How many brilliant ideas do you have a day? A month? A year? Having unique, original ideas ain’t easy no matter what field you’re in. That’s why making the most of every new idea is a key element of a successful content marketing program.
A smart content repurposing plan will account for different individual preferences for content consumption and the different ways you plan to distribute the content.
Content Consumption Preferences
There’s no question that different people learn in different ways. Some are readers, some prefer video or visual imagery, and sometimes it varies by the subject matter of the content. Personally, the more complicated the topic, the more I want someone to explain it to me. For more basic ideas, I’m happy to read at my own pace. The fact is, there is no single way to serve up an idea. The key is to take that idea and format it into the widest variety of media your target is likely to be interested in.
Format preferences are important and now, increasingly, device preferences need to be accounted for. According to the May, 2015 comScore report Smartphones and tablets now account for 60% of all online traffic vs. 50% just one year ago. That includes application use: Organic traffic originating from mobile devices is currently at 33%, so content creation and formatting needs to take into account that a third of users will be accessing it on a small screen and may be less inclined to digest longer formats like whitepapers or especially long blogs.
Distribution Venues
Where you expect people to access your content will also impact the formats you choose. The initial idea might come to life in one format then be repurposed into a multitude of formats for different uses.
For example, I recently worked with a client to create a presentation for a speaking opportunity at a major industry conference. A few weeks after the conference, we leveraged our sponsorship of a key trade association to use the same content for a webinar. The webinar slides have been posted onto Slideshare where they are actively generating leads each month. Then we turned the presentation into a whitepaper which is posted both on my client’s website and several others and requires interested parties to provide basic profile info to download. To market the whitepaper, we created a series of blog posts that have been delivered via email, social media, in the company newsletter and as guest posts on a trade association site. One big idea – many formats and distribution opportunities.
So don’t rack your brain trying to think up hundreds of big ideas – only the largest companies can do that well. Instead, develop a handful of winning ideas to the fullest making sure you cover both the formats and distribution methods that your audience would most appreciate. Consider the following when developing an idea:
- Blog content (individual post or series) on your website
- Guest blog on third party website(s)
- Whitepaper/eBook/How to Guides in downloadable formats
- Slide presentations / posts on Slideshare
- Infographic
- Video
- Webinar
- Live Speaking opportunities
Frequency is key. The more times someone sees your idea, the more likely they are to remember it and associate it with your brand. Media planners would tell you that unless someone sees an ad 3-5 times, they won’t retain it. Similar principles are in play for thought leadership content. So think hard about how you title your content so that people will remember it from one format to the next and incorporate iconic graphics and imagery wherever possible.
How to Use this Information
When developing your content repurposing plan / strategy, don’t just focus on topics. Yes, you do need a big idea or two, but equally important is getting the most out of each idea before moving on to the next one. You want to make sure each idea sticks by delivering it in all the formats your audience is interested in seeing plus making sure you are distributing the content in the places your target audience is most likely to find it. Webolutions helps clients meet their marketing objectives every day by creating and distributing high-impact content. If you feel like you’re falling behind on the content marketing “gerbil wheel” we can help you create and execute a strategy that works. Call us today at 303-300-2640 or request a meeting online.