How to Craft More Content for Your Website Than You'll Know What to Do With

You know the feeling. You just finished a great blog or case study. You’ve put in the time and the work, writing clearly and concisely with your persona in mind. You’re ready to publish, share, share, and share some more. And then, you’re ready to do it all over again, right? Welcome to the world of original content creation. There has to be a better way. And, there is. You can craft more content for your website without forsaking integrity, time, or creativity.

A Bird in the Hand is Worth …

Two in the bush? Isn’t that how the cliché goes? That expression means it is better to have an advantage or opportunity that is certain than having one that is worth more, but not as certain. The advantage and opportunity you have when it comes to your website’s content is making it work harder for you. Essentially, you can turn around and face another deadline and creative challenge to create something brand new, or you can maximize what already exists. Content in your "Publish" queue is worth two in your drafts …

Repurposing content is vital to your inbound marketing strategy because of the massive benefits:

• Lower cost than producing original content
• Increased reach, engagement, and conversion
• Improved branding
• Longer shelf life for content; it lives forever
• Improves organic search rankings

When you’re writing and you stumble upon the right inspiration or that “gem” you need to complete your outline, maybe you’ve thought, oh, I could write about this/expound for days. You can. 

Content for Your Website That is Dynamic

If you approach content creation looking for ways to double your output stemming from the same topic, it will be easier for you. But be careful with how you consider repurposing your content. Instead of simply promoting your content on your social channels, engage with your audience.

Take a standard topic – “10 Ways to Prepare for Your Retirement,” and turn that into a blog. You list out the 10 ways, tip after tip with supporting details. Suddenly, you have ten different memes/tips to share on social - engage your readers with it. Let’s say one of your 10 ways is to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). There are two options – traditional or Roth. Consider the amount of detail needed to clearly explain this point to your persona or audience. 

Would it be easier to hear the explanation rather than read it? Maybe so. In that case, turn it into a 20 – second video that you can use as content on your website. Perhaps that question – what is the difference between IRAs – is the most common according to your research/sales team feedback. Then you know the content you create to answer it will be powerful, searched for, and useful to your persona. That’s another surefire way to create content that people are searching for – search for it yourself and use the accompanying SEO to gauge what people are looking for.

Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery

93 percent of marketers say they do content marketing. That means we live in a very, very content-driven world. And where there is content, there is sharing. When it comes to the content available for your website, it’s okay to think a little outside the box. In fact, it’s encouraged. Say you come across something during your morning coffee and feed-check session that you love and wish you’d written or created. Share it. Don’t steal it, but share it and give credit where credit is due. Sharing content that isn’t original to you or your brand establishes you as a thought leader in your industry. It enforces that what you’re doing to bolster your brand in the eyes of your persona isn’t solely about you, but about your audience and their needs, wants, and pain points.

If you’re in the 93 percent of content marketers, you know the task to produce is large. Managing content creation is likely a very large part of your marketing strategy. In that vein, remember: 

• Create content that can easily be broken down into other digestible, shareable content. Infographics can be sliced into four separate blog posts; videos can do in 20 seconds what 600 words in a blog can do.

• Your headlines and subheads can easily be used on your social platforms in the form of memes or tips-of-the-day-type posts, provided it drives users back to the original content on your website.

• Creating original content should always be your first priority, but sharing notable and useful content from others when applicable is a great way to fill the gaps in your content schedule or strategy.

By keeping these tips in mind, you'll be well on your way to crafting more content than you know what to do with.