There are just under 1 billion websites on the internet, churning out content every day. Is the answer to produce more content? How about repurposing the information you’ve already invested in?

What is the most efficient use of marketing that maximizes the investment you’ve already made?

Here are 3 simple ways to get more mileage out of your existing marketing material.

1. Use existing content

Take inventory of what you’ve already got. Newsletters, white papers, blog posts, infographics, slides from a talk you give once a month. This is all content and can be used in different forms than what it was originally created for.

It’s not necessary to re-invent the wheel. You’ve invested both time and money into generating the content. Find ways to use content that has already been written and get the most bang for your buck.

2. Share the content

The newsletter is written, the infographic has been created, and the white paper is complete. You’re done, right? Not exactly. Creating content is only the beginning. Now share it. Where?

• Facebook– Social media has given rise to a host of marketing opportunities, and one of the biggest is Facebook. Originally designed to allow college students to connect with each other, it has exploded into a means of catching up with family and friends, as well as a very useful marketing tool. Creating a Facebook page for your business may be an excellent way to connect with both new and existing customers. Sharing your content on Facebook is a fast, easy and free method of getting more usage out of previously created content.
• Twitter – Believing that brevity is the soul of wit, Twitter is a ‘status update’ report that limits users to 140 characters per post. This short, sweet and to the point forum is a great way to let your customers know that a new blog article has been posted or that a new photo has been added to your Instagram. Short phrases from existing content can be used as a ‘teaser’ on Twitter, generating interest in the material and lead potential customers back to your website to finish the article.
• Blogging – As of this writing, 2 million blog posts are written each day. It’s obvious that a lot of people have a lot of things to say. Blogging allows businesses the opportunity to engage in dialogue with its clients, build brand awareness and loyalty, demonstrate a new product, and provide usage instructions…the list can go on and on, and is limited only by the creativity of the marketer. This efficient use of marketing is one of the best ways to reuse existing content, and it’s free to use.
• LinkedIn – Primarily designed to for the business community, LinkedIn is a networking tool that allows members to make connections with people they know, and establish new connections with people they don’t know. Those connections can then create a virtual spider web of connections, linking people together, creating groups and marketing opportunities. A business page in LinkedIn allows the business owner to open a virtual ‘front porch’ for their business. Other members can connect with the business, and it becomes a method of sharing dialogue, as well as information. This can be a powerful tool for businesses to utilize.

3. Repurpose

Once you’ve created your content and promoted it on various social media networks, find ways to diversify and expand the content’s reach. Turn your whitepaper into a series of podcasts that can be downloaded. Publish your ‘Facts & Figures’ report as a colorful infographic. Create an ebook out of a series of blog posts, and offer it as a bonus for joining the mailing list.

Repurposing existing content into a new form is one of the strongest methods of maximizing marketing efforts. Not only does it capitalize on material that is already created, the material becomes available in a way that different customers can connect with. (The customer who would never find the time to sit down and read 10 pages of a white paper may download a podcast to listen to during the commute.)

Promoting your ideas takes work. Often the pressure of trying to come up with new ideas and content can be overwhelming. Instead of trying to recreate the wheel, use material that you’ve already created in a fresh, new way.