I am so delighted to feature Ann Smarty of MyBlogGuest.com here today because she offers up useful strategies for re-packaging content into other formats to get more exposure for your site.
Get your note-taking apps or pen and paper ready because you’ll want to jot down these ideas.
So without further ado, take it awaaaaaay, Ann! :)
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Are you a blogger and often find yourself running short on ideas?
This happens to all of us, and it is the same block encountered by writer’s of all kinds. In many ways, the problem can be worse for those who make their living writing online.
Having to constantly provide fresh content means burning out is inevitable, but taking a break is often not an option.
There is just too much to do, and taking steps back from a routine can mean even more steps back in the traffic and loyal readership you have gained.
The bigger question is: how do we cater to many social media sites without:
- Re-posting the *same* content again and again from channel to channel (It can be done to a certain extent: The lifetime of a tweet is very short and many of your friends from Google Plus will see it for the first time. But if you keep re-using the same content for social media updates over and over again, you’ll start losing followers!)
- Missing the *visual* social media networks (These include anything from Youtube and Vimeo to Tumblr and Pinterest and even Vibe) if your content is just text.
The answer to both is content re-packaging
Content re-packaging is using your old content and turning it into a new format (for example, using a text article and re-using it into an infographic or a pdf checklist)
Don’t confuse it with content re-writing (which is about simply re-writing the same article using different words.)
Let me give you a quick example:
MyBlogGuest does a monthly Google Hangout with the team and a few users discussing the monthly updates (new features, contests, etc).
A scheduled hangout is a huge commitments in terms of coordinating, inviting participants, running, editing the video, etc.
There’s no reason these efforts can only result in one piece of content. So here’s how we are re-packaging that video content (this article gives more details).
By turning our videos into podcasts and online courses, we can spread them out to more networks, reach new audience and actually build brand awareness.
Advantages
Both evergreen and topical content can be re-packaged if you go about it the right way. The benefits of this strategy are plenty (including catering to a larger range of social media networks, building traffic and awareness.)
Here are a few:
Make use of old content
Don’t you feel bad about your old articles that never seem to get the attention they deserve… or that have been forgotten for a couple of years? Re-packaging is one of the best ways to give your old articles wings again!
Whether it is evergreen or time sensitive, sometimes information just has to be updated. This is a great way to get more traction from an old post, especially since you can use internal linking to direct others back to the original.
It is an effective way to get a fresh perspective, draw traffic and establish yourself as an expert with their fingers on the pulse of an issue.
Bonus tip: I often use re-packaging tactics for sharing my guest posts on my own blog as well.
Instead of just dropping a few sentences and referring my readers outside of my blog to go and read my guest post, I create something of value for them as well:
I collect all the screenshots and put them together in a quick Power Point presentation (Slideshare is the perfect social media network for that and it is quite easy to go hot on Slideshare and score lots of retweets and mentions.)
Build Traffic
Each of these content formats are original and individual pieces that you can promote separately on each social media network. They all drive traffic to your website because it broadens the scope of where and how you can share. Example:
- If I didn’t create a png cheatsheet, my users would have nothing to share on Pinterest (or other infographic promotion channels).
- If I didn’t create a PowerPoint presentation, I wouldn’t have anything to promote on Slideshare.
- If I didn’t turn my PowerPoint presentation into a video, there would be nothing to upload to Youtube (videos can also be shared on Pinterest too).
***Every time I write an article, I am thinking of at least two ways to re-package it into other formats: for example, a pdf cheatsheet and a video.
Each of these individual pieces are placed on trusted domains and they have good chances to get ranked which, again, in turn will drive traffic back to you (both Youtube videos and Slideshare presentation tend to rank very high in Google!).
Bonus tip: With this tactic you can actually target different keywords in Google (which is not always possible when you have only one piece of content). Try this tool to get more keyword ideas!
Establish your presence at more social media networks
Many of us are active at the big three (Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus); some people prefer other networks; but the main thing remains common for all of us:
We can seldom manage more than three platforms.
Content re-packaging may help you break that rule because you’ll have more content and more motivation to market it.
For example, I never put any effort into promoting the content I put on Slideshare because it promotes itself: I have subscribers there, so I am sharing almost exclusively for them. That means I am building up another separate channel and following!
Promote your brand and manage your reputation
Every social media profile you are building is your brand asset. They can rank on Google for your name and give your followers additional background about what you do and how trustworthy you are.
Going back to my Google Hangout example, take a look at the screenshot of search results for [myblogguest]:
Three results ranked on top come from our podcasts and the Udemy course! Those results are our strongest assets because they convince our users that we are serious about what we do!
It’s all a matter of a habit
Here’s a sample content re-packaging strategy that you can develop further. It’s all a matter of making it part of your blogging routine:
More tools and ideas
Create an infographic
Infographics seem to never stop working (especially if you add value and people do actually want to download them to refer to later; that’s why I am such a big proponent of cheatsheets!)
Thanks to sites like Pinterest, infographics are even getting their own little slice of the social web. What makes them so effective is that humans are visual creatures.
We engage better and retain more information when it is provided in a way we can relate to images.
Infographics work by presenting quick facts alongside those visual representations. They keep our attention and are easy to remember. They are also highly shareable, and more likely to go viral than text posts alone.
Tools to create: For an easy to use infographic maker, try Piktochart or Infogr.am.
Make A Presentation
Sticking with the theme of quickfire information, slideshow presentations are another great way to provide it. This is nothing new, as people have been using presentation software long before it became the norm to share them online.
What’s more, these programs are very simple to use, even for those who have no experience making slideshows.
Tools to create: You are probably familiar with PowerPoint, but there are others on the web to try. For example, WOW Slider is a great open-source (and so free) creator. Haiku Deck is another one to try! It comes with some great designs and photos!
Tools to promote: Slideshare is a good host for uploading and sharing your presentation. It’s awesome for building up your subscriber base too!
Record A Podcast
A podcast is a wonderful way to engage with visitors and to introduce a different form of content creation with readers.
Not everyone has time to keep up with blog posts, or even the inclination to do so. But many enjoy having a podcast to listen to as they do things through their day, like commute or workout.
You may find yourself with a whole new audience if you begin releasing podcasts.
Tools to create: There are podcast makers out there, but your better bet is investing in some decent recording equipment.
MakeUseOf did a great post on the best equipment and software for podcasters. At MyBlogGuest part of our podcasting strategy is re-using sound from Google Hangouts.
Digital Book
eBooks are perfect for re-using your old forgotten articles. With tablets on the rise, they are also great for giving your followers something to read at home (when they are offline). They can be great incentives for building an email list too!
Tools to create: There may be lots of paid / advanced pdf creation apps but I am using Google Drive (formally Docs). It’s free, easy and it needs no additional software to install on your computer.
Conclusion
Re-packaging works wonders for building your content empire and brand over the web, but only when it becomes part of your usual blogging routine.
One or two videos won’t change anything, but a strategic plan involving re-packaging tasks on a weekly basis will boost your traffic and brand.
Lisa’s comment: I’m glad Ann mentioned this. Often times we try something once or twice, but in order to see results, you have to be consistent.
Do you have a tip for re-packaging blog content? Let us know in the comments.
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