The Art of Repurposing Old Content for Marketing

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Your website archives are full of them. Just wasting away, untouched and unloved. Let’s face it – your old blog posts aren’t aging as much like a fine cheese as they are an un-refrigerated packet of Kraft Singles.

They’re growing moldier by the day, and not exactly getting people keen to use them on a sandwich.

Terrific cheese metaphors to one side, your blog posts are one of the most valuable commodities you’ve got. They were, at the time, carefully curated slices of wisdom or entertainment that you likely spent quite a bit of time on. It would be silly to just let them lay to waste.

Whether it be an evergreen article that sits hidden in the depths of your blog post cellar, or an outdated post that needs a spit-and-polish, there are a host of things you can do to use the treasure-trove of content on which you already sit.

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The Star Pupils

In most businesses’ blog archives there’ll be a few go-to posts. These are the posts that got a few more hits than the rest, and are still as relevant today as when they were first written. Some industries are easier to write “evergreen” content for than others (if someone could find Nokia’s tech blog of 15 years ago, that’d be great), but, more often than not, there’ll be a few pieces that are as poignant today as ever.

Use them. Repost these superstar articles on social media. Many will balk at so blatantly reheating old content for the fear that people who have already seen them won’t be pleased. But think of it this way: How many followers have you gained since the article was first published? A lot?

Allow these fresh eyes to gaze in wonder at some of your finest work. And honestly, if your old subscribers see something and feel a little déjà vu, they’ll simply keep scrolling.

As Inspiration

Another way to draw from your old content is to not repurpose it per se, but to use it as heavy inspiration for a new blog. This can work particularly well if the framework of an old blog was sturdy, but the facts are all outdated, and would need to be rewritten anyway.

Or perhaps this strategy could just result in variations of a theme. You may have previously written a stunning post entitled “Why Social Media Marketing is Vital for Actors.” If that post went well, why not try “Why Social Media Marketing is Vital for Floor Gymnasts?” Because it’s too specific? Terrific point.

The Godfather was great, but The Godfather II was even better. If we conveniently forget all about Deuce Bigalow II: European Gigolo, sequels can be a great way to use a tried and true formula to bring visibility to new content.

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Update the Oldies

Sometimes all those old shoes need is a bit of spit and polish. If a previously popular post is looking a little tired and outdated, spruce it up!

Updating old content and then re-releasing it is an effective and time-efficient way to deliver relevant content to your audience. By filling old posts with new information, you get to deliver the original, quality post in a more relatable way, giving valuable info to your followers with less effort than producing something entirely new.

This also provides an opportunity to change the vehicle for the information. Why not try converting your old post into an infographic or slideshow? That way the content will be given an entirely new lease on life.

Check the Comments

Let’s leap outside the square for a moment. Why just repurpose the content itself? If you created a popular post, chances are it sparked somewhat of a conversation. Use the comments for inspiration.

While internet commenting is usually the bastion of angry men making Hitler comparisons, it can be an enlightening process to sift through the muck and see if there are any astute or incisive comments. You may be provided with another angle from which to cover the topic!

Repurposing content is all about focusing on efficiency. Sure, creating brand new content until the end of time would be brilliant. Sometimes, however, whether it’s through lack of inspiration or lack of resources, repurposing is your best bet to not only efficiently producing quality content, but stirring your followers into action.

Have a look. There may be more finely aged cheddar in your vaults than you imagine.

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