A Five-Step Plan to Leverage Content Across MultipleChannels

February 11, 2020by Samantha Russell

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What if I told you that you could create one (just one!) blog post to drive your entire inboundmarketing strategy?

Believe it.

This is a proven keystone habit marketers have adopted when they are strapped for time or staff.Repurposing content into a variety of media (email, video, podcasts, etc.) is also a great way toreach a broader, untapped audience. I’m going to share with you step-by-step instructions toleverage this strategy to propel your lead generation forward without having to create hundredsof blog posts.

Step 1: Create your initial blog post

At the beginning of the month, after you’ve brainstormed and landed on a killer topic, sit down and write. Ideally, your blogpost should be around 1,800 words. Why? Google prioritizes long-form content, so the “beefier” your post the higher yourchances are of ranking high in organic searches and being found. This also gives you the opportunity to get really granularwith your topic.

Keep your end audience in mind. Research has shown that articles with images get 94% more views than articles without,so include graphs or charts to supplement and support your content throughout.

Now, we can’t talk about blogging without search engine optimization (SEO). Once you've added your images, doublecheck that the keywords you want your post to rank for when someone is searching for content topics that are similar toare included in both the headline of your blog post as well as H1 and H2 tags (header tags) throughout the copy. Forinstance, if you're talking about 10 tips for taking Social Security at the right time, do a little research on Google and seewhat other kinds of questions people are searching for that are similar to that and make sure that those keywords aresprinkled throughout your post.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, host your blog somewhere. Ideally it will live on your website.

Step 2: Tease it on social

Once your blog is uploaded and you have a live URL, draf multiple social media posts. Why start with social media?Research shows that social media is the number one way to drive traffic to your blog posts. Typically, you can get aroundeight social posts out of just one blog. Generally speaking, share about two posts per week. When sharing the samecontent multiple times it’s incredibly important to position your content differently each time. Don’t share the same blogpost on all your social platforms simultaneously.

For example, let’s say you published a blog post titled “The SECURE Act has passed. What does it mean for yourretirement?” Below is a sample of what your social schedule could look like:

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Don’t have a graphic designer in-house? Don’t worry. Canva is a great tool that provides easy to use customizabletemplates to quickly create graphics for every social media channel. And Lead Pilot is a useful tool for financial advisorsthat will help you schedule and archive all your social media posts ahead of time to ensure your posts continue to getshared on a recurring schedule with variety.

Step 3: Record a video

I know what you’re thinking – I don’t have the equipment to record a video. False! Recording a video doesn’t have to be ahuge production. If you have a smartphone, which 81% of Americans do, you can record a quick video of yourself. Videosallow you to quickly disseminate more information on a more personal level.

Repurposing your blog into a video means that it can be used in different ways. For example you can:

1. Add it into the body of your original blog post;2. Upload it natively to your social platforms (see sample social posting schedule above); and3. Put it on your YouTube channel.

Step 4: Leverage email

A recent study conducted by YCharts found that 66% of investors prefer to receive content via email versus other forms ofcommunication like phone, text or face-to-face meetings. That includes perspectives on the market and economy, savingand planning tips and other financial “how to’s”. Email marketing is a great way to not only nurture leads and gain moreclients but to reconnect and educate your current clients. When including your blog post in emails and newsletters here’s a

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few tips to keep in mind:

Always link back to the original full article. You just want to tease the article give it an introduction and entice yoursubscribers to click and read more.

Include some kind of visual whether it’s an infographic or a still shot from the video you shoot (see step 2).Don’t forget about your subject line! Consider including a statistic or emoji in your subject line to increase your openrates. Read more here about attention grabbing subject lines.

Step 5: Record a podcast

Podcasts are very popular. In fact, 51% of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to podcasts. By repurposing yourcontent into audio allows you to tap into a whole new group of listeners and broaden your reach tremendously. Think ofrepurposing your blog content into a podcast like a blog on tape. In fact, some of the best podcasts use original content asa jumping off point for a larger discussion. When planning your podcast recording, consider having a guest join you to addan additional layer of interest for your listeners. Read more about how to start a podcast.

Repurposing to fill your content calendar

The steps above will increase your content production without having to churn and burn hundreds of different blog posts. Inmarketing, the “rule of seven” states that a person needs to view your content seven times before they truly notice youroffering. And while that may seem like a lot, it’s important you establish a content strategy that allows you to disseminateyour content across multiple channels in an efficient way.

The next time you sit down to write a blog, think bigger. Go beyond the blog and give your content a longer life.

Samantha Russell is the chief marketing and business development officer at Twenty Over Ten (a digital marketing andwebsite development company for financial advisors). Samantha helps financial advisors create digital marketing strategiesthat produce explosive growth through website development, content marketing, SEO, social media and video.

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