You put a lot into your blog posts — so why not get a lot out of them?If you spend time researching, writing, and laying out posts you’re proud of, the last thing you want to do is let them just sit on your blog to eventually be forgotten.
A single social media share isn’t enough. To get the most mileage out of your posts, re-present them to the world in different ways.
Any good blog post should broken down and repackaged in at least a couple of different ways, both to continue to draw people to the original blog post, and to promote your business using the valuable information you’ve put into words on your blog.
7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Content
#1 Make It Into a Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to get more out of your blog posts. They’re dynamic, expansive, and can be consumed during times that blog posts can’t, such as while driving to work or working out.
Making a podcast is easy, and requires fewer resources than you might expect.
At its most simple, you can record it on your phone recorder and save as an MP3, but if you can, it’s a good idea to at least invest in a decent USB microphone (and maybe an inexpensive pop filter) and do the podcast on your laptop.
You can use most any sound recording software to create your podcast. If you have a high end recording suite, great — but you don’t have to invest in pricey software to create a great podcast.
Free software such as Audacity and Acoustica are easy to use and the results are excellent. Once you’ve finished your recording, these tools allow you to do simple track editing and save the file as an MP3, MP4, or M4A format.
You can host the file on your WordPress, Blogger, or Google Docs for sharing. If you want to go bigger, you can submit it to iTunes.
You’ll need an Apple ID, an RSS feed for your podcast, and cover art. For a step-by-step on how to submit a podcast to itunes, see this Apple tutorial.
#2 Break it Down into Short Videos
Turn a long blog post into a series of short videos, and really maximize your content.
This works best with a blog post that has a numbered list or a set of bullet points. Take each point and make a video for each.
The great thing about video is that, well, it’s video. You can demonstrate points visually and speak directly to the viewer.
Youtube has long been the place for video hosting (and we still use it all the time), but you don’t have to limit yourself to it.
Other platforms such as Vine and Periscope allow you to try new and creative things with video.
And yes, you can make an informative Vine in six seconds — see Lowe’s #lowesfixinsix tips. It just takes creativity.
If you’re new to online video, all you really need is a smartphone (in fact, if you use Periscope, you‘ll need to use it with a phone or tablet and the app). Your laptop webcam is another option, but it tends to have a more generic, static feel.
Even for simple short videos, choose your backdrop thoughtfully — some business owners who videocast frequently have an area set up in their office with a neutral or branded backdrop.
#3 Use Individual Tips as Social Media Posts
One of the best ways to get attention for a long blog post is to take individual tidbits from it and post it to social media (with a link to the full post, of course!)
What makes this strategy so effective is that it spreads useful, shareable information that can bring traffic to your website — and whether people actually follow the link to the full blog post, it still acts as a self-contained tip.
A good example is Time Management Ninja’s TMN tips, which include a graphic and take followers to the full article when clicked.
#4 Create a Pinterest Tip Board
Pinterest is a terrific way to get noticed via bite-sized tips that link back to your blog.
Of course, there’s more to it than Tweeting a quick tip, but the rewards can be well worth it.
Pinterest users are all about visuals. A tip in an eye-catching typeface on a blank background can work, but to really take off on pinterest, you need to find a way to stand out, preferably using your branding.
A striking background, especially a thematically relevant photograph is a good starting point. Pinterest is not just visual, the vast majority of pins feature photos, the more aesthetically pleasing the better.
Ideally, you’ll take the photos you use yourself, but if that’s not an option, there are lots of free stock photo sites.
WE love Canva for transforming photos into stunning Pinterest pins with text.
There are two basic types of info pins: The kind that shows or tells a single tip (left), or the kind that teases a full post (right).
Both can be effective, but the self-contained tip pin is more likely to be repinned by pinners who like the tip itself, keeping in mind that pinners don’t always pause their browsing to click and read the blog posts the pins originate from.
#5 User Testimonials
Did you post an article that got a lot of attention and interaction? If you’ve gotten some good comments about the helpfulness of your post, you can use them as “testimonials” on your website and social media.
The best comments to use in this way are detailed and genuine. A comment like “Great info!” isn’t of much value for this purpose (though such comments are nice to get!).
Look for comments that explain a problem they had and how your post helped them solve it.
Wherever you post the testimonial, always link to the post in question.
Testimonials can be very valuable, because potential customers is more likely to trust a satisfied user than take your word for it that your own business is awesome. So keep an eye out for kind words in response to a blog post.
Moz Blog, the popular SEO website, has lots of examples of good, detailed comments that could be used for testimonial, such as the above.
#6 Turn it into a Periscope Webinar
While Periscope can be used for short informational videos, where it really shines is in live interactive videos.
Take a long blog post and use it as the topic for a live webinar on Periscope. Use social media to promote it as much as possible.
Why will people tune in to a video webinar when the blog post is full of info? Easy — unlike the blog post, viewers can interact with you in real time, asking questions that you can address then and there.
Webinars give your words value, especially when you present yourself with authority, as Ramon Ray did in this Periscope webinar for AT&T Small Business.
With a webinar, you can demand more time than with most other informational videos and tutorials, but try to keep it around 20-30 minutes, unless you’ve really made an event of your webinar. Then you can get away with 45 minutes to an hour, including a Q&A.
#7 Round-Ups
Round-ups are a good way to get more mileage out of your favorite posts. If you’ve never done one, they’re basically a blog post filled with links to posts about a common topic.
They can be posts from several bloggers, or they can focus on your own posts only — sort of a “best of.”
By the way, posts like these are just one reason it’s so important to tag each and every post you create. Without tags, you’’ll have to search your archives by date (and have a good memory).
With tags, it’s just a matter of clicking on or searching a topic, which makes it simple to select a few posts to feature.
Not sure what to round up? Take a cue from Cornerstone Content above and follow the buzz to catch people’s attention.
Some ideas include tutorials (“Our 10 most popular how-tos of 2015”), resources (“Graphics Resource Roundup”) or “look back in time” posts (5 SEO Predictions We Made That Came True).
And Finally
Not only does repurposing blog content maximize the value of your original post, it shows that you are a dynamic marketer who’s in it to win it.
If you haven’t used strategies like these before, don’t worry — as long as the content of your older blog posts is still relevant, you don’t have to use brand new posts as the basis for your videos and tips. Dig deep and use all of the relevant content you have!
How do you get the most out of your blog posts? Let us know in the comments!
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