Why and how to optimize your content for YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter
As much as important content creation is, it will always be just a part of your successful marketing campaign. Because even if your piece of content is absolutely unique and holistic, it won’t bring you much unless you promote the heck out of it.
This is why you need to master the art of repurposing your content for different platforms. And since there is no shortage for creative and effective ways of delivering your message, you can easily find your cup of tea and be exceptional at it.
Reasons to repurpose content
If you are still in two minds about whether or not to invest time and resources into repurposing your content, let’s see how you can benefit from it.
First, by giving the content a new form, you are casting your net wide to reach a greater audience. Settling for just one platform is quite risky since most people use multiple channels to be on top of things.
Second, another valuable thing you learn is how to tell your story in the best way possible. Because content repurposing requires flexibility. And if you learn how to highlight your points in different manners, you are just becoming a better storyteller. This is, without a doubt, a huge plus.
Last but not least, you get to know your customers better. Gathering feedback from different platforms can help you produce quality content that perfectly matches your visitors’ expectations. And adds more value to your own site.
What content should you repurpose?
Since time is money and you can’t afford to lose it, don’t repurpose every single article you wrote so far. Only ‘worthy’ content deserves to be reworked. So get your priorities straight and find what is:
· Evergreen. Something people can read in years and still benefit from it. Like outreach tips, marketing strategies, etc.
· Successful. Posts that did well and made you feel proud. You can easily identify them by the number of comments, views, or simply by the social engagement around them.
Now that we got it out of the way let’s get started with the actual tips.
YouTube
Videos are a huge trend in marketing. Especially with a skyrocketing platform like YouTube. So if you dream big, you should seriously consider creating videos.
In case you are not a tech-savvy guy, it doesn’t necessarily mean YouTube isn’t for you. After all, practice makes perfect.
But before you turn on your camera, I would recommend you learn the basics. Like how to edit videos, what kind of equipment and software you would need. And obviously, the most common tricks and mistakes to know about.
There are tons of videos covering those topics. Here’s one I find particularly helpful:
Again, don’t get upset if you don’t have fancy graphics or expensive equipment, it’s more about how you get your message across. So a well-thought script and delivery are things that really count.
Remember that you can’t simply recite what you already wrote in your blog. Instead, focus on crafting a new, conversation-like version.
You might have a couple of drafts before you put out your piece of content. But that’s totally fine.
One thing that I find vital is structure. Learn to break down your video into separate sections with specific takeaways. Create a description based on that, and provide timecodes for effortless navigation (optional).
This way you ensure your content is a whole lot easier to digest. Simplicity is the key, that’s still a golden rule to follow.
Creating this kind of videos is just one of the other options available. You can do a webinar, podcast, tutorial, etc. The world is your oyster here. Go for what you are the most comfortable with.
Just so you have a better understanding of how it works, here’s an example of content repurposing where this e-commerce guide was turned into a video:
Not only does LinkedIn help you to promote your content, but it also uplevels your authority by adding new connections to your profile.
So tailoring content for this platform is a great way to put your site on the map.
Short and concise pieces of content work quite well for LinkedIn. Something that people can check in a matter of (seconds) minutes, then, hit the like button or share, and keep scrolling.
Here’s what you can do. Craft a clickbait title, like: ‘Tired of getting zero traffic? Check my 5 pro tips to generate traffic for free’. Then, give one of the tips along with a brief explanation of how it works.
Attach any visual help that could reinforce your message. An image from your blog, statistics. Whatever you think is best. Follow up with a question to your readers. For example, what they think of the tip you mentioned and what works for them.
Try to make your content as engaging as possible.
By the way, if you have a video adaptation of your post, feel free to cut it to the length of 2-3 minutes max, focusing only on the most important stuff.
If you are a presentation fan, SlideShare should be just the thing for you. It’s a platform that allows users to upload and share PowerPoint presentations, videos, Word documents, etc.
A lot of people still actively use it to promote their ideas and content. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Twitter is kind of similar to LinkedIn in this regard, but as you may know, there is a character limit there (280 characters).
Which means you can’t really talk at length about your topics. As a workaround, you can resort to infographics that are hugely popular these days. They are a way great way to organize your information in a comprehensible and appealing way.
And if you never tried your hand at designing infographics, that’s not a problem. Luckily, there is a huge variety of both paid and free tools that can help you create infographics from scratch. One of the most popular solutions is Canva.
Once you are done creating your awesome infographic, you can include some additional basic information to it, as well as some hashtags associated with your topic.
In doing so, you increase your chances of being found. Plus, it’s great visual help that tells the users what your post is about.
Another way to go would to be create a poll. Let’s say you wrote an article on the top 10 most anticipated smartphones. Why not run a survey based on it? Ask them to share their opinion in the comments.
Again, combine the poll with your YouTube video, SlideShare presentation, etc. Because plain text rarely catches the attention.
To sum up
Content repurposing gives you an opportunity to discover new marketing funnels and build a bigger audience. Since social networks are growing like crazy by gathering people from all over the world, it would be a crime not to take advantage of them.
Strive to be flexible and learn how to promote your content via videos, presentations, infographics. You name it.
At the end of the day, it’s all about finding what works best for you. Over to you now! Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question below.
guest post written by
Vlad Koval -Marketer & Customer Success Specialist at Ahrefs