Recycling is good!
It’s a low-stakes way to make the most of a useful or beloved object while helping preserve our planet. The best part about recycling is that there are many ways to do it, like turning a glass jar into a vase.
But, that’s not the only place you can recycle. You can also recycle your old content and turn it into something fresh and new. Recycling, just like in real life, can help you save time, money, and resources. With a little planning and some creative thinking, you can quickly and strategically breathe new life into existing stories and content, helping you achieve your goals, drive growth, and connect with new audiences.
How to Choose What Marketing Content to Repurpose
You’re probably sitting on a trove of great content — likely a lot more than you think. It’s important to not just recycle any content but the right content. But, it can be a lot to sift through, here are some things to keep in mind as you’re searching.
- Know your content. Audit old editorial calendars and communication plans annually for content that can be reused and refreshed in your current enrollment strategy. Some content (like admissions material) has a new audience every cycle, so old content can be reused with minimal tweaking.
- Talk to people! Your student ambassadors, academic departments, and other business offices also collect and create images, videos, quotes, and stories. Implement regular check-ins to review existing collateral produced by other departments.
- Look at your metrics. See what’s reaching and landing with your college’s community. If it’s already engaging, you can be confident that it’ll stay engaging after a refresh
- Be proactive. As you and your team build editorial calendars and communication plans, add a space where you can jot down different ways videos, student quotes, or blogs can be repurposed in the future.
How to Repurpose Your Content
Now that you’ve identified some content to repurpose, you have to recycle it into something fresh. Here are a few ways you can repurpose it into a new campaign:
- Update important information. Not all refreshes need to reinvent the wheel. For some content, a refresh is as easy as making sure key information like dates and CTA links are updated.
- Cut quotes and video clips up. Old videos and quotes might date themselves with graduation years or specific references. Edit quotes down and remove what isn’t relevant to get at the core. Use your revised quotes in emails, blogs, print pieces, and on social media.
- Post across channels. A TikTok, Reel, or playlist can fit nicely into an email or a QR code on a print piece. A student story you collected for an email can be turned into a blog post and vice-versa.
- Share stats. Numbers help tell a story, particularly when you make them more visual. Find great statistics like alumni outcomes, athletic accomplishments, or highlights from a blog post and turn them into eye-catching visuals. Post those visuals on social media, share via email, or save the files for a print piece. You can reuse these graphics annually—just be sure to update them.
For more ideas, check out some examples the experts at Hubspot found for repurposing content.
Ready to Recycle Content?
By reviewing old content, cross-checking departments for existing content, understanding how new content can integrate into different campaigns, and being creative, you can turn one piece of content into many — without wasting time and resources.
Need a boost? Carnegie can help you get started.