Your company creates a substantial number of assets used in the marketing of your business. This includes things like infographics, pictures, videos, blog posts, audio files, postcards, flyers, and instruction manuals for example. Many different assets are used in the creation of these products, and you want to be sure they don’t go to waste. If you were to use the assets and created pieces just once, you will miss out on a lot of their potential. Reusing existing assets can be beneficial, and it is easier than you might imagine.
Why Reuse Assets?
Reusable content is any sort of content that could be republished and used in a different format. When you reuse assets, you are making the best use of your resources. Repurposing means you will save money on the time and cost of content development.
It becomes easier to ensure quality and consistency, and you have the potential to reach more people when you have a steady stream of content you can use. You will find that it often allows you to reach people on different platforms that might not otherwise have the chance to see your material.
As you will see below, there are many methods of reusing the content that you have already created. Whether you have a lot of assets or you are just getting started, consider these practical ways that you can quickly increase the amount of content you have to offer.
You will find that often, you can use your assets to create several new pieces of content simultaneously. You can make a few tweaks to the written content to make new audio, for example, which can be used for podcasts or video voiceover. There are many ways to make the most of the assets you have and the content that you make. Get creative and see how much more you can do in less time and with less work.
Reuse Blog Posts, Images, Infographics, Etc. to Make an E-Book
E-books are popular as giveaways for many companies. Regardless of the type of business you are running, you can develop an e-book that explains your business, discusses pain points of your customers and how to fix them, offers how-to guides, etc. There are always options for e-books if you are creative.
Of course, the creation of e-books can feel a bit daunting. Even a short e-book that’s just 10 pages or so could take a lot of time if you had to start from scratch. If you have images, blog posts, stats, manuals, infographics, and other assets, though, it won’t take nearly as long. You will find that much of the work has been done. While you might still need to write the intro, conclusion, and some of the body, a lot of the work will have been done.
Depending on the nature of the book and the length, you could give it away when people subscribe to your newsletter or make a purchase, for example. You could just have the download available on your site, too.
As you develop more content, you will continue to have material for future e-books going forward.
Use Images and Facts from Blogs to Create Infographics
Infographics are still in style, and they can make for great content on your site, on social media, on blog posts, and more. You likely have images, stats, facts, and other information regarding your business that could make for a nice infographic. Most companies will have material for more than one infographic.
Keep in mind that infographics should have a limited amount of text and be easy to follow and understand. This type of content is beneficial because it helps people to see your company as the expert in the field. They can help to generate more visitors to your site, and they can work well for search engine optimization.
The graphics should be catchy, and you need to make sure that your logo is somewhere on the piece. Ideally, you will have the infographics in a sharable format, so those who see them can reuse them and post them to their social media accounts, their own sites, etc. You can let them do some of your marketing for you.
Repurpose Facts and Stats from Blogs and Infographics for Social Media Posts
Do you want to build a larger following on social media? Consider the facts and stats that you have put into your blogs and the infographics you’ve made. Each of those facts can work as a separate post on social media with a link back to the original content, or to another piece of content you are promoting.
Turn Images into Memes or Short, Shareable Ads
Everyone loves a meme, and if you have some company images that you or those on your team feel might make for good memes, consider repurposing the content. The meme should be memorable and fun, and it should be related to your business. You should also be sure that the image you are using is branded, so when people see it, they equate it with your company.
You could also simply use the images to create short ads that can be shared on social media, similar to how a meme image would be shared. However, rather than trying for something humorous, you would use text that is more marketing-focused. It could be the tagline for your business or one of your products or services, for example, along with your logo, website, contact info, or whatever information you deem to be most appropriate.
Use Visual Assets on a Pinterest Board and Instagram
If your company has a lot of visual assets, such as photos, artwork, etc. you can create a board on Pinterest or Instagram for your company. Whenever you have new photos taken, you can upload them, along with a description. This description should utilize your keywords and can offer links to your site.
People love images, and if you are taking quality photos, regardless of the subject matter, it should be possible to find and grow an audience through these platforms. It is also a truly simple way to make your assets do a little extra work for you without you needing to work too hard.
Integrate Images and Infographics Into Videos
Are you making video content for YouTube or commercials? A way to get some of the visual content that you need for your videos is to use the images and infographics that you already have. It’s easy to use video editing software to provide the illusion of motion even when using static images. Pans, zooms, and other unique tools can give life to the images in a brand new way. When you add some copyright-free music, narration, and some effects, you have a video that’s ready to go out there and market for you.
One of the benefits of creating videos using your current assets is that it will save time and money. The video can continue to work for you now and well into the future. You can use it on your site, on YouTube, and on other video hosting platforms.
Repurpose Videos to Create GIFs
Once you have one or more videos ready, you also have the option of taking short pieces of them to create GIFs. Animated GIFs are popular and they are easily sharable. If you have a video of your product in action, for example, you can create a GIF and use it on your social media sites. Just make sure that your branding is present on the GIF as it should be with all of the other content you are creating. After all, you still need it to work as a marketing device for you.
Shorten Videos into Clips for Social Media
Sticking with videos, you can use them to cut out and create short, truncated clips that are 30 seconds or less and add those to social media. This functions similarly to a GIF since they are fast and easy to share. However, this will have the sound of the video included. These short clips can be complete in their own right, or they might hint at what’s to come in the longer video, essentially serving as a preview that entices the viewer to click on your link.
Use the Audio from Videos to Create Podcasts
If you have videos that are 10 minutes long or longer, and they don’t require a visual component for the message to be understood, you could use the audio and upload it as a podcast. Interviews are especially good for the audio-only treatment. You are using the same content in two formats with the potential to reach two different audiences. You could create these at the same time, as well. Just make sure that there’s nothing in the audio that requires any visuals to be understood.
Narrate Blog Posts to Become Podcasts or the Audio in Your Video Content
This tip ties in closely with the previous one. If you have blog posts, consider narrating them and recording the audio. You can then take that audio and use it for podcasts and to use for audio in videos that you are making. You could potentially use the same, or very similar assets to create three different finished pieces.
Something to keep in mind when you are creating audio, whether it’s for an audio-only project or a video project, is that quality matters. People are willing to watch a video even when the video quality may not be the best. However, if the audio is too low, crackling, or has other problems, they will not want to listen to it for more than a few seconds. Make sure you can create good audio before investing too much time into it.
Create a Newsletter from Blog Posts
Even though your blog posts all live on your website in perpetuity, it doesn’t mean that everyone who should be reading them is reading them. This is especially true with older posts. Therefore, you might want to reuse the blogs, as well as images, in a newsletter that you send to subscribers via email. In most cases, the blogs will be ready to copy and paste into the newsletter.
However, you should still give them a once over. Make sure that they have current information and that you eliminate any spelling errors that might have made their way into it. Keep in mind that you can keep the content of the blog but change up the style. For example, you take a blog that was a list and create a long-form blog for the newsletter. Add some images from your current assets, and you have most of the content for your newsletter.
If you have an infographic, you could also include that in your newsletter. This allows it to reach those subscribers who might not have seen it on your social media sites or your website.
Promotional Items
Another interesting idea to consider might be to reuse some of your assets for creating promotional items. While this may not be an option that will work for all types of companies, it can provide some benefits. Naturally, you will want to be sure that you have your logo included on any promotional items that you make, whether it is apparel or a pen.
Some types of items, such as stickers, could include other image content, your tagline, or other details since they will have some more space. All of these assets that you have created to help with your branding can be used on merchandise that could be given away, sold, or worn by your employees.
Commercial Printing
You could also use some of the image assets that you have for commercial printing for flyers, postcards, banners, etc. The same is true of your logo, of course. However, you need to be sure that the assets you are using that will be printed are high-quality, so they will print properly.
When acquiring assets, it tends to be a good idea to get the best quality possible, which often means larger files. When you start with a large, quality file, though, it’s easier to make it smaller if needed. If you have a smaller file, when it is scaled up, the quality often declines. Keep this in mind when creating content. If you ever plan to reuse the assets for anything other than digital, quality and size are essential.
These are just some of the different ways that you could digital assets that you already have and make them work for you again and again. Get creative and think about some of the other ways you can repurpose your assets.
Make it Easier to Find and Reuse the Assets with a Digital Asset Management Platform
Reusing assets in your business is a fantastic idea, and these are just some of the many ways you can do it. However, if you do not have your assets properly organized and easy to find, it can be difficult. Therefore, you will want to use a quality digital asset management system that can make it easier for you to store, name, find, share, and collaborate on the assets. When searching for a platform, check to see whether it is easy to find the assets that are stored and explore all of the other features it offers.
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Resources: https://www.cio.com/article/3049373/6-ways-to-maximize-productivity-through-asset-reuse.html