Have you ever looked at an editorial calendar and asked yourself, “How will I fill this with fresh ideas?”
When it comes to writing blogs and social media posts, one common misconception is that you must start from scratch with each new piece of content. But the truth is that business owners and executives lay the foundation for great content all the time in ways they don’t even realize.
Your Business Is a Content Marketing Goldmine
You know those presentations, speeches, and process documents you’ve created over the years? The right content strategist can transform these and other existing materials into compelling blog posts, emails, and social media posts.
While the content at your fingertips might be raw or too technical for your audience, it’s excellent source material. Trust us, we’ve finessed, refined, and repurposed everything from a sales presentation to a two-sentence client testimonial into winning content for our clients.
Search your archives, Google Drive, and inbox to find inspiration across these eight categories:
- Existing content: old blogs, social media posts, podcasts, or videos
- Case studies and client testimonials
- Webinars and other presentations
- Speeches from industry events or school visits
- Sales presentations and other marketing collateral
- Lengthy emails you’ve written to clients who had many questions about your service
- Internal process documents that highlight your methods and capabilities
- Proposals outlining your processes and promises to clients
All eight types of content could become excellent marketing materials. What’s more, you can use different types of content to reach your audience at various stages of the buyer’s journey.
For example, transcribing podcasts, videos, and webinars into intriguing narrative pieces can draw in new readers at the top of the marketing funnel. On the other hand, content from internal process documents can compel serious prospects further down in the funnel to convert.
We recently worked with our client in the interior design industry to translate a process document into a blog post. Our team crafted an informative piece of content that established what clients should be looking for in a design firm.
3 Common Content Marketing Concerns to Overcome
If you’re hesitant to use existing content for marketing purposes, you’re not alone. Here are three
common concerns we hear from clients—and our responses:
1. “It’s too easy.”
There’s a misconception that leveraging existing content is the “easy way out” or a lazy strategy. We don’t know who decided content marketing had to be hellish and hard to be powerful—but we can assure you that person was wrong.
As content marketing experts, let us be clear: easy is good. Businesses should explore strategies that make content production easier. If it’s too complicated, you’ll stop doing it, and consistency is the key to solid content marketing. Our recommendation is to find the paths of least resistance and use them to create your content.
2. “I don’t want to share my special sauce.”
Business owners worry that transforming presentations and internal process documents into content will reveal too much about their organization. No one wants to share the “secret sauce.” But here’s the secret about secret sauce: while recipes can be identical, no two chefs are alike.
You are the differentiating factor in your business; your clients choose you over others because your services and style align with their needs. Plus, no amount of knowledge you share online can replicate the experience of working with you. Sharing what you know doesn’t transfer skills and experience—but it does build credibility.
3. “I’ve already done it.”
Many professionals fear saturating their websites and social media accounts with repetitive content. They worry that they can’t talk about a topic again because they have covered it in the past.
But the fact is that your audience is distracted. Consumers spend 2-3 hours on social media every day. To compete in today’s noisy online arena, you must show up consistently and let your prospective clients know what you offer, what you stand for, and what sets you apart.
Update and repurpose older content with new and relevant information to reinforce your status as an expert in your field—and the messages you consistently want clients to hear.
Mapping out your editorial calendar might seem daunting, but starting with existing materials will expedite the process. Where do you have compelling content lurking? Find it, and refine it into blog posts, emails, and social media posts.
Want an even easier solution to creating content that sounds like you? Book a Discovery Call with our team today.
