In the highly competitive realm of social media, marketers face the daunting task of ensuring their brand’s messages stand out amidst the clamor. Adding to the complexity, numerous social media algorithms emphasize the importance of relevance over the order of posting, which leads social teams to experiment with various types of content to distinguish themselves and assess what resonates.
However, persistently sourcing relevant material for various platforms can be draining—and financially burdensome. Quite frankly, there are days when crafting new social content from the ground up simply isn’t feasible.
In the realm of social content development, efficiency is vital. Rather than perpetually generating fresh ideas, social marketers should harness their existing assets by repurposing their most successful blog articles, videos, reports, white papers, and more.
In this piece, we will delve into the concept of repurposing content for social media and explore how to leverage your materials effectively instead of the inverse.
The Advantages of Repurposing Content for Social Media
Repurposing content for social media offers several strategic advantages.
What does this process entail in practical terms? The Sprout Social Index™ serves as our annual data compilation that encompasses insights from the entire marketing sector. We also compile data points specific to certain fields, enabling brands to attract niche audiences.
With this perspective, we produce fresh articles inspired by data derived from the Index to further explore those industry revelations. Additionally, we frequently extract graphics from the report for inclusion in our social media posts.
The primary benefits of implementing a content repurposing strategy include:
Time, Cost, and Effort Efficiency
Creating social media content across multiple networks is a time-intensive process. Nevertheless, it’s a necessary undertaking for brands looking to engage consumers. As highlighted in Sprout Social’s 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, users interact with and consume content differently across platforms. To engage your desired demographic, it’s essential to distribute relevant, entertaining, and informative content widely.
Amid tightening budgets and dwindling teams, brands must strategize to optimize their marketing resources.
A sound content repurposing strategy allows you to maximize your efforts and expenditures. Keep in mind, though, that it’s crucial to avoid the trap of sharing the same content across all platforms, all the time. Each social network has distinct characteristics and audience demographics that should shape the content you share, ensuring it resonates with your target demographic.
Strengthens Brand Messaging
Consistently delivering a unified message across diverse formats enhances your brand’s social identity, reinforcing to followers who you are and what you represent. Recall the “Rule of Seven”? Prospective customers often need to encounter a brand’s message at least seven times before deciding to make a purchase.
By repurposing content for social media, you reinforce essential brand messaging. According to the 2024 Content Benchmarks Report, brands posted an average of 10 pieces of content daily on social networks in 2023, with some industries seeing that number double or even quadruple. That’s a multitude of chances to creatively repurpose content and keep your social audience reminded of your unique offerings.
Enhances Share of Voice on Topics
Share of voice measures how much your brand influences discussions in your industry relative to your competitors. For instance, Sprout leads the charge in conversations about social media influencers. By repurposing content, brands can maintain a consistent level of content output, enabling them to uphold and expand their share of voice on social without needing to craft entirely new content.
When your target audience searches for related topics on social or via search engines, your brand might be prominently featured in their results—demonstrating your authority in that area. (For example, we consistently appear on the forefront of search results for social media influencers).
When you engage in content repurposing for social media, you are investing in long-term strategies. This process not only saves time and resources but also gradually amplifies your visibility and authority.
Considerations: Best Practices for Repurposing Content for Social Media
If you haven’t established a content repurposing strategy for social media, initiating the process can appear daunting. Where should you start? What workflow is optimal for your team? How much repurposing is excessive? Fear not—the following best practices will address your queries, empowering you to venture forth with confidence.
Identify High-Impact Content
Before jumping into repurposing, recognize that not all content is suitable for this strategy. For effective content repurposing, it’s essential to choose the right pieces upfront.
Put your best content forward: Focus on material that performs strongly, resonates with your audience, and aligns with your goals. Having an objective simplifies the process of determining which content to include in your curation strategy. Possible goals include:
- Increasing brand visibility within a specific industry
- Engaging with your audience
- Driving organic traffic to your website
- Facilitating lead generation or trials
Consider what social media metrics you’ll use to pinpoint your top-performing content. For instance, if your objective is to boost engagement across platforms, repurpose content that has attracted considerable likes, shares, and comments. If your aim is to grow your follower base, think about repurposing items that have seen notable mentions, comments, and shares. For brands keen on driving organic traffic back to a landing page or site, selecting content with a high click-through rate is ideal.
Determine whether the content intended for repurposing is evergreen or time-sensitive. An article that has consistently performed well over time may be easier to repurpose now, while material that is event-specific or seasonal may require meticulous scheduling before promotion.
Select the Appropriate Channels
Repurposing content for social media also involves considering where it will be posted. The selection of the right channel can be crucial—the approach you take is just as significant as the content you present. Your repurposing strategy needs to factor in your audience’s platform preferences, along with your social objectives for the year.
For example, if a sizable portion of your audience is on LinkedIn and one of your goals is to enhance visibility on that platform, you’ll want to strategize on how to best repurpose content to capture their attention.
While LinkedIn is an excellent venue for sharing thought leadership material, be mindful of what content social media users seek on that platform. This consideration can enhance your visibility and bolster follower retention as well.
Beyond evaluating which networks are most active, pay attention to the types of content users are generally interested in across platforms. Social media trends can change rapidly for each network, so keeping a finger on the pulse of the latest developments is vital. For example, short-form videos are currently trending, which means that platforms that support and promote that format are likely to continue thriving.
Customize Content for Each Platform
Understand your audience. Consider what your followers on each platform expect from you. For example, if your Instagram audience frequently responds well to short-form videos, boost your repurposing of content in that format. Also, throw in something unexpected occasionally, like a gif or meme, to keep your social feed fresh.
It’s essential to consider the appropriate format for each social network since what works well for one may not suit another. For instance, a three-minute video based on an eBook might thrive on YouTube but would likely be too long for X (formerly Twitter). Instead, users there prefer shorter videos under a minute, alongside static images, text-only posts, gifs, and memes.
Don’t neglect emerging networks you’ve only recently started to leverage. Repurposing content may offer an opportunity to elevate your visibility on those platforms and establish your brand as a prominent voice in that space. Take Threads, for instance. Although only 15% of respondents claimed to have a Threads profile, there’s substantial growth potential.
Leverage AI to Save Time
If you’re considering how to repurpose content for social media without consuming too much time, explore the array of AI tools at your disposal.
AI solutions can streamline social media content creation by generating new iterations of tested formats. For example, users of Sprout Social can utilize our Suggestions by AI Assist tool to create custom copy that aligns with their brand’s voice and audience preferences, enhancing their writing processes.
To enrich your repurposing strategy with Suggestions by AI Assist, consider utilizing the tool to modify top-performing posts. This enables you to derive three new versions of proven content incredibly quickly.
Transforming High-Performing Content for Social Media Posts
Once you’ve compiled a list of your strongest content and identified the target social networks, it’s time to repurpose for social media. However, be wary of social media saturation—users are inundated with various content, so prioritize quality over sheer volume. Below are some creative strategies to help differentiate your posts and engage your audiences effectively:
Utilize X Threads
Since a single X post is restricted to 280 characters, consider expanding your message through threads. Use X threads to convey intricate information that doesn’t fit into a singular post, such as blog content. This format is also excellent for sharing resources, lists, and advice with followers.
Cross-Promote Your Livestream
Enhance the lifespan of your livestream by saving and uploading the videos to YouTube, sharing clips on X, or trimming segments for an Instagram post or TikTok. You can also use screenshots and quotes for non-video posts to engage your audience or offer previews of what’s on the horizon. The possibilities for reusing livestream material are abundant, even transforming memorable moments into gifs and memes for added shareability.
Transform into a GIF
Have a video clip or animation that’s sure to delight? Convert it into a gif. Numerous free tools are available for this purpose, and gifs make for captivating posts that can help promote specific content or products. Starbucks, for instance, crafted an engaging gif showcasing the cold foam in their new product.
Pose a Question
The same inquiries that invite comments at the end of videos and blog pieces can also find a place on other platforms. Design a static image featuring a prominent question or opt for a poll format. LinkedIn Q&As and polls on Facebook and X all create avenues for audience engagement with existing material or tease upcoming reports.
For example, we presented a question in an Instagram carousel, directing followers towards our LinkedIn live event on that same subject.
Offer Solutions
Examine your Facebook and LinkedIn communities for inquiries that your existing articles can address. By repurposing related content and/or linking back in your responses, you foster connections while increasing your visibility with others who may have similar questions. Moreover, this shows your followers that you are attentive to their inquiries and needs.
Amazon engages followers by addressing a question in the video below with input from a subject matter expert. Similar content featured in a blog post by Amazon demonstrates the same approach.
Revamp Written Content for Instagram
Even text-based content can be suitable for a visual platform like Instagram. However, refrain from simply copying a paragraph for your Instagram post; instead, extract key data or quotes to construct a visual narrative. Lengthy reports can also be transformed into a series of brief videos that highlight essential insights. Instagram carousels work wonderfully for sharing text-driven content—just remember to use design best practices to communicate the story visually.
Noticing a rise in interest regarding executive social media presence, we developed a guide on this topic and created an Instagram carousel featuring three compelling justifications for executives to enhance their social media engagement.
Convert a Webinar into a Video
Webinars provide informative and educational content for your audience, but oftentimes, viewers only catch them live. Why not convert a recorded webinar into a social media video, as SAP has demonstrated below? In this scenario, they’ve used the entire webinar as video content, but you can also dissect the recording into smaller segments tailored for various social channels.
Highlight the Numbers
Statistics shared on social media tend to garner substantial attention, particularly in industries where establishing credibility and expertise is crucial. Create graphics or short videos that showcase your brand’s research findings from reports and white papers to emphasize your authority within the field.
Utilize Memorable Quotes
Looking to ignite conversation, build authority, or enhance engagement? A striking quote can differentiate your content. Sift through your blogs, reports, interviews, and other text-based materials to find a quote that will resonate with your audience. Present it as a static graphic across your networks.
Strategic Content Repurposing Leads to Enormous Returns
If you possess high-performing content, it’s time to leverage it across different platforms. With some creative reworking and thoughtful distribution, social media marketers can capitalize on their brand’s best content while easing the burden of content generation. It’s a mutually beneficial scenario.
Are you looking for additional strategies to create a lasting impact through your content approach? Download the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy to access insights that help you allocate your budget and resources effectively to maximize returns on your social initiatives.
The post The greatest hits: Repurposing your best content for social media first appeared on Sprout Social.
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