Overwhelmed at the thought of generating content from dawn till dusk to satisfy every new marketing channel that’s screaming for your attention? Don’t be. Take a deep breath, and follow this cheat sheet I created specifically for printers on how to reuse content. It’s a whole new kind of recycling.
Just don’t tell all of your competitors—let it be our secret.
Take your content from channel to channel in these 15 easy ways. Let’s imagine you write “How to Spec Paper Like a Pro” in about 500 words. Maybe you did it because a customer asked for advice. Great jumping off point! What should you do with it now?
Don’t waste your insights. Instead, try using it in these ways:
1. As an article included in your printed/mailed customer newsletter,
2. Posted on your website in your Newsletter section as a PDF,
3. Your weekly blog post on the home page of your site
4. In your monthly email newsletter to all customers,
5. Twitter post, linking to your site’s Newsletter section,
6. Facebook post on your company’s Wall,
7. LinkedIn post on your home page and to select Groups,
8. Submission to a local/regional business publication or one that targets creatives/print buyers,
9. Sent as a “how to” article to several online sites that accept educational articles, and
10. Included in a printed direct marketing campaign, perhaps as a series of postcards.
Think you’re done? Not so fast...
Use this same topic for a video. Write out a 2- or 3-minute script on this “how to” subject, then videotape yourself (or your most animated employee who has “stage presence”), to use like so:
11. As a mini-video you upload to your YouTube channel,
12. On your website under the Resources section,
13. Included as a link in a Twitter Tweet,
14. Posted on your company’s Facebook page, and
15. Shared as a link on LinkedIn.
One piece of helpful information, used up to 15 different ways. You can spread these steps out over a period of time. Sometimes you won’t take advantage of all 15 opportunities. It’s up to you.
Bottom line? Find ways to wring every bit of life out of all of your content. Don’t waste a word of it.
Write, recycle, repeat.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched a new business as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She is as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she’s on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. Dana was the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference.
Although she has exited the event business, Dana is still publishing her Print Tips newsletter each week. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com