’Tis the season to recycle: How reformatting your top content drives end-of-year revenue 

The arrival of the holiday season means B2B marketers are scrambling to drive that last bit of revenue to end the year on a high note. But they may already have the solution: a revival of their existing content.

According to the 2023 Semrush State of Content Marketing report, 42 percent of marketers said updating and repurposing existing content led to successful campaigns. And a 2022 ReferralRock survey found that 31 percent of marketers believe repurposing content helped increase engagement.

There are more advantages, too. Repurposing content allows you to reach different audience segments, based on criteria such as journey stage or personal preferences. Creating new content from scratch is also resource intensive, whereas recycling content is not only cost effective but can maximise ROI on what you’ve already produced while saving you time.

How to recycle your content

Your content worked for you once – now it’s time to make it work harder. Here are some simple ways to give yourself the gift of reinforcing your message and potentially reaching new audiences to drive end-of-year revenue:

Analyse and repurpose

Use analytics to identify your top performing pieces from the past six months to one year. This could include blog posts, social media updates, videos, newsletters and more that earned the most engagement (e.g., views, shares, traffic referral or other key data points.) Then repurpose these assets into new formats – a popular blog post can become an infographic. A webinar can be broken down into a series of shorter videos or a listicle of key quotes. Successful social media posts can be compiled into a comprehensive guide or eBook, etc. (More social media ideas below.)

Let AI be your guide

AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard can act as your personal editorial assistants. Let AI analyse the best parts of your highest-performing content and give you suggestions on how best to reuse it. Or have it look at multiple pieces of high-performing content that covered similar topics and suggest ways to create new derivative work.

Aggregate and package

Pulling together relevant content around specific themes is a great way to highlight your best work. Greatest hits packages, year-in-review feature, or content related to a particular product tend to do well the second time around. This is especially valuable in B2B or account-based marketing (ABM), as it allows decision makers to rediscover your best content in an easily digestible format. Many executives also have more down time at the end of the year to consume content they may have missed.

Atomise

Sometimes making a big splash takes doing something small. Look at some of the longer-form content you’ve developed such as white papers, lengthy articles or playbooks, and turn them into a series of shorter pieces.

Get social (again)

Even with a robust paid strategy, ongoing algorithm and rules changes mean that many followers might have missed your highest-performing posts the first time around. Why not revive your best-performing content and repost with a new caption, an updated perspective or new information? For example, you could highlight a different aspect of the content, tie it to a current trend, or simply change the visual elements to give your post a new lease on life and potentially earn some new followers.

Mine for new data

As with your social content, you can update your other older content with new data, trends, or developments in your industry. This not only increases the piece’s relevance but also demonstrates your commitment to providing current and accurate information.

Leverage customer content

Encourage your customers and partners to share their experiences with your products or services. Reposting user-generated content can enhance credibility and create a greater sense of community around your brand.

Re-engage with newsletters

Use your email newsletters to bring recycled content directly to your audience. Highlighting key pieces or collections can drive traffic back to your website and help refill your marketing funnel.

Encourage interaction

Sometimes the best way to get more content is to ask your customers and followers. Launch a poll and ask them to vote on their favorite story from the past year, or create a 2023 in review quiz where each answer page links out to a high performing story that has a compelling CTA for your audience. Don’t overthink the mechanics, either – keep it simple, short, and fun.

Stay relevant

Sometimes a post becomes more relevant due to changes in trends or current events. Reposting allows you to capitalise on this newfound relevance.

The right perspective on repurposed content

These approaches aren’t just about rehashing old content – quite the contrary. They’re about discovering and creating new value in what you’ve already done. It’s about reinforcing your message and staying close to your customers.

Great content doesn’t have to die. With some simple tweaks and techniques, you can increase your content’s lifespan as well as re-engage with audiences for an added revenue boost to end the year strong.

Finding new audiences

Finally, once you’ve repurposed your high-performing content into additional formats, it’s time to think about identifying, expanding and refining your audiences to maximise your current and future content’s reach. Media sites and content syndication are a great way to extend your content and take advantage of highly influential communities. Contact Informa Tech today to learn how you can reach our highly-sought-after audiences through a range of products and solutions before year’s end.