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Katherine W. Morse
Updated March 13, 2021
When a marketer repurposes content, it can be done by changing the format of the content or changing the target audience for the content that was created (Shah, 2017). Do not mix up repurpose with the revamping of content. Revamping of content means continuing to use it for the same purpose that it was initially intended with updates to remain relevant and attractive to the target audience (Shah, 2017). When it comes to repurposing content, what is the goal? The goal is to attract or convert more customers to other segments (Shah, 2017).
There are many ways to repurpose content. Old blog posts that are still relevant can be turned into guides used through Pinterest (Marrs, 2019). When I was at a social media day conference in the summer of 2018, several speakers stated that relevant old blog posts could be turned into posts of social media by taking the highlights and matching them to either eye-catching images or a 15-30 second video. Another use to repurpose blog posts into a podcast episode or even a series of podcast episodes and thus allowing someone to expand on the information through examples or in a conversational way (Agius, 2020). Remember, not everyone uses all the social media platforms the brand is on.
Another idea is to take blogs and update them periodically as HubSpot and WordStream do. Using the webpages and also older yet relevant blog posts and creating videos (Agius, 2020) for YouTube that can be shared on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook or Twitter through a link. “Repurposing content can also build industry relationships (Agius, 2020).” Content that is repurposed means taking a topic that one is or feels like an expert in, and reaching out to similar businesses in the industry to interview to create new content for one’s older content (Agius, 2020). Instead of a video, a slideshow using told like PowerPoint or apps that also have online sites like Canva and then narrated the slideshow by explaining each point listed on the slide and uploading it to a service like SlideShare.net (Gillick, n/d).
One of the more impactful changes to creative content and the ever-changing technology landscape is artificial intelligence, AI. AI is a learning machine that analyzes substantial data sets that can learn specific behaviors that allows it to recognize patterns in order to learn new actions without being programmed (Cocorocchia, Dunn, Hall & Takahashi, 2018). AI is available on social media platforms. It is a critical component in Facebook that learns to serve the user content such as facial recognition in photos to targeting a user with advertising, and the same is done on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook to identify visuals (Kaput, 2019).
One of the fascinating technologies that have emerged is augmented reality. According to the Oxford Dictionary online, augmented reality is defined by a technology that superimposes computer-generated images on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view (Lexico, 2020). “As of May 2019, the installed user base for AR-supporting mobile devices reached 1.5 billion. Industry players in the augmented reality world expect 2020 to be a year marked by an uptick in the pace of industry growth (Makarov, 2020).” How is augmented reality used? Shopping apps for retail stores allow a customer to try out clothes or furniture before one purchase to test it out using a room or an image of yourself as a try before you buy (Makarov, 2020).
Brands using augmented reality for online shoppers to test the clothes include America Apparel, Uniqlo, and Lacoste and now smart mirror technologies that can scan RFID tags to offer recommendations to bring the feeling of the brick-and-motor shopping experience (Makarov, 2020). When it comes to home improvement, I have used Home Depot’s app to try a paint color on my walls without leaving my home to buy a test sample. “IKEA customers have access to an app that permits them to point their phones at spaces and see what different products would look like in their own homes (Makarov, 2020).”
Depending on the brand’s strategic goals in effectively broadcasting the brand narrative to garner audience attention and engagement allows for a higher level of customer experience in a faster time. AI speeds up solving the problems of consumers to find solutions sometime before they have even figured out what they were searching for to anticipating questions they want to ask about a service or product. When it comes to augmented reality, it is faster and less hassle to try out a product before purchasing it, hating it, and thus returning it.
The technologies mentioned, augmented reality may not fit every brand, especially those that are service-based and not product-based. However, AI can be taken advantage of by placing ads through Facebook and Instagram, for example, to the automated responses that can be set up on Facebook for businesses for messenger. AI gives companies the ability to respond and use data that is being collected with little effort to market to their target audiences. The implications are vast and continue to change as technology does. It will take marketers that stay ahead of the curve in order to utilize the right technologies that fit their brand and digital marketing.
References:
Agius, A. (2020). 12 Great Examples That Prove the Power of Repurposing Content. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/examples-repurposing-content
Cocorocchia, C. Dunn, J., Hall. S. & Takahashi, R. (2018). How Do Emerging Technologies Affect the Creative Economy? McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/how-do-emerging-technologies-affect-the-creative-economy
Gillick, C. (n/d). Repurposing Content to Stretch Its Value. Bidsketch. https://www.bidsketch.com/blog/marketing/repurposing-content/
Kaput, M. (2019). What is Artificial Intelligence for Social Media? Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute. https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/blog/what-is-artificial-intelligence-for-social-media
Lexico. (2020). Meaning of Augmented Reality in English. Lexico Powered by Oxford. https://www.lexico.com/definition/augmented_reality
Marrs, M. (2019). 11 Genius Ways to Repurpose Content. WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/02/03/repurposing-contenti
Makarov, A. (2020). 9 Augmented Reality Trends to Watch in 2020. Mobidev. https://mobidev.biz/blog/augmented-reality-future-trends-2018-2020
Shah, N. (2017). The Purpose of Repurposing Content. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-purpose-of-repurposing-content
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