We’d probably all like to be greener and many of us are using less paper and more recyclable items in our practices. But did it occur to you that you can recycle your time, effort and knowledge as well as more obvious, material things? It’s the perfect way for the small business owner to work smarter and not harder.
Let’s say you are writing a blog or article. How long will
it take you to write 1000 words? An hour? Two? More? It might depend on the topic
- things you can write off the top of your head are faster to put together than
things you have to research, of course. But, having put in all that work, how
can you make the most of your content? Re-purposing is the key, using the same
material in as many different ways as you can think of.
So, let’s see how that works.
How to repurpose your social media content
For this example, I am going to assume I’m working with a
blog on ‘The ten best ways to combat anxiety'. Although eventually I’d probably want a
snappier title, that will do for now.
Firstly, I will need to sit down and write it. I might read
through my course notes, books or websites for ideas or brainstorm techniques
that have been effective for clients. I might look up some research for some evidence-based
ideas. Then, I have to put that together in a way that sounds like me and doesn’t
simply plagiarise other writers who have covered the same topic. If I only
publish that as a blog, once, it is almost certainly a poor use of limited resources
like my time and energy. Especially since this is probably unpaid time and
energy!
But with minimal tweaking that one article could also become:
- A leaflet or download for clients experiencing anxiety.
- A free ebook incentive for people to sign up
for my newsletter.
- Content for my newsletter.
- A monetised ebook, sold via my website. (If you're expecting people to pay, it’s a
good idea to add some ‘bonus tips’ over and above what is available for free, and/or to expand on some of the points.)
- A poster for my therapy room wall.
- Ten different image-based social media posts (one tip on
each image), which is one every three days for a month after my blog is published.
Since individual posts will only be seen by about 5% [1] of my followers, including
a link back to the original article with each of these images should increase hits
on my blog.
- Ten power-point slides to create a video for my website and
social media.
- The basis of a promotional talk to offer to local groups
like the WI, or an educational one for local employers.
- An infographic on coping with anxiety for my social media or
website.
- The start of that self-help book I always meant to write.
- An email course for clients – free or monetised: perhaps four,
weekly emails each based around an existing blog, as long as the topics are
related. (Again, if you are charging for this, include some material not available for free, to be fair to those parting with their hard-earned cash.) Automate the email delivery, of course, to save time, using a provider like Mailchimp.
- If I had twelve tips instead of ten, I could make a calendar from the image posts, to use as a promotional item next year. Having said that, I don’t think I’d use a blog of anxiety tips for this, I’d go for one that was more inclined to inspire positive thinking – something like ‘Simple self-care tips for good mental health’ or 'Affirmations for happiness'. But if you write a blog once a month you have twelve different topics to choose from each year for your calendar.
Doing all this might sound like a lot of work in itself, but
using online resources like Canva or Designerr can make it simply a case of
juggling the content a little to suit the different formats. It’s going to take
some time, obviously, but is significantly quicker than writing new content for each outlet. And you don't have to use every idea here every month. Pick and choose what suits you - and the time you have available - best.
FAQ about repurposing social content
Will my followers see the same content too many times?
This is very unlikely. As said, only about 5% [1] of your followers see most posts on social media, so they are likely to see only a small portion of your repetitions. If you are going to make your blog article into an ebook, leave a gap in time between publishing the two resources.
How do I re-use the content that performs the best?
Should I update my repurposed blogs?
Yes, if you are re-posting links to old blogs, scan through quickly to make sure there is nothing in them that has gone out of date. In particular, check that any links you have included in the original blog still work.
Do I have to write all this myself?
You can post links to other people’s articles on social media if your audience will be interested in them. And you can develop some of your own material inspired by other people’s themes as long as you are careful not to infringe their copyright.
Articles and blogs are too useful – and too labour intensive - to only
use once. Your content is valuable to you and your followers and should be
treated as such. By reusing it carefully, you can extend its life and generate
more traffic for your social media and website, which should ultimately help
grow your business. Plus, of course, using the same material in multiple ways makes
the best use of your time and energy!
And if you have other ideas, or have repurposed content in ways
not listed here, I would love to hear about it. Please post in the comments.
[1] 100 Pound Social. (n.d.). Why we “recycle” your best two
social media posts each month. [online] Available at:
https://100poundsocial.com/resources/recycling-social-media-posts-benefits/
[Accessed 23 Dec. 2021].
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Author: Debbie Waller is an experienced hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy trainer. She is the author of The Hypnotherapist's Companion and Their Worlds, Your Words and a co-writer of the Hypnotherapy Handbook, all of which are available from Amazon.
Find out more about Debbie's services on
Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training - multi accredited hypnotherapy practitioner training, taster days and foundation levels.
CPD Expert - accredited CPD and other therapy training (online and workshops options), expert and qualified hypnotherapy supervision
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