9 ways to repurpose your killer content for social media

It has been said that in today's world, content is king. Recently, I have heard the more specific, optimized content is king. Either way, producing engaging content is the lifeblood of the social media universe. However, because consumers have so many contact points with brands today—from Web sites to Facebook pages and Twitter accounts—placing your killer content in just one medium narrows the amount of people who will view it. 

The fact is that people interact with brands in different ways, at different times, and through different media. The trick is to expose your content to as many people as possible within the total universe of the target demographic. And one way to do this is through repurposing your content.

Repurposing should not be confused with cutting and pasting the same exact thing in 10 different places (although that might work also). For The Duffy Agency, repurposing content means that we take the core idea of the content and express it appropriately through different media. Here are some examples.

White paper content

Whitepapers have a proven track record as influencers when it comes to making buying decisions. In fact, a study from September 2009 showed that 77% of respondents said they had read at least one white paper in the previous six months and 84% of respondents said white papers were at least moderately influential on purchasing decisions. Here are some ways to extend the influence of your next white paper.

1. Serialize it

 Did you know that the Dickens' novel Great Expectations was first published as a serial in a newspaper over a nine-month span? Take a cue from Dickens and serialize your white paper before publishing it. Segment the content into smaller pieces and rewrite them into blog posts.

2. Present it

White papers make the perfect fodder for a presentation. Take your white paper content and repurpose it into a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. You should also publish it on SlideShare.

3. Read it

Depending on the length of the white paper, you can also turn it into a podcast or vodcast (video podcast). Simply read, or video tape someone reading the white paper (or certain sections). Of course, we'd recommend using the whitepaper more as an outline. Reading directly from a white paper may sound a little dry. Instead, use the white paper as an outline and add to and augment the content for the podcast or vodcast.

Blog content

Blogs were the original social media, user-generated content. But how can you repurpose your blog posts to help extend the content?

4. Publish an e-book

You've probably found that many of your blog posts center on a certain subject matter. Take those blog posts and bind them with each subject area as a chapter. Also, you could create an e-book on just one subject matter. Either way, you could offer this content as a free download on your site.

5. Printed marketing collateral

Blog posts when printed individually can become a very influential piece of marketing collateral. Have your designer see what they can do with your next blog article. It's perfect for sending to clients, giving away at tradeshows and the like.

6. Start a discussion

Take the central theme of your blog post and create a LinkedIn discussion group around it. We recommend mentioning the article and linking to it as a discussion point, but do not cut and paste the article into the discussion.

Presentation content

We've already talked about turning a white paper into a presentation. But what can you do with a presentation to help extend the life of the content?

7. Record the presentation

You can use the audio recording for a podcast. The video you can upload to your YouTube or Vimeo accounts.

8. Create Web site content

Video goes a long way in making your Web site sticky. Take the video of your presentation. Edit it and use certain smaller segments to augment your existing Web site content. Smaller clips also make great landing pages for QR codes.

9. Turn it into a blog post

What can't be turned into a blog post? Seriously though, if you created a presentation, many of the subjects covered probably will make a good blog post. And then of course, turn those blog posts and presentation into a white paper, and let the cycle get started again.

These are just a few ideas of helping extend the life of your content. What are some things you've tried? What are ways you know of that help extend the life of content?

Kevin Duffy is the Creative Director for The Duffy Agency's Boston office.

Comments

[plumbing]

This is a great idea. It is important to have some ways on how we can repurpose killer content for social media. Media today is getting bigger and bigger and so we have to be alert and ready.

[Samuel]

Killer content delivers life-long repeat buyer. Build a relationship/partnership and break down wall between company and customer. Content is the way to do that. Become a valued resource for them.

[contnet]

Great Killer content means life-long repeat buyer. Content is the way to provide value. Become a resource for them, and they will bookmark and return.