Introduction
Does it feel like your continuing education program spends all its time creating content and building courses? It can be costly, time-consuming, and overwhelming to develop a content strategy from scratch.
However, when you repurpose content from your live events, you can save your organization time and money while reaching new learners.
Read our blog to discover how your continuing education program can repurpose content from live events, drive long-term revenue, and attract new learners.
What does it mean to repurpose content?
Repurposing content is taking previously published work and presenting it in a new way. This can be accomplished by taking a webinar and converting it into a whitepaper, blog, or podcast.
Giving life to your newly created marketing piece in multiple channels goes a long way. It connects you to your members where they want to consume content.
Is it OK to repurpose content?
Content creators enjoy being in “creative mode,” as their passion is to deliver new content to their viewers and listeners. Not everyone has the opportunity to create new content every time.
This is where repurposing content comes into play. Your organization can save time and effort by repurposing content while reaching learners who aren’t on your leading distribution platform.
What are the benefits of repurposing content?
When you limit your continuing education events to in-person learners you can miss out on an entire segment of attendees. Here are three reasons your learning program should consider repurposing content:
1. Expand your reach
When you repurpose content from your continuing education program, you will reach a larger audience. Repurposing some of your most attended events, learning courses, or webinars can also help you attract new learners to your program.
2. Engage more learners
Due to busy schedules, some learners may be unable to attend a multi-day annual conference, but when you offer virtual learning opportunities, you increase the chance that more learners can attend your conference.
When you offer a hybrid learning experience or an event that is offered in both an in-person and virtual capacity, you will reach learners in different time zones, ultimately making your continuing education program more accessible and attracting new learners.
3. Drive more revenue
By repurposing your continuing education program content, you can generate additional revenue. For example, when you offer a rebroadcast of a pre-existing webinar, you are ensuring more of your learners are viewing your contents, helping you get more bang for your buck.
When should you repurpose content?
Scaling is so important for small organizations with limited marketing resources. In an ideal world, you should not be reinventing the wheel every time you go to do a new campaign. Leveraging your marketing automation tools will help infuse dynamic content and create templates that you can then reuse.
A perfect time to repurpose content would be in your reoccurring member newsletter. This should include learning updates in a template that looks and feels consistent. With each occurrence, you will only have to switch out the copy which simplifies the process. Not starting from scratch creates an easier and more streamlined approach of asking: What is our headline? And what do we want them to attend this month?
How to repurpose your content
There are so many opportunities when the rewards from repurposing content can be used. Check out these sixteen strategies to repurpose your content:
1. Turn long content into short learning opportunities
Repackage existing content on social media as quick video clips, or short pieces of content that can bring in a fresh audience.
2. Repackage content for each platform
Similar to our newsletter example above; think about converting your previously recorded learner content and share it on LinkedIn.
3. Change your content for each format
Keep the messaging top of mind while continuing to grab your audience’s attention in fresh new ways. For example, if you are covering a new regulation, take the same information and distribute it in a nicely designed infographic, advertisement or video.
4. Reference aged content
Highlight how an older case study may have managed to help keep your organization agile and relevant throughout the years.
5. Update content with timely information
Add new images and updating your old content with the latest information can re-engage your community and doesn’t require beginning from nothing.
6. Refresh content with quality copywriting
Take the time when appropriate to use copywriting to evoke new feelings and keep your content fresh.
7. Build out your content with blog posts
Start with a 500-word blog post on your website and post on your social media pointing to your website. Afterwards, take five paragraphs from the blog and turn them into five new short social media posts linking to the same article.
8. Pivot!
Your audience will respond to different things. By changing your message based on your association’s data, you can attract new members with the same content. In addition, storytelling is a fantastic way to convey the same content.
9. Tag your content on social media
If you are utilizing several touch points and connections to share information. “Tag” the right people, members or associations and events, when possible, on social media.
10. Leverage your continuing education team
Ask others for their thoughts and insights on the article, blog post or content. Asking for additional feedback will provide new commentary and a fresh perspective on the subject with your members.
11. Make connections between current news stories
Attach prior content to a new story is one way to repurpose what was already written. Engage members full circle by referencing your content in your current presentation.
12. Keep your content relevant
Make sure your content is up-to-date and then tie it in with the current timing, season, or news cycle.
13. Switch your key terms
Shift the focus from one key term to another but remain intentional in being faithful to your communication aim.
14. Group your content
Your learners might need to be reminded of what they missed. By grouping similar content on websites and within emails, offers you greater usage of pre-existing content.
15. Transform existing content into visual content
If you already publish reports regularly, repackage the information by using an image like an eye-catching infographic.
16. Try out microlearning
Break up your longer courses into short learning opportunities, called microlearning. Shorter content is easier for learners to digest and increases learner comprehension.
How to repurpose your annual conference content
If you’re like other organizations, your annual conference is one of your biggest events, reaching the greatest number of members and non-members.
But you can expand the reach of your continuing education program and make your annual conference content go even further. Here are five strategies to follow:
1. Live stream
Try live streaming your annual conference to offer virtual and in-person attendee options for your learners. To decide whether live streaming is a good option to stretch your content, you’ll want to find out production requirements and costs.
If you need to consider cost when live streaming your annual conference, try streaming on-demand sessions, hot-topic conversations, and other options that will drive viewership.
2. Conference capture
If live streaming your event is cost prohibitive, you can choose to record your event and broadcast it to your learners at a later date. Recording your annual conference helps make your content go further and offers more opportunities for learners to engage with your event and for you to divide up your sessions to create new courses for your program.
3. Rebroadcast content
After you capture your conference, consider rebroadcasting the event to expand your CE program’s reach. Repurposing your content through broadcast helps learners in different time zones or regions access your program’s conference to be able to access the content at a time that works for them.
4. Elevate learner engagement
When you plan a rebroadcast, you’ll want to plan like you are hosting a live event and be sure to integrate learner engagement tools. Offer live chat, incorporate Q&A, add live polls, or include learner checkpoints.
5. On-demand offerings
Repurposing your conference in an on-demand format makes your content go even further. Consider offering on-demand access to your entire conference or allow learners to pick and choose sessions of interest to make viewing your content even more convenient.
How to track and analyze your repurposed content results
Now that you understand the benefits of repurposing your content and you’re equipped with strategies to repurpose your program content, you can determine if you’re experiencing success.
Before you begin, be sure to define clear objectives so you can accurately measure success.
Here are four tips to follow:
1. Monitor sales
Track sales of on-demand courses, subscriptions, or bundled packages.
2. Run website analytics
Analyze website traffic sources and user engagement with repurposed content.
3. Maintain social media analytics
Track reach, engagement, and click-through rates on social media posts promoting repurposed content.
4. Gather member feedback
Conduct surveys or polls to gather feedback on the value and format of repurposed content.
How to promote and market repurposed content
Like your other continuing education courses, you’ll want to promote your repurposed content intentionally, marketing it to your learners through a variety of mediums. Try these strategies to promote your repurposed learning content:
1. Landing pages
Create dedicated landing pages for on-demand courses with clear calls to action (CTAs) to drive sales.
2. Email marketing
Promote repurposed content (blog posts, infographics, whitepapers, webinars, annual conference sessions, and more) through email campaigns to your member base.
3. Social media marketing
Utilize social media platforms to showcase repurposed content (short videos, teasers, gifs, pictures, and more) and drive traffic to landing pages or course offerings.
4. Event promotion
Briefly mention repurposed content availability in event materials, presentations, or registration information.
How to drive revenue with repurposed content
Consider linking your repurposed content with your existing revenue streams to drive even more revenue to your organization. Here are three tips to get started:
1. Leverage your membership tiers
Offer on-demand courses or exclusive content as a benefit of joining a higher membership tier. This will encourage individuals to join a greater level of membership.
2. Course bundles
Bundle on-demand courses with live event registrations at a discounted price. Bundling is a great strategy to get learners to try new courses and ultimately consume more content.
3. Content sales
Sell individual on-demand courses or subscriptions to a library of repurposed content. Consider making an all-inclusive pass where members pay a yearly subscription fee to take as many courses as they want. This can encourage learner retention and loyalty.
