Have you ever wanted to extend the life of the content you create?
So much time and money are spent creating and curating content, and it’s frustrating when a piece stops performing. Even the best pieces of content have a shelf life; they stop converting, generating leads, or simply have already been deployed through the business’s marketing and sales channels.
Instead of dragging that content to the archives where it will collect digital dust, you can repurpose it to not only extend its life but also to help you achieve exponential growth!
Nicole Jansen has built her podcast, The Leaders of Transformation, into the number one podcast for entrepreneurs and business leaders dedicated to uplifting others and making a deeper impact in the world. She recently sat down with our co-founder, Jim Carter III, who shared some powerful ways to help you focus on your content through targeted repurposing.
Who Is Jim Carter III?
Jim is a man who grew up in service. By becoming an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, Jim realized the power of service at an early age. The reward he felt from working in support of a greater good has always been his fuel.; however, it was easy to lose sight of this motivation as he chased a career.
Though Jim became a successful entrepreneur, consultant, and family man, it wasn’t making him his fullest self. It was around then Jim decided to shift his focus from chasing money to making an impact. Since this mindset shift, he has since helped build two seven-figure companies that support cause-based organizations through marketing expertise.
Not only is Jim’s passion for supporting the growth of others evident in the tips and suggestions he shares freely with Nicole, but so is his content marketing expertise. Let’s dive into the ways that YOU can start repurposing your content to achieve more growth.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
Most entrepreneurs have an innate feeling to move against the grain. This is likely due to the nature of being an entrepreneur; a certain interest in defining your own lane is crucial to success, but it’s not the only component of long-term growth. The content you create in support of your business is another massive component of long-term growth.
Content needs to be consumed to have value. In that sense, when it’s time to repurpose content, consider going where the people are. Even if you’ve resisted creating certain types of content that feel too trendy or mainstream in a manner that doesn’t match your business, it’s time to loosen the reigns and create content that your audience is looking for.
When it comes to looking at how to maximize your content, especially as you repurpose it, Jim has some key insight:
“You have to measure the data, yes. We also have to pay attention to that data. We’re living in a video-first world. TikTok has been the number one app going on eight quarters. When the data tells us the world is going in one direction – and our goal is growth and impact – then we should go with them.”
– Jim Carter III
Video isn’t a trend that is going away; it will only evolve from here. The importance of video content starts with it simply being the preferred format for people to be entertained by, learn about, and become supporters of brands and businesses. That’s why understanding what is trendy and popular in terms of types of video because it’s where the most people are engaging with each other.
Essentially, you want your video content where the most potential eyes are going to be!
Try a New Medium
The original content created for your business is often designed tobuild brand authority and generate potential conversions. This can result in content that is often tactical and targeted.
When a content piece is no longer delivering on its mission to do one of those two focal points, consider pivoting that content to another medium, such as a podcast recording or video. There are simply too many avenues in which people consume content daily to limit yourself to one stream like a blog.
It’s easy to experiment with different mediums and see how they perform across your social media channels.
You can try recording yourself or have a friend record themselves interacting with your products. This creates some opportunities for user-generated content, which is a very popular format within TikTok.
Use Reels and trending audio samples to really explore creative ways to highlight your business, even if you’re not selling any specific products. You can create reels that generate a feeling related to your brand.
All you want to do is connect your brand and business to people through the content you create.
The Power of a Video Component in Your Content Strategy
Just because video is often considered the crown jewel of content doesn’t mean your entire content stream should be video only. However, a video component supporting your other content is an easy & effective way to start building a video-related presence on your website and across social media.
From the outside, creating video content can quite literally look like a big production. Cameras, lights, and microphones — never mind all the settings. But it doesn’t have to be that way; you can graduate to upgraded gear. When you are just getting going, it’s important to create, create, create and limit the barriers to that. Your phone is a powerful enough camera to capture usable images, and there are plenty of easy-to-use apps that will help you edit your video with transitions and basic effects.
You can create, edit, polish, and post your content using nothing but your phone, you just have to start!
Social media platforms feature prolific amounts of user-generated content, which means videos don’t have professional actors, and many are done without a scripted feeling. If your content consists primarily of written content, you can start by creating video clips where you expand on that written content in video form.
Turn Blogs into Videos
Your written content is your script — use it accordingly! It’s safe to say almost everyone has at least one list-driven blog post in their content library. That blog is the perfect stepping stone for robust video content. You’ve already got the bones — you’ll just need to add visuals that fit!
This can be as simple as you reading the list on camera and adding some fun post-production graphics afterward. Maybe you make a few videos where you expand on each part of the list, adding more info to the topic. That’s just one example, and the key takeaway is that it’s doable without creating something from scratch!
“An audio podcast is great to have, yes. But with a video component it unlocks so much more you can do with your content. There’s short-form video content for TikTok, and there’s the full version that lives on YouTube; Twitter is more mid-form that’s great for positioning.”
– Jim Carter III
Podcasts are excellent source material for repurposing because you do so much with it. Video components can be as simple as recording your podcasts on video and putting them on YouTube. The video element delivers so much more value to the audience. It gives them someone to visually connect with, and it allows you to better connect with them through additional visual aids or graphic elements.
Video is a vastly more engaging way to connect with your audience, and that’s before you chop the videos up into snack-size segments for social media. For example, the Fast Foundations Podcast is mainly a video version of the audio podcast, but it feels more interactive. It creates a connection, which builds impact.
How to Repurpose Video Content for Social Media
The deeper benefit of video content is that one video can become multiple videos and deliver results through multiple streams. All of which are perfect for social media usage!
Your five-minute full-version video can be cut up into short-form video samples. Using our original list blog example, cut that master video into separate shorter pieces for each item on the list. Then you can add follow and like callouts as well as captions. Now, each video will also push viewers to the next one in the series.
Having multiple segments cut from a full video is a great way to start repurposing your content. You can begin using those clips across your social media channels.
In the end, your five-minute full-version video might generate content for TikTok, Instagram, and your YouTube channel while driving traffic to your website — even if the content isn’t hosted there!
Each Channel Is Different
In his interview with Nicole, Jim talks about how each social media channel is different by design. He breaks down two of the largest and most common social media channels, so you don’t have to! Use this breakdown to help you understand what content of yours would be best suited for these channels, and the rest of the social media landscape.
When you’re on Facebook, you’re most likely on your phone, you’re curious, and you’re open to discovering new things. Facebook’s algorithm is fundamentally different than other social platforms in that you see content that your community is sharing. Facebook released a new transparency report that showed 80% or more of content consumed in the main feed as of 2022 came by way of shares.
Facebook’s algorithm is driven by shares so it only makes sense to create content that fits that metric. Look at what video types are trending on Facebook, check their length and information, including the graphics, and then try to replicate it. Look at accounts in your market to see their highest performing content, and try to learn what they are doing to achieve those results and see how you can deploy something similar.
Instagram is more about quick hits. You want to see what people are doing. You want to have fun engagement. Instagram is like the new global messenger. You can connect with anybody and have a chat with them. You can follow stories or reels. You fall in love with a brand. Engagement opportunities are endless!
To create content that Instagram’s algorithm will love is all about fitting in. Watch Reels for the editing styles, trends, and songs that you hear frequently and replicate them with featuring your business and products.
Understanding what type of content will deliver the impact you’re looking for on each channel is an important rung in the ladder to increasing user engagement.
How to Increase User Engagement
It’s no secret — the best place to deploy your repurposed video content is across the powerful spectrum of social media channels at your disposal. However, you want to do so with specific goals in mind. They don’t have to be traditional KPIs, but your goal should always be for your content to have an impact.
Impact can mean conversions, but it can also just mean growth and awareness. When it comes to each social media channel, it’s crucial to give those users the type of content they consume on that channel.
“Start by asking yourself how you want to consume a piece of content, and then do exactly that. We are in a video first world, but each channel is different. Think about the formats: [Reels] and TikTok are short-form, and Instagram is more mid-form. Both are great for catching someone’s eye. YouTube is still the best place for long-form video.”
– Jim Carter III
Once you’re posting content that aligns with each social platform’s content type, you can begin building your brand on each of them. This is how you build a connection with new people, not just current customers.
It sounds too simple, but you increase user engagement by simply engaging with users. Don’t wait for them to ask you to dance; walk across that proverbial dancefloor and introduce yourself with your content. Encourage them to DM you if they have any questions, or reach out to them if you think they could benefit from your services or product!
Share Your Story Strategically
There’s a certain outlier to repurposing content, and that outlier is you. You have value to share that no one else can. This might be a personal story, it could be a cause you believe in, or maybe it’s advice you think is crucial to share.
When it comes to that type of content, you should absolutely create what you feel you need to. Always listen to that inner voice, but remember to be strategic at the same time!
“If you love getting your message out there, and if your content deserves to be listened to or watched in full, then absolutely put it out there regardless of channel. But don’t expect to get the same impact that somebody would get watching an hour and a half on YouTube from your 30-second, 90-second video clip on TikTok. It just won’t work.”
– Jim Carter III
If you’re covering something really technical, you could still hint at it and nudge their curiosity rather than try explaining completely. Then, if they want, they can at least go locate the full version on its best channel and consume it there. So, you’re giving just a little bit away, and you’re still doing a better service than a disservice by putting it out there and trying different channels and seeing what sticks.
Take a moment to reflect on your unique story and the particular skills you have – how can you deploy them to add value to your social content? Think about how you can use your experiences to add color to your content. Maybe it’s a personal introduction explaining why you have a certain product or what inspired you to launch your business.