The importance of recycling social media content and key research findings

In the digital marketing world, business strategies are always evolving, and understanding dynamic trends plays a pivotal role in this evolution. One such trend, which has grown exponentially, is the repurposing of social media content. This article will help you comprehend this trend and how effective it can be in enhancing online marketing efficiency.

First of all, let’s take a glance at what exactly is meant by repurposing content. Simply put, it is the art of modifying and reusing existing content into various other forms. It involves a deep dive into your old posts, blogs, tweets, and marketing materials and transforms them into new content. Notably, this approach doesn’t imply duplicating content. Rather, it’s about representing it in novel and interesting ways that will more effectively engage your brand’s audience.

The possibilities are seemingly endless. Your previously written blog posts can be transformed into short, social media quotes or inspiring infographics. Lengthy webinars can be compiled into bite-sized highlights that are ideal for sharing across different social media platforms. Also, multiple blog posts on a similar topic can be bundled together to create an extensive ebook or a podcast.

Considering the myriad benefits that repurposing presents, doesn’t it make sense to squeeze more juice out of your existing content? Absolutely! But that’s not what most of the marketers are practicing.

Research around recycled content on social media

Recent studies provide deeper insights into the extent to which marketers are making use of content repurposing. Surprisingly, almost twenty per cent of professionals state that they have not recycled or repurposed any social media content in the last year. The reasons for their reluctance vary, but the primary explanations include lack of time, lack of resources, or an established routine that they are hesitant to change.

However, in contrast, there’s a group of savvy marketers who fully understand the value of content repurposing. Despite their lower numbers (only 4% of the sample size), these enthusiasts recycle or repurpose almost all of their social media content. They serve as witnesses to how effective and valuable content repurposing can be, and their success rate should be a motivation for others to follow suit.

Why should you repurpose social media content?

There are numerous advantages of repurposing content, and understanding these benefits is crucial to appreciating its full potential. Let’s look at them in detail.

1. Increases Efficiency: Repurposing content can significantly save time and effort in terms of content production. With the same amount of research and brainstorming, you can create a range of content, instead of settling on just one form. Additionally, if the original content performed well, repurposed content is likely to enjoy similar levels of engagement.

2. Extends Reach: Recycling old, fine-performing content can help you reach new audiences who may not have seen it in its original form. One must understand that different consumers prefer different types of content. While some enjoy reading a well-formatted blog post, others might feel more connected with a highly engaging podcast. Repurposing helps cater to these varied preferences.

3. Reinforces Message: Repurposing also enables you to reiterate important points to your audience. It is said that consumers need to encounter a piece of information at least seven times before they fully register and remember it. Repurposing can help drive these points home by repeating them in several formats.

4. Benefits SEO: Another significant advantage of repurposing is the potential for improved SEO. Multiple pieces of material on the same topic, appropriately tagged and keyworded, can provide multiple entry points for web searchers. This can catapult your listings in search engine results pages (SERP) due to increased relevancy.

How to repurpose your social media content

Before we delve into the how, it’s important to note that repurposing content is not about reshuffling words. It requires strategic planning and creative execution. Here’s a comprehensive guideline:

1. Identify Content for Repurpose: First off, identify your most popular posts and topics that resonated well with your audience. Tools like Twitter Analytics or Facebook Insight can help determine which content inspired the most engagement.

2. Decide on the Content Format: After identifying the high-performing content to recycle, decide on the format that would best showcase this content anew. If the original content is a blog post, it can be transformed into a series of tweetable quotes, an infographic, or audio content.

3. Ensure Quality: Maintain a high standard of quality throughout the repurposing process. This influences how your audience perceives your brand. Carefully proofread, edit and ensure that all links are relevant and functioning, images are legal to use and meticulously sourced.

4. Promote the New Content: Finally, after repurposing, aggressively promote your freshly minted content. Share it across all your marketing channels and include relevant backlinks to maximize traffic.

Conclusion

In conclusion, content repurposing is an efficient and cost-effective strategy to maximize your digital marketing output. It can immensely boost your online presence and even gain higher levels of engagement compared to original content. Moreover, the persistent reluctance of some marketers to adopt repurposing presents a golden opportunity for others willing to implement and master this winning strategy.

Hence, if you are not recycling your social media content yet, now is the right time to hop onto the wagon. Not only will this allow you to cater to an audience who prefers diverse forms of content, but it will also enable you to get the most out of your marketing efforts. The time to act is now – start repurposing today and experience the multitude of benefits it can bring. This could be the key to unlocking growth for your social media campaigns and broader digital marketing strategy.