As a marketer, you probably feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle when it comes to content. From maintaining a company blog, to various social channels…
You’re creating more and more, for less engagement.
Capturing attention online feels more difficult than ever before 😫
There are simply so many more content creators and publications to compete with.
Not to mention the ever-changing social media algorithms!
If you’re in a small marketing team, or the only content creator at your company, it can become a tad overwhelming.
But don’t panic!
Content marketing success isn’t all about creating fresh pieces at a faster pace.
Today we’re covering how to extend the shelf-life or lifespan of marketing content.
Following these 5 steps will help you get the most from every blog, podcast, or social post you create.
1. Make It Evergreen
First, prioritize creating evergreen content.
The types of pieces that stay relevant for a long time, with minimal updating needed.
Always keep in mind when planning your content strategy that a ‘How To’ article will naturally have a longer shelf-life than a ‘2024 Trends’ article.
If your goal is to get more organic clicks from Google, quality evergreen content is the best way to establish a sustainable SEO strategy.
You’ve only got so much resource at your disposal, so instead of firing out a bunch of new articles every week, focus on creating content that will stay relevant for a longer period of time.
It’ll also give your social media manager something to re-share when their calendar is looking a bit sparse.
We’ve written a guide on how to create evergreen content, so make sure to check that out for more tips.
2. Give Old Content a Refresh
Don’t let your old content die!
Your company blog shouldn’t be a graveyard 🪦
Plan time for amending older content to keep it up-to-date. An audit every few months should suffice!
For example, if you shared a ‘State of Marketing’ report for your industry 2 years ago, can this be updated with any fresh insights or changes?
4 Steps for Refreshing Content:
- Add new statistics or relevant data to support your statements.
- Rewrite copy that doesn’t fit your brand voice.
- Add internal links to new related content you’ve created.
- Update the graphics or images.
A content refresh is a way to send positive signals to Google, getting more eyes on your articles. Plus, your updated content can be shared again on social media. A win-win! 🏆
If you’re time-poor, discover your best performing content in Google Analytics, and prioritize updating those first.
3. Same Message, Different Format
Be like Spiderman. The actor changes, but the character is the same 🕷
The content format changes, but your core message remains.
Social media is constantly evolving, the biggest recent example being the explosion of short-form vertical videos.
Repurposing content for different platforms is a big win for small marketing teams and content creators / influencers.
You can reach more people with new formats, while using the work you’ve already created.
Use Blog Posts as a Starting Point for:
- Twitter threads
- LinkedIn posts
- YouTube videos
- Carousel social posts (LinkedIn, Instagram)
- Podcast episodes
- Short-form videos (TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts)
- Instagram stories
- Email marketing campaigns, such as a content series or sharing in your newsletter
- A prompt for your executives to share thought leadership on LinkedIn
Using an array of content formats not only allows you to reach a larger and more diverse audience, but it also extends the longevity of your content overall. This in turn provides more ROI from each piece.
Instead of becoming buried in your company blog or LinkedIn feed, repurposing breathes new life into what you’ve already created 🌱
Remember to follow the best practices of each platform you’re sharing to – repurposing isn’t just copy-pasting across channels.
Writing a great LinkedIn post is different to crafting an Instagram caption. Don’t forget to consider the different social media image sizes and aspect ratios too.
While this will take more time than simply resharing a link to your article, it’ll drive better results!
4. Level Up with Downloadable Content
Go through your top performing content from the past 6 months, and create downloadable assets for them.
I’m talking about ebooks, printable checklists, infographics, data visualization such as different types of charts and graphs…
It sounds like a lot of effort, but it’s really not. You’ve already done the research and written the content, so all you need to do is present it in a new way!
4 Reasons to Create Downloadable Resources:
1. Increase the longevity of your content, by creating resources that others are more likely to share on social media and link to in articles.
2. Gain more email subscribers by creating ‘gated’ opt-in content like ebooks.
3. Engage your audience in a new way by presenting ideas in a different format.
4. Become known as a helpful authority in your industry!
5. Leverage Employee Advocacy to Promote Content on Social Media
As a marketer, it’s absolutely worth encouraging your team to share content on social media, even if you don’t have an official employee advocacy program.
Why? 🤔
You can reshare and repurpose content on your official brand channels… But the reach will still be limited.
We all know that the LinkedIn algorithm doesn’t prioritize company pages 😫
But what if you ask your colleagues to create and share content?
People are much more likely to read and engage with content by people rather than brands.
When employees share content, it boosts your visibility by up to 561% 🤯
And as your colleagues build their personal brands, you’ll extend the shelf-life of your content.
Remember that as their audiences grow, new followers won’t have seen content posted 3 months ago.
So once you’ve refreshed your content and made it evergreen, they can share it over and over again 😏
All you’ll need to do is provide multiple images and social media captions to avoid everyone sharing the same thing, and you’re good to go.
DSMN8 makes social media easy for employees, empowering them to find and share the content you create, with automation and AI features to streamline the process.
Spend less time on marketing content distribution, while generating better results.
Watch the 90-second platform demo below for a quick overview:
Ready to get started with employee advocacy?
Schedule a call with one of the team.
Prefer to cut to the chase and explore the platform?
Roger that!
Book a demo of DSMN8, the #1 Employee Advocacy Platform.
More tips for your content marketing strategy:
Emily Neal
SEO and Content Specialist at DSMN8. Emily has 10 years experience blogging, and is a pro at Pinterest Marketing, reaching 1 million monthly views. She’s all about empowering employees to grow their personal brands and become influencers.
