When it comes to content across your digital platforms, you should treat it like you would a water bottle and not go for the single-use option.
Why spend so much time creating something that you only post once?
We are not talking about simply reposting the same piece of content but tweak it so that it stays relevant, fresh and engaging – and you can reach a whole new market for you and your business.
Evergreen Content
If you’ve never heard of evergreen content then here’s a crash course; evergreen content is content that can be easily updated to stay fresh forever… It can also work wonders in driving traffic to your website and helping create and maintain a loyal following.
It’s not a case of copy and pasting it over and over again, but adding a subtle tweak or additional information to keep it relevant; it might be a blog you wrote about mental health a few years ago which you could revisit and update given the mental health crisis we’re facing thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects.
Why ‘evergreen’? Well, the evergreen tree is a symbol of ongoing life because it keeps its leaves month in, month out, year after year after year – evergreen content is considered sustainable and lasting.
We know what you’re thinking; ‘all content is evergreen because once it’s online, it’s there forever’; true (just ask anyone who’s been vilified for a tweet they posted 5 years ago) but when we talk about evergreen content, we’re on about content that maintains its relevancy and keeps drawing engagement and traffic way after it was first published.
We love this quote from Salma Jafri and we’re pretty sure you will too, especially if the thought of creating a content planner fills you with dread and you hit a creative brick wall.
In essence, it’s the work smarter not harder philosophy; generate less content but ensure more people see it and engage with it. In many cases, your original piece of content may have only made a splash with one demographic so by changing a format to fit a different platform you will automatically engage with new people time after time… Meeting a new audience where they are!
Not to mention the fact that repetition builds reputation so, by publishing quality content based around one topic, you’ll gain extra authority and exposure which means positioning yourself as an expert in that field.
Need more persuasion?
Buyers need to hear your message 7 times before they’ll take action and close a deal – SEVEN TIMES – repurposing your content helps you speed up the process!
Where to Find Content That Deserves Repurposing
Rather than start creating evergreen content straight away, make a start by going through your back-catalogue of content and you’ll be surprised how much you already have which can be revisited.
Firstly, go through your blogs and see what topics you have covered that are timeless and packed with relevant information that can add value to your customers and followers.
Do the same with any LinkedIn articles you have published and then go back through your posts on Instagram – if you have a look in ‘insights’ you can see which posts got the most engagement.
Check your site analytics to see what posts have performed best in the past month and the past year. When looking at your monthly report, keep an eye out for top content that was published before the start date of your report, like a January post topping the charts of your March content.
Once you have highlighted the content that you think fits the bill, consider if you have more to say on a topic; have your opinions changed, has research backed you up, has there been a development that makes the content seem ahead of it’s time, did you get a comment or feedback that you can incorporate to give the article a fresh twist to spark another conversation?
The World is constantly changing, and changing fast so now is the perfect time to take stock of your past posts and breathe some new air into them.
Everyone Absorbs Information Differently
Think about it, when you go shopping for clothes – how do you shop?
Do you wander round the whole store, touching each item you like the look of or do you stand by the door and cast a glance around before deciding there’s nothing you like. When you go to the supermarket do you go straight for the aisle you need or walk up and down each aisle exploring everything as you go?
Every person takes in the world around them in a different way, and it’s no different online.
Some people respond better to a blog post while others prefer small snippets of information and others get hooked in by video or animation… So just because you prefer Instagram or Snapchat doesn’t mean that your dream clients do. Repurposing your content for other platforms gives you access to more people – more potential customers.
Will I Get Penalised for Duplicate Content?
First of all, repurposing content ISN’T duplicate content… The point of repurposing is to freshen it up, give it a new angle or fresh opinion on an ongoing topic. You can also get help from content marketing tools for repurposing your existing content.
However it is estimated that around 29% of content on the internet is duplicate or repetitive (from blog posts to white papers to social media shares) Neil Patel explores the issues in his blog, ‘3 Myths About Duplicate Content’.
Google (and other search engines) do have the right to penalise your website but ONLY if it contains a huge amount of plagiarised copy that is being used in a ‘manipulative manner’. Repurposing content is about trying to increase the awareness of your brand which means you’re not violating any guidelines.
Top 10 Tips for Repurposing Evergreen Content
If repurposing content sounds like a good way forward for you then you need to start with planning.
Go through your archived content and consider other topics that you can use as starting point. Go through each topic/article and highlight any key takeaways that you can really shout about, facts, findings, quotes etc are all good attention grabbers.
Then once you have your plans in place put them into a content calendar and get making!
Still a little stuck? Well here’s some top tips to help you on your way:
One
Have you got a cool infographic or blog packed with facts; take a look at LinkedIn SlideShare. Take the key information and create a series of engaging slides that show your finding or facts and reach a whole new audience. SlideShare engages around 70 million users every month and many of those accidentally stumble on them through organic search. This tactic will also give you a SEO boost.
Two
Spend some time looking through your Instagram feed. Are there images and posts that really stand out? Have you run a series of top tips or themes posts? Give them their moment to shine and turn them into eye-catching Pinterest boards. Curate the collections to perfection and share them at relevant times of the year – or at various points of the month if they aren’t necessarily time dependent.
Three
If you’ve run a poll or had some cool comments from a post then turn those into visuals. Create a quote post or testimonial from a client that can go on your Instagram feed or feature in a story. You can also tag the person who left the comment to increase the chances of more engagement and ask them to repost (if they’re happy to).
Four
If you’ve been running a series of tips about one subject or have a stack of related articles then you can create an ebook or pdf download and give it away. Providing your clients or followers with free advice, help and support can’t be under-rated. It’s a powerful way to connect with your audience and cement yourself as an expert. People are also more likely to buy from you if you’ve delivered valuable support free of charge in the past.
Five
Throwbacks aren’t just for Thursdays! Revisit past work, before and after images or share your journey from where you started to where you are now – who doesn’t remember the picture of Jeff Bezos in his first office with a pasting table as a desk!
Six
Revisit old blogs when they become relevant again – did you write an article about recruitment in your industry a year ago? Given the COVID-19 situation that’s probably changed now so go back and update with your current thoughts and advice or predictions for how things will be moving forward.
Seven
Talking of blogs – take the headline moments and create posts for your socials around them – The key here for repurposing content and making it into a long read is reposting it in a way that will be fresh, and completely different from your initial post. This is done through visuals, presentation, and choice of words.
Eight
Is there a blog post or a series of guides that you have released that generated a huge response? Consider turning that series of written elements into a podcast – or if you have a podcast then take attention-grabbing takeaways and create posts for your social media platforms… Not just a promotion of the episode but actual information and quotes that are covered. You could even get your guest to write a guest blog for your website!
Nine
If your podcast just runs on an audible platform such as Spotify then why not turn it into a YouTube show as well – get a decent camera and record the interviews via zoom if it’s an interview style. If it’s a solo podcast then it’s even easier as you don’t need to worry about Zoom. Embrace video; edit compelling snippets from your longer videos which you can then share on other platforms such as Instagram or LinkedIn.
Ten
Video is so important when it comes to increasing engagement with your brand – it really can’t be underestimated. Go through your content and see what has worked well in the past and use that as a jumping in point to create short videos for Instagram Stories and Reels and embrace TikTok!
Consider doing a series of Insta Live sessions where people can drop in to ask questions or just watch to get help or inspiration.