We write a lot about Content Marketing because it works. You’ve probably heard that “content is king.” Well, the semantics of that are debatable but one thing is certain – good content brings qualified traffic to your website.

Whenever we meet with a new client to discuss their website, content is always a topic of discussion. Who is writing it? Where will it come from? When will we get it? More to the point: what is the content going to be? We can’t design a proper website until we know.

These are questions the client expects. But, what about after launch? What then? Does the site just sit there? Of course not. Ongoing marketing is required to continually drive targeted users to the site.

An effective way to do this is with content marketing.

The Content Marketing Institute defines Content Marketing in this way…

“Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

The best way to see results from your content marketing efforts is to plan for it. We’ve written in the past about ideas for creating new content, about editorial calendars and business blogging.

But what about the stuff you already have? Is that great content going to waste???

Here are some ways to repurpose some content you might otherwise be wasting…

Presentations

Businesses need to make presentations all the time. We know because we’ve designed dozens of PowerPoint templates for many different businesses.

Some of this content can be effectively re-purposed for your website or blog. Take a “look” around and see if any of this content is collecting unnecessary dust…

1. Sales presentations – maybe you’ve put together a presentation to win a large account or to sell investors on a new venture. Some part or reinterpretation of this presentation could be used as a webinar or series of blog posts. Just rework for this new audience.
2. Educational and training presentations – these are already great fuel for your content marketing fire. But, you can take this farther. Try breaking up these presentations into smaller chunks like a blog series or series of podcasts.
3. Since you’ve already done most of the heavy lifting you’ll find editing for the web to be less than expected.

Conversations

Seriously, a lot is said in conversations that could be reused elsewhere. Have you ever had a great discussion with a co-worker or client regarding some element of your industry?

Some of the most passionate and interesting commentary on what you do comes from a dialog. Exchanging ideas with someone can boost the creative juices allowing you to tap deeper into a more meaningful exploration of what it is you do and why people should care.

So, how do you capitalize on this meaningful exchange for the benefit of your website audience? Why not record it? Video and podcast interviews are wildly popular and incredibly effective forms of content marketing. For example…

1. The expert interview – setup a video or audio interview with an industry expert (someone you know and talk to about what you do). Keep it short, like five minutes. Then post this content with a transcription on your blog and in social channels.
2. The team interview – you surely have some people on your team who live for what the team does. Every company has that one person who simply loves their job, loves the industry, and has lots to say. Why not interview that person. If it is someone who is not usually in front of clients, even better. It’s a chance for your clients to get a rare glimpse behind the scenes and hear from a real insider.
3. The client interview – instead of the boring platitude riddled testimonial, why not interview your clients about what it was like to use you. Talk to them about real situations and how you worked with them to solve problems. Ask them what advice they would give other clients.

Remember, content does not always need to be new. The ideas you put forth via your blog or social media or elsewhere doesn’t have to always be groundbreaking. It just needs to solve a problem or answer a question that your client has.

Just because you know something doesn’t mean the rest of the world knows it. Remember, you are an expert on what you do. You may think something is common knowledge but, I guarantee you that the majority of your clients haven’t given it nearly as much thought and consideration that you have.

I give seminars all the time. In doing so, I am constantly reminded by the head nods and feverish note taking that I know something of value that is new information for these people. I could assume that they all know what I do, but that would be foolish. I’m surprised by what people don’t know; not because they are dumb or lazy but because their focus is elsewhere.

People work with you because you know what you are doing; you are an expert. You give expert advice and provide expert information everyday. Don’t waste that content. Figure out new and exciting ways to use this to reach more people who need what you have to offer.

What other content are you wasting? How have you educated someone on what you do and why it is important? How could you re imagine this content for uses online? Let me know in the content area below.

Recommendation – read Content Rules by Ann Handey and CC Chapman!