How to Build a Multi-Platform Content Strategy From Existing Assets
Introduction
Developing content that needs to be posted on various platforms might prove challenging. Every platform has a unique audience and format to cater to, but continuously creating brand-new content is not always the most efficient way of doing things. There is a way to develop a content strategy across multiple platforms by leveraging the assets you already have.
Whether it is a blog post, webinar, podcast, product demo, or a long video – you can use any of those to generate multiple pieces of shorter content. It’s all about finding what works best, repurposing it, and keeping your messaging consistent.
Begin by Conducting a Content Audit
Locate your most useful assets
Before developing a new strategy, take a look at the existing content and identify pieces of content that either did well, are still relevant, or have content that could be used in other formats.
Let’s say that a software company produced an extensive guide on increasing team productivity. That guide will probably have multiple tips which can be utilized as posts for social media, short videos, e-mail newsletters, etc.
Use performance stats to find what matters. Consider such metrics as page views, engagements, shares, watch time, and conversions.
Pinpoint the Core Message
After choosing your asset, decide on the core message that your audience needs to know. It is the basis for your multi-platform approach.
If a company creates a 40-minute webinar on enhancing the client retention rate, it cannot use just one form.
For instance, there can be sections devoted to onboarding, customer service, and how to ask for feedback.
All these ideas can become individual assets, contributing to the same core message.
Build the content map
It is easy to create a content map and see how your content will transform into other assets. For instance:
- Long video – entire webinar or tutorial
- Social media – short videos and visual tips
- Blog post – written overview
- Email – single lesson with a link to full resource
- Carousel – step-by-step guide
Such an approach will allow you to keep your content consistent instead of creating different pieces for every platform separately.
Tune Your Content for Each Platform
Content repurposing is not simply publishing the same post on every single platform. Every platform has different user behavior, and you need to adapt your content to fit it.
A lengthy tutorial video may be perfect on a video-sharing platform, while its most impactful 30 seconds can be repurposed into a vertical social media video.
This content, in turn, may become a short text post on a professional networking platform or a carousel post outlining the most important points.
Transform Video Into Several Content Types
It is one of the most flexible types of content since even one video recording can include many valuable elements. This includes interviews, webinars, tutorials, product demos, and much more.
One can use a video to GIF converter to create a few GIFs based on some parts of the video which can be used as social media posts, presentation elements, etc.
Thus, a fitness company can turn an entire workout video into separate clips of particular exercises. A software company can include clips of particular features. And an interview can include several clips that are created based on particular answers or quotes.
Translate Text into Images
Text can also be creatively converted into interesting visuals. A blog post typically has statistics, quotations, tips and comparisons which will make great images and carousels.
For example, if a marketing agency publishes an article on how to acquire customers, consisting of seven strategies, the agency can create a carousel where each of the strategies is on a separate slide.
An interesting statistic can be made into a separate image while the most useful tip can be presented through a video. It provides the original article with multiple access points for different audience preferences.
Develop a Repurposed Publishing Process
It becomes relatively easy to implement a multi-channel approach if repurposing is included in the regular publishing process. Rather than creating a substantial item for one platform and then leaving it there, schedule its variations in advance.
Determine what items you wish to develop from a major item and when you intend to publish them. Perhaps start with the primary item followed by some social posts and a video and later revisit the item with a new angle.
Use a content calendar to monitor these items. It allows one to avoid submitting duplicate items to platforms in a single day and give adequate time to each asset to attract attention.
Evaluate What Works
It is perfectly fine because not all formats are going to do equally well. Use analytics to figure out which adaptations have the best performance.
For example, if shorter educational videos get a higher share rate than promotional ones, then it is time to make more educational videos on future recordings. And if carousel posts bring in strong save numbers, think about how you can turn information into pictures.
The point is not to put out as much content as possible. The point is to figure out what works better among your ideas.
Keep Your Brand the Same
As the format will be changing from one platform to another, the brand must still stay recognizable. Consistent vocabulary, visuals, messages, and tone need to be used in your adaptations.
For instance, a business that produces friendly and clear educational materials needs to keep this approach regardless of whether it produces a blog post, a video, or a social media graphic.
Conclusion
Multi-platform content strategy doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel every time. Begin with your best content pieces, determine which ideas they include that are of most worth, and then apply these ideas to other platforms. In this way, you will be able to expand your reach and extract greater value from the content you’ve already got.
