Three Ways To Stretch Content And Maximize Reach

Finding ways to stretch budgets is a struggle for content marketers. Learn how to repurpose content to make every piece count.

We know that content marketing is force to be reckoned with. It helps marketers drive traffic, engage customers and spread brand awareness. When optimized for action it can boost SEO, social media interactions and lead generation.

Creating rich digital content has long-lasting benefits. A blog doesn’t disappear when the ad spend runs out. It lives on to be discovered in organic Google search, social media, and by website wanderers.

Approximately 77% of B2C marketers use content marketing according to Content Marketing Institute and it makes up 30% of B2B marketing budgets. Despite our love affair, it is not without its challenges.

It’s a sizable investment and marketers are struggling to find ways to stretch their budgets.

One way to stretch your marketing budget is to repurpose content for distribution across social media channels. Here are three ways to stretch your content and maximize reach.

1. Twitter Cards

I love Twitter Cards. For one, they’re free. You can use them organically without advertising. The biggest reason I’m a fan is that the embedded format increases click-through rates. There are a several types of Twitter Cards. The first route is to place code from Twitter on your web pages so that anytime a link is Tweeted it will show up as a card. Send your developer here for options.

The second route is much more marketer friendly and the one I use most often. A Twitter Website Card is comparable to a Facebook embedded URL. It has a custom image, link title and call to action button. (Note: Facebook provides the call to action button feature for advertising only.)

You can create these right from the advertising dashboard under the “creatives” tab for use organically or in ads. You’ll need a high quality photo at least 800 pixels wide that can be horizontally cropped. Clean, bright photos without text overlays generally work best. Although, I have had some success with simple “% off sale” image copy. Learn all about it in their help center.

2. Visual Content

Long form content in blogs, articles, or white papers are easy to transform into visuals snippets for social media. Images increase engagement which increases the organic reach of your message.

Here are a few ways to distribute images leading back to the content page for weeks after publication:

• Poster images showing one how-to or fact at a time.
• Images containing quotes from the article.
• Stats paired against a backdrop.
• Complex concepts or multiple stats/facts in an infographic.

Different social networks favor different formats. For Pinterest, which is now the second biggest traffic driver among social channels, you can use text overlaid on images. No problem. The bigger the better in height – it’s a great place to share an infographic. Facebook will not take your text heavy photos unless they meet the 20% rule. Twitter has an optimal crop for garnering clicks in-feed to expand full view.  More social media design tips.

Post each image once to each social network. Don’t forget to link your photos back to the page and tag people who deserve credit. Bonus: Increase reach using hashtags.

3. Paid Reach

No matter how many followers you have, content can use a paid boost to maximize reach. Repurpose content into unique creatives optimized for social advertising. Use a set of different thumbnail photos and headlines. This is a great way to test blog titles for click through rates.

These social networks are effective at driving traffic:

• Facebook is done giving away the milk for free. Organic reach is down to nothing for businesses. An under $50 boost can transform reach from hundreds to thousands.
• Twitter is great organically but posts have the lifespan of a mosquito. Extend the life of your Tweet using advertising to target followers and relevant topics.
• Pinterest is amazing if you have a following of any significance. However, many customers are pinning from websites or pins they’ve searched without ever following a brand’s boards. Pinterest now provides self-serve ad platform to boost pins into topic categories for discovery.

If you can set aside even a small budget to run social advertising as an ongoing part of your program, I highly recommend it. Even it means taking a cut on the volume of content being produced. If people never see your content, they’ll never get to engage with it in the first place. Discoverability is key.

It’s an Exciting Opportunity

In a recent report from Econsultancy and Adobe, marketers’ cited content marketing as the second most exciting opportunity of 2015. Indeed it is. It’s a creative outlet for unique brand expression. In a competitive landscape where there’s so much content, you have to work harder to make every piece count. Start out by finding ways to repurpose content into Twitter Cards and visuals for social media, and carve out a small ad budget. The extra effort will stretch your investment at a low incremental cost.

Sources: social media stats