Chances are you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the content your customers need most. You’ve created social media posts, how-to videos, help center entries, weekly emails, blog posts, and a lot more.

Good job! Now that 2024 is here, it’s time to reap the benefits of that hard work by turning your great content into more great material to make your customers even happier. It’s time to repurpose your content.

Why repurpose content?

What does it mean to repurpose your content? It can mean simply rerunning your best web content from months or years past, of course. If it worked before, it may well work again. 

But the best way to repurpose content is to take what worked and make it even stronger with updates, tweaks, and added info, all based on what you’ve learned about your industry and your customers since the originals came out.

Content ages fast these days. Your content has to evolve with the times. The trick is to turn this from a potential problem into your own unique strength.

What type of content to repurpose

Start with a simple question: What worked? Which is the how-to video that all your users watch, or the Instagram post that got 10,000 likes? 

You may be taking some of this successful content for granted. Do you have a help center article that gets four times the views of others? Instead of thinking, “Fine, that’s working as intended,” think: Why do my users love this one entry so much? What else can I give them on this topic?

Think of your content the way stand-up comedians think of jokes: They look for what makes their audience laugh, and then riff on those topics. Suppose you’ve got some killer sales collateral that’s really been working with potential customers. That’s your clue to riff on it and make it the starting point for your next viral video.

How to repurpose content

Here are three tips as you think about how to repurpose your content.

Make updates. Take your successful video or blog post and update it with the very latest news, changes, or product tips. Then republish it so users can keep reaping the benefits. Don’t be shy about it: Add a clear note that you’ve refreshed the item and are offering it again with updates. It’s not a rehash, it’s a sequel!

Change media. If you’ve got a great blog post, of course you can sweeten it up and make it a fresh blog post. But have you thought about making it a newsletter or podcast? How about making social media work for you? Changing formats is the best way to bring fresh energy to your ideas. After all, not everyone gathers information the same way. Some people like to read, others like to watch or listen. Start with that great blog post and write a great video script that presents the same good detail in new ways. 

Think SEO. When you repurpose content, you also reinforce your SEO. That’s because multiple pieces of content on one topic can make search engines take notice. They’re more likely to consider you an active expert, and that can help your search rank. So create new versions of your existing content to delight your users and help search engines lead them to you.

A final thought

In the end, as always, it’s all about your customers. Let them be your guide: When they respond to something, repurpose that content and give them more of what they love.