If there’s a new buzzword in the world of content creation it has to be “repurposing.” It’s that interesting moment that happens after a piece of content has been created, when many B2B marketers say to themselves, “I already have this piece of content — now how can I repackage it for an additional quick win?” Unfortunately, quick wins are an urban myth. In order to create maximum engagement, the process of developing meaningful content must be both strategic and intentional, and tied to persona consumption preferences to resonate with your target audience. Repurposing will never get you a win, quick or otherwise, because it’s done in an ad hoc, after-the-fact manner that is untethered to any overarching purpose or methodology. Repurposing is the opposite of purposeful, and it’s the reason so much of the corporate content that is created today goes unused — as much as 50 to 70 percent according to NewsCred.
How do you keep from falling into the content repurposing trap and still provide buyers with sufficient content to make educated purchasing decisions? Develop persona-based content portfolio strategies.
Buyer personas that include target audience pain points, business goals and challenges, and content consumption preferences are the key to creating purposeful content. You can also create packages of content that bring a topic or message to life through a variety of forms. The key distinction here — and it’s an important one — is a portfolio approach is a strategic effort that begins before a single piece of content is ever created. A persona-based content portfolio shapes the form and purpose of every piece of content within the portfolio. And, more importantly, it informs and propels the creative process from the very beginning with the intent of effectiveness, not with the intent of an after-the-fact quick win.
