As marketers, we already have a lot to do and not enough time to get it done. This is true if you’re in-house, and even more so if you are living the agency life. It’s not uncommon to feel struck by writer’s block when you need to come up with so new and interesting content, and that is where content recycling comes into play.
It almost seems counter-intuitive to look for the easy way out when it comes to getting work done, but it’s always best to work smarter, not harder. And if this method allows you to continuously create high-quality content on a regular schedule, then it sounds like a win in our book.
Content recycling, also known as content repurposing, may seem like a way to cheat the system, but fear not. You are not just going to copy/paste the same exact content in another place. You’re reworking your existing, high-quality content and presenting it in a different form on new channels.
Always keep that in mind. Your recycled content should always be slightly different than how it appears in your other channels. If it isn’t, then there are just duplicate pieces of content floating out there.
1. Use Old Images
Social media platforms can accommodate many different content types, many of which can be repurposed from your existing content.
Any company that has a website should be populating it with high-quality visuals. This could be headshots from the management team, or infographics that you’ve made for a blog post. But why not utilize those images as a part of an Instagram post?
Did the president of your company just give a riveting speech and a conference? Add a picture of their headshot with a quote overlayed on top. Did you just post a brand-new blog and want to get more eyes on it? Attract your social media followers with a revised version of an infographic that will fit into Instagram’s size requirements.
2. Post Snippets of Existing Video or Audio Content
This might not be the case for everyone, but a large number of companies have either a YouTube channel or have their own podcast. These long-form pieces of content would not work on their own on most social media platforms, but a snippet will work just fine.
Go through your long-form pieces of content, find some of the most thought-provoking pieces, and post a clip to your social media platforms. This might even convince your social media followers to check out your long-form content if it is entertaining enough.
3. Post User-Generated Content
User-generated content can be anything from reviews that you’ve posted on your product pages to one-off tweets from a satisfied customer. It might seem like these pieces of content are only providing value in their original format, but reviews, no matter where seen, are an important part of the customer journey.
According to a Trustpilot study, nearly nine out of ten (89%) consumers worldwide make the effort to read reviews before buying products. Having your reviews in front of potential buyers before they even start looking for them might be the one-up that you need.
4. Content Recycling from Other Social Media Platforms
This one may seem counter intuitive. Using social media content on another social media platform? It’s not as farfetched as you might think. This could look like taking a screenshot of a Facebook post to share on LinkedIn, a picture of a YouTube thumbnail to promote a new video on your Stories, or a screenshot of a Tweet for your IG page.
5. Create a New Infographic
We mentioned it before, but you can recycle content by creating infographics from your existing content. This is especially helpful if it is a data-driven piece of content. An example might look something like this:
While your audience can read about your findings in your blog posts, visualizations can increase the impact of your words. Your audiences quite literally get a picture of the significance of the information you’re giving them, and images are more likely to be retained.