In a new format, old social mediaposts can find new life. Use these 4 tips tosave time andwork smart whencreating content for social media.
For those of us in digital marketing, it can feel like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. And until science catches up with Harry Potter and “Time-Turners” become a thing IRL, social media managers have to find creative ways to build fresh, engaging social media posts on a time crunch.
Luckily, sometimes the best, freshest social media content is actually old content.
If you have a great piece of content — whether it be a compelling photo, info-packed blog, or awesome video — there are countless ways to repackage and put a new spin on it.
In a new format, old content can find new life. You can increase your reach, inspire engagement, and build authority on a given topic — all while saving resources and maximizing your social media content strategy.
Here are four ways to repurpose your social media content.
1. Make a video.
According to Social Media Today, video remains the top-performing content format across the board. Video generates more engagement than still photos on Instagram, and LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to reshare a video than they are any other type of content.
Not all of us are cinematic geniuses, but with the variety of easy-to-use tools on the market, creating good social content with video is easier than ever. Canva has animation features and great stock imagery options that can turn your standard graphic into a video. Lumen5 is super easy (and fast!) to use, especially for info-packed videos. Even turning a collection of photos into a slideshow from iMovie or your phone can be enough to spark higher engagement.
2. Show, don’t tell.
As a copywriter, this one kills me to say, but it’s true: sometimes an image can tell your story better than words. If you’ve got a great blog or piece of website copy, chances are it’ll make an even better infographic!
Distill your content into a few neat bullet points, open up your design tool, and voila! an infographic is born. (This blog itself would make a great infographic, right?)
3. Share a link.
Everyone has different ways they prefer to engage with social media content. My best friend devours true crime podcasts and documentaries, but as a writing-minded person, I learn best by reading. If our favorite brand puts out a podcast or video on their new products, my friend would be the first person to watch — whereas I’m more likely to click on a link and read about it.
Link shares are often one of the most straightforward ways to share content, and they’re also one of the most effective! (Some of us are cool, visually-minded people while others are self-proclaimed nerds who love to read. ??♀️)
4. Embrace the throwback.
Sometimes, repackaged content doesn’t even need a new format. Analyze your content reports for your best-performing content and build a best-of series that spotlights everything great your followers might have missed the first time — or would appreciate seeing again.
If you’ve got a great piece of content that’s outdated, you can always go back and freshen it up to be relevant again. Sometimes editing an old blog or infographic is quicker than writing a whole new one!
When you’re thinking creatively with your content planning, the possibilities for any one piece of content are endless. Save time, work smart, and you’ll (almost) never feel burned out on creating content for social media again!