Photo by PiggyBank on Unsplash
If your first impulse is to think “lazy,” hold that thought and read on.
What Does Content Recycling Mean?
It means reusing previously published marketing content, such as social media posts, blog articles, or videos after some time has passed.
Why Should I Recycle My Marketing Content?
You don’t have to recycle your marketing content at all. If you have the resources to create new content every day or week (depending on how frequently you publish content and how many social media accounts you manage), that’s great. But there are some clear advantages to it.
You Can Reach More People
First, it’s unlikely that all your followers saw your content when you posted it. And if you’re especially proud of your content, or if you’re communicating something important, you want to give everyone a good chance of seeing it. Plus, it’s likely that you have gained more followers since you first posted, so your content will be new to them.
Not Everyone Is Open to Your Message at the Same Time
It’s possible a good chunk of your followers had a lot going on when your content appeared on their feeds and did not pay much attention to it. Perhaps they thought, “I’ll come back to this later,” and forgot. But they might be more receptive and engage with it the second time around.
Sometimes There’s Just Not a Lot to Say
Ever felt like you’ve already said everything you could possibly say to your followers? After all, there are only so many words you can use to communicate the same thing (Thesaurus.com, anyone?). But even if you don’t have anything new to say, you definitely want to stay top of mind. Reusing content you posted 6 months ago can be a good way of filling in the gaps in your marketing calendar.
You Can Refresh Old Content to Create Something New
Repurposing old content is a great way to increase brand awareness, especially if you use content that has performed well. Has there been a new development that changes something you published before? Are you now offering something you previously promised to your followers? Grab the original post that got you so many positive comments and use the caption to provide an update or refresh your visuals with new branding.
There’s Nothing Like a Good Throwback
People like nostalgia. The things we like can bring about the good feelings we felt the first time we experienced them. So if you have content that made people laugh or feel warm and fuzzy at one point, chances are, it can make them feel that way again.
When Can Recycling Content Go Wrong?
To be successful and receive positive reactions from your followers, you should recycle your content with care. Here are a few things you should take into account when recycling content.
Don’t Overdo It
Space out your recycled content strategically. Let enough time pass so that it doesn’t feel repetitive to your followers when you publish it again. Check your growth rate to see if you’ve gained enough followers for whom the content will be fresh.
User-Relevant Content
The content you decided to recycle must still be relevant to your audience. Publishing content that is clearly outdated will make your followers perceive your brand as outdated as well.
When Should I Duplicate Content?
You’ll want to duplicate your marketing content to use it across different social networks. This makes sense – different segments of your audience probably spend their time in different social networks. Which social network they spend time on will depend on many things, like their age, their interests, their personalities, or their geographic location.
It’s a good idea to use a social media management tool like Gain to make this process quick and painless. Once your social media asset has been approved by your client, you can duplicate it in Gain so it’s automatically published in each social network, saving you the time and hassle of manually publishing your posts in different social networks every single time.
Try Gain free to see how much easier recycling and duplicating content can be!
