3 ways repurposing content will make you a smarter communicator

In the working world, we seem to constantly face pressure to do more with less. And if you’re an Internal Communication professional you’re likely trying to maximize your efforts, tailor communications, meet your diverse employee audience needs to keep them engaged, oh, and manage content across your suite of channels.

It’s a bit of a mind-masher and can definitely feel overwhelming and stressful to keep on top of. So here’s what smart communicators are doing. They’re repurposing content.

Repurposing content is taking your existing (and still relevant) content and presenting it in a different format or across a different channel to have fresh appeal to a wider audience base. Clever repurposing considers each learning style (visual, auditory or kinesthetic), as well as communication channel preference that your targeted employees have.

Why repurposing content is the smart way to work

Repurposing content has a number of benefits. It will

• Increase the value of your communication efforts - doing more with less
• Make content creation easier as some of your work is already done
• Reach and appeals to a wider audience
• Improve retention of information, by playing to the three learning styles and the power of repetition
• Reinforce key messages without being boring
• Keep key topics alive in an interesting and fresh way
• Leverage the strengths and reach of all your communication channels

Easy ways you can repurpose your content

It’s easier to do than you might think. All it takes is some careful thought and planning ahead of creating your initial content to consider how you might use it more broadly and make it work harder for you.

You can change the format

• Turn a Town Hall video recording into a podcast of the best sections. This is ideal for those employees who commute to work or drive long distances as part of their role and want an easy way to stay informed.
• Take employee soundbites from an event and turn them into quotes for your employee magazine
• Transcribe a leaders keynote address into a blog, adding video stills (aka photos) to add visual interest
• Record a webinar and share it as a video for future reference

You can simplify

• Turn your Annual Report into an infographic of the key facts and messages. Ideal for any time-poor employee and those who prefer visuals.
• Take the slide deck from your Town Hall and repackage as a pdf file, condensing your content down into the pertinent key messages. Great for those who like a physical reference guide, like Line Managers.

You can break it up into pieces

• Use video clips from a Town Hall, add subtitles and display the key points on digital screens. Perfect for those who missed the live event and still have the link to the recording sitting in their email inbox.
• Turn a leadership blog post into a series of quotes or key messages shared weekly via your social network or newsletter

If you’re worried that your audiences might get a bit frustrated or overwhelmed at receiving the same messages but in a repackaged format, then don’t. I am really sorry to break this to you, but not everyone in your audience has read or even seen the content you’ve shared anyway - sorry, but it’s true. So you’re safe to repurpose because it will help get your messages through, help them stick and improve your chances of realizing the outcomes you’re striving to achieve.

Hopefully, now you can understand why smart Internal Communicators are repurposing content. And now you know how to do it too.

However, the ultimate value and impact of the content you create (and repurpose!) can only be realized if you use your channels effectively.

In an upcoming whitepaper and webinar, we’ll explain how multi-channel employee-centric communications are the ultimate key to workplace engagement. Part of the success of that approach is the clever use of content. So, armed with your newly implemented repurposing skills and effective cross-channel management you’ll really be able to enhance the value you add and the impact you have as Internal Communicators.