By Wendy Lewis
Bill Gates first said “Content is King” in 1996, and his words became the mantra of a whole generation of online marketers. The basic concept still holds true in 2015—but with a twist. Content is still king, but it has to hold court across multiple platforms.
Great unique content should be the foundation of any online marketing strategy. Period. Without relevant, engaging, and timely content, your email marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), public relations, and even paid search campaigns are destined to fail.
The first step is to zero in a topic that casts a wide net and can be shared through many platforms. The most user-friendly content is on topics that are considered evergreen, meaning that they are not dated or tied to a specific month, season, or year, and will be relevant for a longer time.
Get the most out of each evergreen topic by repurposing it in these 12 ways:
1.Blog About It
A practice blog is an easy way to add fresh content to your website on a regular basis. A blog is an essential component of a good content strategy and can be created as part of your main practice website and/or microsites. Weekly posting is a good plan, and it can always be increased in frequency as needed. Posts can be as short or as long as you like; 300 to 500 words is a good number to work with. A wide range of topics is fair game for your blog, including media placements, milestones, general health and beauty news, skin tips, anti-aging treatments, etc. A guest blog on other relevant blogs with the same or similar target audiences can also help get your name out there.
2.Create a Slide Show
Many topics make great slide show presentations. A slide show does not have to give away proprietary information, but rather cover some basis points about a particular topic and encourage the reader to click to find out more. You do not have to plan to present the slides. Instead, a link to the slide show can be embedded on the same page. This is considered fresh content. You can then easily upload your slides on a platform such as SlideShare or LinkedIn to attract viewers. Each slide should contain a colorful image along with 200 to 300 choice words describing the image and how it pertains to the topic at hand.
3. Go to the Videotape
If you have already followed step No 2 and have created a slide show, it can be easily repurposed on YouTube. You can convert the slides and add music. Enlist someone to deliver the slide show in front of a camera, which tends to be more engaging than just talking over slides. Use the copy to develop a script for a video demonstration. Tape a video about the topic, and embed it on your blog or distribute through your social media platforms. These videos can be shot with an iPhone or tablet or simple video camera. Videos should be very short and make a few key points that will be memorable to the viewer. You can then edit down the video and use snippets as needed.
4. Record a Podcast
They’re baaackk. Podcasts can be easy to do and work well if they can be placed on online radio sites or with your local radio stations. Content can be repurposed by reading the post yourself or have someone on staff do it. The podcast can then be promoted on your social media platforms, embedded on your website, or added to an e-blast.
5. Take a Photo
Visuals are a crucial aspect of content creation. Anything you can film can also be captured in photos. Upload these to your website, and turn them into a photo gallery. Add captions that make it useful and easy for readers to follow. Photos can then be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Photo editing apps make it easy to add filters to your pictures to make them look different for each of these opportunities.
6. Send an E-blast
Email marketing works well when there is a highly targeted message and it has a strong call to action. It is an ideal way to recycle content on particular topics, and the best practice is to send e-blasts on a regular basis to each target audience. Keep your email marketing campaigns focused and visually appealing, and send the right content to the right target audience at the right time for the highest open rates.
7. Go Social
Facebook and Twitter are a natural next step for posting your content. You can also use these vital platforms to create content, such as surveys and quizzes, and comments. Drive traffic to your blog and website for readers looking for more information. By adding a Twitter app to your Facebook business page, each post will automatically be sent to Twitter without any extra clicks.
8.Write a News Release
An online news release distributed via a professional newswire service can reach new customers online and via social media. It is a commonly used tool for SEO, but news releases will work best when the topics are well thought out, informative, and newsworthy. The reach is quite broad, so consider topics that are more relevant to larger target audiences, such as skin rejuvenation, body shaping, or skin care tips and acne treatments. A release is typically 500 words and will include contact information for interested journalists and bloggers. Most services will also include distribution on their social networks for a nominal fee. Visuals can be added, including logos, photos, or videos, for an additional fee.
9.Craft a White Paper
White papers can provide great content for your website, online news release, and blogs. These are clinical, but not so technical that a consumer would not understand them. They can be formatted to read like a journal article with charts, graphs, and simple line drawings or before-and-after photos. These are typically 1,000 to 1,500 words at the maximum, and the content can be extracted and recycled for numerous purposes. They should be written in an authoritative voice, from an expert, to add credibility.
10. Tell Your Colleagues
LinkedIn is largely underutilized for content development. But remember that LinkedIn is primarily for professional to connect with other professionals. So, save this valuable platform for placing information of interest to your peers and industry, media, analysts, etc. For example, if you wrote a blog post about five skin tips aimed at teenagers, LinkedIn is not the place to promote it. But if you want to write about the new skin-rejuvenation laser you are using and your clinical experience, go for it.
11. Write an eBook
An eBook is a short book form, more like a pamphlet or brochure. It can be distributed free of charge via download, and positioned to drive traffic to your website or blog. In some cases, an eBook can be used to establish your brand as a leading source on a particular topic, launch a microsite, or as a call to action in Facebook ads or online marketing campaigns. Request the reader’s pertinent information before allowing the download to build your own database.
12. Design an Infographic
An infographic is a modern, fun way to bring tedious numbers, data, and insights to life. It is a way to repackage trends, milestones, and timelines in a compelling visual story. For example, going back to the laser skin-rejuvenation theme, an infographic theme might be “Top 5 Ways to Get Your Smooth Back,” that could include cosmeceuticals, peels, microdermabrasion, IPLs, and lasers, highlighting the laser as the next generation. Infographics can be sent to bloggers, posted on LinkedIn Groups, and used in news releases.
Multiplatform Content in Action
Consider the example of a new laser. The website landing page should contain 300 to 500 words of descriptions, before/after photos, FAQs, etc. The goal is to include enough information to make it interesting for the reader to call or email for more information. A blog post could be written as 300 words on what is different, exciting, or enticing about this new laser, how it works, and what skin conditions it can improve with a photo. An article of 500 to 750 words could then focus on the general topic of skin-rejuvenating lasers, what they are, what they do, and then shift focus to the new laser and how it compares to other lasers. A slide show can discuss the various skin conditions that can be treated with the new laser, while a white paper can detail your experience with the device and feature clinical pearls on how to maximize its efficacy and incorporate it into a practice. Essentially, this is the same content, but it has been reordered and refocused into the format that works best for each of these platforms.
Once you have used every other method you can possibly think of to repurpose your content, do it again. Add a new twist by parceling it out in a different way, with a fresh new look, or a slight tweak of the emphasis. n
Wendy Lewis is president of Wendy Lewis & Co Ltd, Global Aesthetics Consultancy, www.wendylewisco.com, founder/editor in chief of beautyinthebag.com, and a contributing editor to Plastic Surgery Practice. She can be reached at [email protected].
