Content Marketing: Save time and money by repurposing existing material

By Edith Reinhardt

One of the biggest challenges law firms have in marketing their expertise is maintaining a steady stream of content. Producing useful information offers many marketing benefits including establishing credibility, building trust, generating new leads, and helping attorneys stay top of mind with contacts so they get more referrals. However, most lawyers don’t have sufficient time to devote to developing high-quality content consistently. The best way to address this problem is to repurpose existing material in as many ways as possible to ensure there is a robust content pipeline at all times.

Benefits of repurposing

The concept of “create once, repurpose everywhere” (and its corollary “create once, publish everywhere”) has been employed by all types of businesses for years. The idea is to take every piece of new content and reuse and revise it in multiple ways, so less original material needs to be produced.

However, repurposing content doesn’t only make content creation more efficient and less time-consuming. It also helps firms reach a wider audience and reinforce their marketing message because the information is shared multiple times through a wide range of channels. This means it is more likely to be seen and remembered by the audience the firm wants to target.

Be creative

Some ways to repurpose content include the following:

1. Change the format. A piece of content can be created in one format and then shortened, lengthened, or re-envisioned into another one. For example, an article can be turned into a blog post, print or eBook, white paper, seminar/webinar, PowerPoint, podcast, video, client alert, infographic, email newsletter, and multiple social media posts.
2. Write/speak to a different audience. Information developed originally for fellow attorneys can be revised to appeal to consumers or businesspeople (or vice versa). There can also be versions for beginners and experts or clients and prospects in different industries or geographic regions.
3. Tailor content based on its purpose. Firms may create content for various reasons, such as to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to the firm’s website, generate and nurture leads and upsell/cross-sell existing clients. The type and format of the information should change depending on the goal the firm wants to achieve. For instance, an attorney may write a blog post on a hot topic and share it on social media to demonstrate expertise in the subject matter. However, if the firm is trying to generate new leads, it must provide content that is compelling enough to entice people to provide their contact information. To that end, the firm could create a webinar on the topic and require registration. An eBook could then be developed from the webinar to share with attendees to further nurture those leads.
4. Update it. Laws and business and consumer practices change, so it is likely that previously written or recorded content will become out-of-date at some point. Regularly review old content, especially if it did well the first time it was shared publicly and revise it to account for any legal or other developments. Even if it doesn’t need a significant update, making it current demonstrates that the author is staying abreast of new developments.
5. Adapt it for different marketing channels. Content can be shared via the firm’s website, email, social media, third parties and other channels. In each case, the information shouldn’t just be copied over. It must be tailored to the platform. For example, on social media and in emails, it is useful to provide a short excerpt as a teaser to encourage people to click to read the whole piece on the firm’s website. When producing content for third parties, it must meet the party’s requirements, including style, format, length and so on.

Conclusion

Repurposing content can save significant time and money marketing the firm’s expertise. So get creative to keep that pipeline flowing and attract more business.

Edie Reinhardt, Esq. is principal of RDT Content Marketing, which specializes in helping attorneys showcase their expertise and target their marketing to attract more clients. She can be reached at [email protected]