Staying relevant and engaging your audience is crucial for effective content marketing. However, constantly churning out fresh content can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. That’s where repurposing old blog content comes in handy. By giving your existing content a makeover, you can breathe new life into it and reach a wider audience. Here are three tips to help companies repurpose their old blog content effectively:

1. Create Visual Content

One of the most effective ways to repurpose old blog content is by transforming it into visually appealing assets. Visual content, such as infographics, slideshows and videos, not only attracts more attention but also makes complex information easier to digest. Take a look at your old blog posts and identify key points, statistics or insights that can be presented visually. For example, if you’ve written a blog post about industry trends, you can create an infographic summarizing the key findings or turn the content into a narrated slideshow for LinkedIn or YouTube. By repackaging your old blog content into visual formats, you can engage your audience in new ways and expand your reach across different platforms.

2. Develop Multimedia Resources

In addition to visual content, consider repurposing your old blog content into multimedia resources such as ebooks, whitepapers or podcasts. Take a deep dive into your archive of blog posts and identify topics that can be expanded into comprehensive guides or downloadable resources. For example, if you have a series of blog posts covering different aspects of a specific industry topic, you can consolidate them into an ebook that provides a comprehensive overview for your audience. Similarly, if you’ve written in-depth analyses or thought leadership pieces, consider turning them into downloadable whitepapers that offer valuable insights to your target audience. Additionally, you can repurpose your blog content into podcast episodes by recording audio versions or conducting interviews with industry experts to provide additional perspectives. By repurposing your old blog content into multimedia resources, you can offer value to your audience in different formats and establish your brand as a trusted source of expertise in your industry.

3. Update and Refresh Content

Another effective way to repurpose old blog content is by updating and refreshing existing posts to reflect the latest trends, developments or insights in your industry. Review your archive of blog posts and identify topics that are still relevant but may benefit from additional information or a fresh perspective. For example, if you wrote a blog post about best practices for implementing a specific technology in your industry a few years ago, consider updating it with new case studies, examples or tips based on recent experiences or advancements in the field. Additionally, you can repurpose old blog content by creating “roundup” or “best of” posts that compile your top-performing or most popular blog posts on a specific topic. By updating and refreshing your old blog content, you can keep it relevant and valuable to your audience while maximizing its longevity and impact.

Repurposing old blog content is a smart and efficient way for companies to extend the lifespan of their content assets and reach a wider audience. By creating visual content, developing multimedia resources, and updating and refreshing existing posts, you can leverage your existing content to engage your audience in new ways and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

The marketing world is changing fast, and it seems like every day there’s a new trend to learn about. The good news is that these trends are all coming from companies that want to better connect with their customers in ways that are authentic and meaningful. If you’re ready for an exciting year full of innovation and change, here are the ten trends we think will shape how you approach marketing in 2023:

Trend 1: Influencer marketing and PR

Influencer marketing is one of the best ways to reach customers, and if you’re not using it yet, you should be.

In the past two years alone, influencer marketing spend has skyrocketed by $10 billion. That’s why it’s important to keep up with this trend so that you don’t get left behind. Influencers are people who have built up a loyal following through their blogs or social media accounts; they can help drive word-of-mouth recommendations for your brand because people trust them as experts in their field. And since influencers don’t always have big budgets for advertising themselves (but often do have time), it might make sense for brands to work with them instead of buying ads from bigger companies like Google or Facebook.

Trend 2: Visualize success

Visual content is all the rage these days. You can’t swing a cat without hitting an infographic, video or animated GIF.

Why? Because visual content is more engaging and memorable than text-based content, which leads to higher engagement rates and better ROI for advertisers. Content marketers have long known this, but it’s finally trickling down to individual brands as well—a recent study found that over 80% of consumers prefer images over text when it comes to making buying decisions. Visual marketing has also been shown to be 12 times more likely than traditional marketing methods such as print ads or direct mail flyers at creating brand awareness among consumers (and 24 times more effective at generating social media shares).

It’s easy to understand why: We’re simply wired this way—for decades now our brains have been trained by TV commercials and billboards featuring images rather than words (and it’s only gotten worse with the rise of smartphones). As a result, many people are now conditioned to not just graze over ads but actively avoid them altogether. That is unless the ad can catch their attention in some way through design alone (which isn’t always easy since most companies use stock images from Shutterstock).

Trend 3: Create real connections

People want to feel connected to brands, and they’re willing to pay more for those that make them feel like part of the family (or community). The importance of building a community cannot be overstated. It’s not just about creating a platform where people can interact with each other as fans; it’s also about connecting emotionally with fans through authentic experiences and getting them personally invested in your brand.

In order to build trust, you have to be authentic—and by being authentic yourself, you will allow others to be authentic too. That means listening as well as speaking up when necessary. And last but certainly not least, use storytelling effectively—it’s all about staying human!

Trend 4: Sharing is caring

Share. Share. Share.

The world has always been about sharing, but now it’s more important than ever for marketers to share their content, and also to share other people’s content. That means you need to be sharing your own thoughts, experiences and opinions with your audience—and then you need to be sharing other people’s thoughts, experiences and opinions as well

Trend 5: Don’t ignore the haters

Haters are a fact of life and they’re not going away. But don’t get distracted by the naysayers—they’re only out there to try to change your focus, and that’s not good for business.

If you keep an eye on what people are saying about you, whether it’s positive or negative, you’ll be able to identify pain points in your product or service before anyone else does. For example: if customers love your product but hate its price tag, then maybe it’s time for a price hike. If customers hate the color scheme of one of your products but love everything else about it, then maybe changing up the color scheme would help boost sales without hurting customer satisfaction too much (and without requiring any major redesigns).

Trend 6: Use channels to create a cohesive strategy

The strategy for your business would be to use channels like social media, email, print and video to get the message across.

It’s a good idea to have a website with information about what you do and how it benefits customers.

Try not to bombard people with too much information; instead give them just enough so that they know who you are and what you offer before encouraging them to explore further.

Trend 7: Content marketing and PR are best friends

Content marketing and PR are best friends. There’s no getting around it: content is king in the digital age. We all know that video, images and text have become the primary ways we get our information online—and many brands have capitalized on this opportunity by creating their own original content for their audiences to consume. With so many options available to them, consumers are becoming increasingly selective about what they choose to view and share (or not). This means businesses need to create compelling content that resonates with their audience if they want to stand out from the crowd.

Content marketing is a great way to promote your brand. Creating original material can also help you establish yourself as an authority within your niche or industry—a reputation that will help build trust among potential customers and drive sales down the road when they’re ready for more information about your products/services or ready for action (e-commerce purchases).

Trend 8: Go niche or go home

If you’re not already, it’s time to go niche or go home—or, more accurately, niche or fail.

Marketing is going to be more competitive than ever in the next few years and marketers are going to have to find creative ways of standing out from the crowd. Niche marketing is a great way to do this because it allows you to create a brand that is unique and specific, which can really help your business stand out from competitors.

Trend 9: Just add data

Data is the new oil, and if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to be using it. If your company is still collecting data by hand or through surveys, well…you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.

It’s not always easy to get access to good data—especially when other companies are vying for it too—but if your brand can get its hands on some quality information about its customer base and how they interact with content online, then there are literally countless ways that insight can be used within a marketing strategy.

For example: You might use this information as part of an A/B test around where certain types of ads should appear across different channels in order for them to reach their intended audience most effectively (and therefore earning more revenue). The color red might appeal more strongly than blue; thus, red ads would perform better on Facebook while blue ones do better on Google AdSense.

Trend 10: Leave room for storytelling

If you’re going to be writing content for the next three years, make sure it’s going to be memorable. This can be done by using a story structure and making sure that your story is engaging. Stories are one of the most powerful communication tools we have because they engage our emotions more than facts or numbers ever will. As such, they help us build trust with our audience — which leads to sharing and engagement.

In other words: if you want your content remembered, use stories!

Get ready to embrace change.

The future of marketing is a constantly changing landscape. To succeed, you need to be prepared for anything. The best way to do this is by keeping your eyes on the prize and not being afraid of change—or failure. Change is inevitable; if you’re not ready for it, it won’t matter how much effort you put into trying to stay ahead of the curve.

Overall, we recommend staying flexible and open-minded toward new ideas and methods. If something isn’t working or doesn’t feel right at first glance, don’t be afraid to try again with a different approach: maybe even one that seems counterintuitive or strange at first glance!

Conclusion

That’s it. We hope we’ve given you some things to think about as you make your marketing plan for the next few years. You may feel like there are too many trends to keep up with, but don’t worry! All of these trends can be incorporated into your existing strategy and used in combination with each other to create an even more powerful brand identity that will set you apart from the crowd. And if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out!

Many companies face the same dilemma. They have a selection of game changing products or services that their current customers couldn’t live without. Likewise, sales are consistent, but have seemed to top off. Breaking through that glass ceiling requires connecting with new customers, and what better way to do this than online? But after turning their attention to the company’s website and social channels, it’s quickly remembered the last message posted wished their customers a happy new year in 2018.

In order to be found online, you have to be present. Creating a website and social channels for your company is a great start, but without regular updates they aren’t doing you much good. A highly successful website creator and SEO specialist recently told me that “ongoing content is necessary more than ever.” And it’s true! Relevant, timely and informed content not only galvanizes your position as an expert in your field, but can help new customers find your website and seek out your assistance with the problems they’re facing. However, realizing your company’s need for content is only the first step. The second is coming up with enough ideas to feed the content machine.

Stick with the basics

Creating content doesn’t have to involve deep research and days of writing. One trick to creating quick, quality content is to utilize the knowledge already available to you. Chances are that, while you might consider it commonplace, many potential customers are currently searching for the basic information surrounding your products and/ or services, or the problems they solve. Consider a series of high-level, “101” type posts that provide this general information with a “contact us with any questions” hook at the end.

Have you heard the news?

There are also numerous opportunities to position yourself as a thought leader by piggybacking off of current events that might have some impact for your customers. We’re all a part of a larger industry, and your position as a product/ service provider gives you a unique perspective on news affecting your customers. We obviously don’t suggest basing any content on controversial or divisive issues. But if you can find a relevant current event and provide a unique, original and authentic comment on it, this is content gold.

Introduce the team

The larger trend of business transactions moving online, which was further accelerated by the pandemic, has left many people sick of interacting with faceless brands and chatbots. Customers want to know the people they’re doing business with, their backgrounds and their interests. What makes them uniquely qualified for their positions? What contributions have they brought to your company? Introducing your company to potential customers with a series of posts that highlight your team members could be the deciding factor in where they end up taking their business.

Conclusion

Committing to creating regular content can be daunting at first. But by utilizing these tips to get you started, and developing a mindset for identifying company news that could turn into a great piece of engaging content, soon it will become second nature. And if you need help getting your efforts off the ground, we’re here to help!

It seems like almost every business website nowadays has a blog. Amirite? And for good reason. Blogs act like your company’s very own magazine or newspaper. They provide a way for you to post company news, talk about new products or services, comment on recent events, or drop some knowledge on your current and/or potential customers to show off your smarts. And, even better, you’re also the editor and publisher. There are no style guides by which to abide, so you can write using your brilliant wit and hilarious slang [see above example: Amirite?] to brighten up your posts and give the reader an inside look into your company’s personality and culture. It’s a proven scientific fact that 100 percent of people prefer to do business with companies that they like on a personal level. Ok, there’s no science to back that up. But I certainly believe it to be the case. So then, why do so many companies overlook the podcast as another vehicle to get their two cents out there while showing how great/ fun/ likeable they are?

For some, the mere mention of the word “podcast” conjures up images of a professional, soundproofed studio replete with audio technicians, producers and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of high-tech recording equipment and editing software. And while it’s true that most top-end podcasts use similar setups, this is without a doubt the exception to the norm considering how the majority of podcasts are produced today. Over the last few years, smartphone apps and free online services like Anchor and Libsyn have made the recording, editing and distribution of podcasts both quick and easy.

So, since we’ve dispelled the “I can’t afford it” myth, let’s talk about three ways a podcast can help your content marketing.

• Channeling All the Good Vibes

By starting a podcast, you’re creating a new owned media channel to reach out to your prospects. Sure, they might read your blog or scroll through your social channels in between tasks at work. And that’s good. But imagine if you had the opportunity to chat with them on their daily commute. The majority of podcast listeners consume content on their daily drives to and from work. Talk about a captive audience! This gives you the chance to add some color commentary to a point you discussed in your recent blog post, or go further in-depth about an issue you touched on in a social post. Wise buyers like to be well informed, and this additional channel lets you round out the messages you communicate on a regular basis.

• Adding Personality to Your Brand

If one of the major benefits to writing your own blog is the chance it gives you to show off your personality, just think how much further you could take things with a podcast. Audio-based content lets your customers hear the enthusiasm and passion for your work in your voice, that even the best writers struggle to capture in a blog post.

• Reach More People

By throwing your hat in the podcast ring, you’ll be reaching out to a new pool of potential customers that might have never heard of you before. Research shows over 57 million Americans listened to podcasts in the past month! And anyone worth their salt in the marketing world knows to never underestimate the power of reaching a prospect organically.

There you have it. I hope you’ll see that by starting a podcast, you’re opening up a new avenue for your content. There are opportunities to amplify the content you’ve already created in new and more colorful ways, while adding a new touchpoint for interested prospects to learn more and for existing customers to further deepen their loyalty for your brand.

So if you’re on the fence, thinking about how to get your podcast started or needing help creating a content calendar for future episode topics, we can help!

At O’Keeffe, we like to say that we specialize in helping our clients tell the right story, on the right channel, to the right audience, at the right time. And right now, it’s the right time to incorporate video into your marketing plans in order to stay relevant in the constantly evolving digital landscape. Here are five reasons we recommend adding video into the mix:

Video Improves SEO

Having video content on your webpage improves your SEO. In 2020, 93% of all online experiences began with a search engine. And 75% of those web searches didn’t go past the first page. According to market researcher Forrester, you’re 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of a Google search when you have a video on your website.

Video Increases Social Media Engagement

Videos on Facebook significantly outperform still images. They garner two times the number of clicks and have a 2-3 times higher clickthrough rate. Similarly on Twitter, Tweets with videos are 6x more likely to be retweeted than Tweets with photos and 3x more than Tweets with GIFs. Why is this important? Increased engagement can lead to greater brand awareness, and ultimately a sale.

Video Builds Trust

Video content helps to establish your brand’s voice and create a more trusting environment for viewers.  Users recognize that it takes a lot more effort to put together a video and are more likely to trust what is being said by the brand. It also helps to visually see someone as an ambassador for a brand, to hear their voice and see their personality.

Video Appeals to Consumers

Today, consumers are overloaded with content from brands. Video is the perfect tool to break away from the pack and reach today’s busy consumers. For most, life is too busy to have time to read long product descriptions or dig deep into your services. Video content is a way to cut out the demand for any reading and easily engage all types of audiences. In fact, 98% of consumers say they’ve watched a video to learn more about a product or service.

Video is the Wave of the Future

According to the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, video now accounts for 74% of all online traffic, and this trend toward video-based content consumption is expected to increase. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg concurs, and he has repeatedly stated that his company will be focusing on video for the future. Simply put, creating video content is a non-negotiable if you want your brand to maintain a forward-looking marketing strategy.

Ready, Set, Shoot!

Now that we’ve established that you should incorporate video into your content marketing, it’s time to get started. If you’re looking for more insight or ways to create a video that resonates with customers, reach out to us.

Especially on the technical side of client accounts, it’s a common occurrence to meet a company that’s clearly among the experts in their space but unsure of how to market themselves. In many of these cases, the space in which they operate could be highly niche and separated by several degrees from the public eye. Often times, these companies make the products that go into the products that make the products that most people know and use every day.

The common course of action for companies who find themselves in this position is to rely solely on direct sales. And understandably so. A talented, experienced sales team who knows the industry inside and out, and has spent years and years developing relationships with contacts at all the various players within the industry can be a dependable rainmaker for a technical organization. The only problem here is when that is a company’s sole source of outreach. It’s important to cast a wider net by developing a well-orchestrated thought leadership strategy in order to go after the fish that aren’t directly in your sales team’s sights, as well as control your reputation and brand equity beyond what others are saying about you.

If you are a technical organization thinking about expanding beyond your direct sales efforts, the following steps should help you get off the ground.

Step 1: Admit that you are an expert

The first step is simply to realize the value of the expertise that your company possesses. As a technical company, it’s sometimes hard to see past your immediate circle and realize that there is a wider demand for your knowledge beyond just your current customers.

Step 2: Join the larger conversation

If you aren’t already doing it, go out to find and join the conversations other members of your industry are currently having with each other. Technical companies sometimes cringe at the thought of social media. But there is a lot of information exchange happening on social platforms that you can take advantage of, especially if you use the right platform. Do your research and see what people are talking about. Follow influencers, build your network, and share and comment on the posts that interest you.

Step 3: Identify your contributions and your contributors

Figure out where you can contribute to this conversation. Look inside your company for developing technologies you can talk about, or ways your company’s products or services are influencing a larger trend. Also, find your subject matter experts. Who are the champions of your company’s technologies? Who are the technical experts with the knowledge you’d like to show off to the world? Chances are, they’d be prime candidates to comment on current trends or offer input to a trade magazine feature article.

Step 4: Make a plan

Once you identify your list of topics, make a calendar with plans for producing and pushing out content showcasing your knowledge on these topics. Be sure to include with your plans how you plan to publish your content. Is it an article with wide appeal to the industry? If so, a relevant trade journal might be a good fit. Is it a white paper demonstrating in-depth one of your company’s products? Consider “gating” this white paper on your company website and posting links on your social channels to garner attention and gather valuable sales leads.

Step 5: Steady does it

Especially with your owned media (blogs, podcasts, etc), it’s important to establish a regular rhythm at which viewers can expect new articles or episodes to be published, and then stick with it. Marketing this way has a cumulative effect, and it takes commitment to a steady and regular schedule of content in order to build your following and establish your credibility. If at first you don’t see life changing results, don’t despair! Stick with your plan, and pretty soon you’ll be able to watch the needle move in your favor.

There you have it. While I hope this helps, I also know it’s easier said than done. What other questions do you have? Feel free to reach out!