The content your brand creates is kind of like a Gremlin. From a single specimen, you can create many. But unlike those pint-sized pals, it takes more than food after midnight and a little bit of water to make the magic happen. Also, your content probably won’t take over your town and ruin the holidays.
It can be hard to keep generating content while you’re focusing on pushing your business forward. But to stay top of mind for your audience, you need to get creative to hold your spot in a dynamic marketplace. Stalling your content marketing for brighter times will ruin your competitive standing — like sunlight melting Gremlins.
So, how do you make a content cavalcade from one piece of material? Like our ferocious friends, you need to think small (ok, this is where the Gremlins metaphors will stop). Here’s our team’s best tips for upcycling your old assets into fresh content.
Turn Long-form Pieces into Cozy Content
White papers, eBooks, case studies, year-end reports — you’ve got enough long-form content to make the Library of Alexandria jealous. That’s all well and good, but you can’t just repost old assets, right?
In a way, you can.
Tons of assets from your long-form catalog can be reimagined and repurposed to help you not only continue producing content for your audience, but keep you relevant and current in your field. To turn the old into new, there are a few simple steps to take:
- Go through your long-form content from the last few years and see what pieces are evergreen or have become relevant again. 2016 might not feel too long ago, but it’s been a minute since Rihanna’s Work was topping the charts (which, in our opinion, should still be there). So, stick to the last five or so years and see what content still rings true today.
Take another look at some of your early COVID economy materials. They might be newly pertinent as we assess what this coming year has in store. There’s no shame in using that stuff — we even did it.
- Once you’ve selected the pieces you want to work with, go through each and see how it can be broken up. Do you have a white paper that’s written in nice chapters? Segment each section into its own blog! Maybe you’ve got a case study that touts your bonafides. That could make a pretty snazzy infographic to share with prospects. Did someone on your team do an in-depth analysis on how your services work? Sounds like a great opportunity for a how-to piece. Got an asset with lots of great stats? Highlight each in its own graphic and post them as an Instagram gallery — 33% of consumers said photo- or image-based posts with information in captions are their favorite type of influencer content.
- Now, all you need to do is share all this cool content with your audience. From posting on your company’s social channels, to emailing to your contact list, to having your C-suite share on their LinkedIn profiles to establish thought leadership, there are myriad ways to show your audience and competition you’re thriving. But before you post, come up with a content calendar, so items can be shared at appropriate intervals. While you want to remain top of mind (and at top of the Timeline), no one loves it when you inundate their social feeds and inboxes.
As you embark on this writing spree, be sure to update content to reflect our current world, add visuals to capture your audience’s attention and proof the heck out of it. (Shameless plug for our very meta blog about writing blogs, if you need a little help.)
Branded Content: The Motion Picture
At Matter, we approach video content with gusto. (If you clicked that link, feel free to pause here to laugh out loud). Through our video team’s expertise, we’ve learned a lot of clever, budget-friendly ways to repurpose your video content — and even create new content on the fly.
Tiny TedTalks
Has your C-suite done any on-camera interviews lately? Maybe they’ve spoken at a conference or given a talk to your team. Those kinds of inspiring speeches made President Thomas Whitmore a star when he fought off an alien invasion, and they can help your leadership stand as titans of your industry. All you need is a little editing.
Take your favorite bits from these speeches and conversations and cut them up into :30 – 1:00 spots to share on your social channels. These clips are also great fodder for static images — simply pull the best quotes and turn them into graphic assets that highlight the shiniest nuggets of wisdom your company has to offer.
Company Closeups
Some of the coolest video assets you can produce are brand anthems. While your audience can’t get enough of these videos, people’s attention is short on social media. To stop their scrolling, cut and splice your brand anthem into :30 – 1:00 spots to share on social. It’s a quick, easy way to stay top of mind with your audience and continue to share how awesome your offerings are.
These short, fun videos do great on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Just be cognizant of the aspect ratio — you want to make sure it looks good and the frame doesn’t cut off any important visuals!
Gif, Gif – Tomato, Tomato
However you say it (sorry, the correct pronunciation is Gif), these splashy visuals are a great way to grab your audience’s attention. Whether you’re highlighting a leadership quote or turning a brand anthem animation into a trippy loop, gifs help your social posts pop out in a busy feed, add some pizzazz to your emails and newsletters, and can inject a dash of dazzle to your blogs. Plus, they can be fun for your team to share in their (completely work-related) Slack chats.
There are many apps and websites that can help you cut these together. Or, you can give your gif that professional touch by working with our designers and animators.
Every Minute, a Star is Born
Within each of us is the next Bigelow, Kubrick, Spielberg. Alright, maybe we’re being hyperbolic, but every one of us has the ability to create compelling content — and it’s right in our pocket. With our handy-dandy smartphones, we can churn out Hollywood-quality content without the Hollywood-level budget. (Perhaps film-school quality is a more reasonable expectation.)
Now, what do you want to make?
- How-to videos are a great way to capture your audience’s attention and spread the word about your products or services. According to our 2023 Influencer Survey, 42% of consumers said how-to videos – like recipes, tutorials or step-by-step instructions – are their favorite type of influencer content. Apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels make editing these pieces super easy (you can even add music and effects).
- You can also host your own TedTalks, podcasts, interviews or other conversation-based content. It’s a great way to put names to faces, add personality to your brand and showcase the thought leaders at your company. All you need to do is film it, edit it and post it.
- Another budget-minded way to generate new content is asking your customers to share their experience. User-generated content (UGC) adds that real-world patina you just can’t get from brand-made videos. Have your users film their experience with your products and services, and share it back with you, so you can share it with the world. Just be sure to get their permission first (and consider offering an incentive)!
Sometimes it’s better to have your name listed as “executive producer” than “director.” If that’s how you’re feeling, we know some folks who are always ready to get behind the camera.
Daddy’s Got a Brand-new Channel
Turning your existing content into new assets is pretty thrilling stuff. But we’re not done spicing up your brand yet. You’ve got a handle on the channels you’re used to using — but have you thought about sharing content across new venues? It’s time to leave the comfort of your known networking nest, spread your marketing wings and fly to new communications channels!
First destination: social media. Your company may be posting on your Facebook and LinkedIn pages, but what about Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube? According to Sprout Social, 66% of consumers find short-form video to be the most engaging type of social media content. Additionally, YouTube was consumers’ number one choice (36%) when asked what platform they find the most authentic/beneficial content from influencers. These platforms give your brand an awesome opportunity to increase awareness and engagement by sharing fun facts, tutorials and explainers using short-form videos.
Another big hitter we’ve talked about a bit is using LinkedIn for C-suite thought leadership. Whether they’re sharing what’s new at your company or framing current events through the lens of past lessons your company has learned, LinkedIn is an excellent place for your company execs to show the world their mettle.
But let’s not forget the little people. You know, the rest of us who keep these brand rigs rolling! An organization’s best asset is its people — they’re the most effective way of showing customers, competition and potential hires what your company is all about. So, encourage them to share the content you’re creating on their social channels, too. You can even share boilerplate copy for them to use. Just be sure to encourage them to put their own spin on it, so everyone’s post doesn’t sound the same. You don’t want people thinking your staff works in a Borg Cube.
Lastly – and this one may feel a little old school – newsletters are a tried-and-true tactic that helps you stay top of mind with your audience. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads, and 81% say their most-used form of content marketing is email newsletters. So yeah, they’re pretty effective. Whether you’re sharing them quarterly or monthly, consistency is key. So, be sure to keep turning out content to keep your audience captivated.
There are absolutely tons of ways you can continue pushing out new content without actually having to make a ton of new content. Depending on your goals, some of these tactics might work better than others. If you need that strategic touch (or, heck, a little design and writing finesse), you’ve got MatterMKTG. We have more experts than you can shake Mogwai at, and we’ve led our clients through economically turbulent times before. Drop us a line, and we can keep you at the top of your audience’s mind without burrowing to the bottom of your wallet.
