depending on where it’s going and what it’s being used for. Identify the strongest performing social media posts, the highest newsletter open rates, the best feedback given from a presentation, and capitalize on that. Ex: take your highest open rate newsletter and repurpose it into social media post, or take a popular blog post and turn it into a 3-part email marketing campaign.
3. AUDIT WHAT YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME DOING.
Creating new content doesn't require additional time. By making a list of what you spend most of your time at work doing, you can identify sources for harnessing new content from things you’re already doing!
Below are six real-life scenarios that provide realistic content ideas that can be seamlessly integrated into your everyday operations:
Scenario 1: Client/Owner Recommendation Letter or In-Person Meeting Post-Project Completion
Content Opportunities:
- Transform quotes into compelling testimonial graphics for social media.
- Include quotes in a persuasive “why choose us” one-pager.
- Use quotes as fillers for RFQs and presentations (ex: add to your divider tabs!)
- Showcase quotes at internal company team-building events to boost culture +
external validation.
- Display quotes on signage at ribbon cutting or grand opening events for a powerful
first impression.
- Include quotes in project-related press releases for added credibility and expertise.
- (Ensure permission for quotes used in in-person meetings).
- Pro Tip: Create a client “testimonial bank” document for easy access to quotes at a
later date.
Scenario 2: Networking Event, Award Ceremony, Speech, or Similar Occasions
Content Opportunities:
- Jot down impactful "power statements" made by colleagues or leaders.
- Create a team Q&A carousel for engaging social media content.
- Integrate statements into a compelling "why work with us" hiring narrative.
- Feature them on presentation slides for career fairs to showcase company culture.
- Use them as fillers in RFQs and presentations for added credibility.
- Display at internal company team building events to boost culture.
- Include on the company's website team page to reinforce expertise and teamwork.
-Pro Tip: these events will often have a photographer on-site taking photos throughout
the event. Introduce yourself, exchange business cards, and ask for the professional
photos after the event for more social media content and highlight “recent
happenings” in a newsletter.
Scenario 3: Join your PM Colleague on a Project Progress Site Walk
Content Opportunities:
- Carpool with your colleague to the site! Have an informal interview and ask strategic
questions on challenges, outcomes, design solutions, client goals, etc., essential for
award submissions and RFQ requirements.
- Use those responses for the final project description.
- Document photos of the site!
- Incorporate interview responses and site photos into award submissions and RFQ
sheets.
- Combine photos and interview responses for engaging "project progress" social
media series, spotlights, and progress reports.
- Create a “before and after” campaign using progress photos.
- Post a walk-through reel or a narrated site tour featuring your PM colleague.
- If your budget allows, take a time-lapse video of crucial parts of the construction
process, and use that footage on your website or social media.
- Pro Tip: Maintain a uniform angle/crop for site visit photos. Replicate this angle for
the final photography to create impactful "before and after" comparisons.
Scenario 4: Project or Firm Award Submission(s)
Content Opportunities:
- Utilize narratives from award submissions to create detailed project case studies.
Publish them on your website, blog, newsletter, or incorporate them into RFQ X Factor
sections.
- Condense submission content into a captivating social media "project spotlight"
carousel. Direct viewers to your website's project page for more details by including a
"see more" link.
- Use project stats for a compelling infographic.
Scenario 5: Winning a Project or Firm Award
Content Opportunities:
- Write a press release sharing the news, and pitch to regional and/or national
publications.
- Add the award name to all project marketing materials, such as project sheets and
website pages, to showcase your achievement.
- Pair the high-res award icon with project photos, where applicable, to visually
emphasize the accolade.
- Share the news on social media platforms, ensuring compliance with awarding agency
guidelines, to announce your success to the public.
- Create a social media spotlight / Q&A with the awarded project team. This further
highlights the hard work that went into the project, provides more opportunity for
content, and further humanizes your messaging.
- Attend award ceremonies if applicable, following the steps from Scenario 2 to make
the most of the event.
- If the award is firm-related, incorporate the high-resolution award icon into all email
signatures to enhance recognition.
- Share the news internally with your team to boost company culture and provide
external validation for your efforts.
- Pro tip: keep track of all the awards and accolades your firm/projects have received.
These award stats can be used as a multi-purpose differentiator infographic.
Scenario 6: Internal Team Updates (i.e. new hires, promotions, anniversaries; team member joins a board or gets a new certification).
Content Opportunities:
- Create quarterly social media posts commemorating team member anniversaries. Pair
these posts with Q&A carousels to provide deeper insights into the individuals.
- Include these team updates in a special “people” section in your newsletter or on
your website.
- Submit new hires and promotions to local publications such as CityBusiness Ones to
Watch, and BizNew Orleans People on the Move, maximizing your team's visibility
within the community.
- Share these achievements and milestones internally to foster a positive company
culture and boost team morale.
- Pro Tip: tally up the stats and use for career fair and recruitment materials.
Embracing the “reuse and repurpose” mindset not only enhances efficiency but also streamlines your marketing efforts significantly. You’ll approach all of your initiatives with a pre-determined understanding of what holds the most value, saving you immense time to focus on other things really moves the needle.
