Does Content Repurposing Work for B2B SaaS?

What is content repurposing? It is more than just serving old wine in a new bottle. In fact, it should be a part of your marketing strategy.

As a SaaS content marketer, you have only two goals:

1. Create original content
2. Publish content consistently

This is easier said than done. Sometimes, you may find yourself running out of content ideas. At other times, you might be working on a tight deadline and have no time to research new topics. And it gets even more complicated when you have to create content for multiple channels.

This is where content repurposing can save the day.

What is content repurposing?

To understand content repurposing, let us look at three prevalent definitions of content repurposing: 

“Content repurposing or content recycling means re-using existing content and presenting it in a new format to expand its reach and lifespan.”

HubSpot 

“Repurposing content (also known as “content recycling”) is the practice of reusing all or elements of existing content in order to expand that content’s reach. Repurposed content is typically transformed into a new format (for example, turning a blog post into an infographic).”

BackLinko

“Repurposing content involves adding to or heavily revising your content to add more value.”

SEMRush

What do all these definitions point to? 

The purpose of content repurposing is to catapult your growth by strategically reusing the same content. It isn’t a mere last-minute #lifehack for content marketers. Rather, it is a way to showcase your content on multiple channels, keep it fresh, and keep the search engine’s algorithm well-satisfied. 

What content repurposing isn’t?

Here is a quick NOT TO DO list for you:

❌ Newsjacking, i.e., spinning a news article to fit your niche and publishing it on your blog. 

❌ Combining multiple blogs into one. 

❌ Paraphrasing or changing some words in a blog and calling it a new blog. 

❌ Cross-promoting, i.e., uploading your Instagram story on LinkedIn

Some examples of great content repurposing 

#1 Take an excerpt from your blog, condense it, and post it on social media

SaaS blogs are often long and comprehensive. Give your social media followers a sneak-peek! Here is how SEMRush does it with their product-led content strategy. Take a look at this blog, which is a 22-minute read. 

Here is how they have skimmed it down for their LinkedIn followers. (And to drive referral traffic to their blog, they have included a link to the blog at the bottom of their post!)

Now, this does not have to be restricted to text posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Quora. You can also pull out a Twitter thread from a lengthy blog, and present the content in bite-sized tweets.

#2 Post images, infographics, GIFs and videos from your existing blog

The same SEMRush post mentioned above also uses this repurposing method. 

Here is the graphic on their blog: 

And here it is, featured in the LinkedIn post: 

#3 Turn blogs into videos 

You probably have dozens of how-to blogs on your website. Why not turn them into how-to videos?

Short videos are engaging, informative, and popular among most SaaS readers. In fact, video marketing has consistently been on the rise in recent years. 

Videos are also one of the best formats for shareable and re-shareable content. You can make videos for your website, then cut them up for LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and even TikTok. 

Why does content repurposing work so well for B2B SaaS? 

According to SEMRush, 61% of marketers claim that repurposing your content is the most effective tactic for SaaS marketing. Additionally, 60% of these marketers say that they repurpose their content two to five times.

The reason why content repurposing truly shines in the B2B SaaS space is simple. Not only does it help you extend your content’s lifespan, but it also saves time and resources. It helps you keep up with the demand for fresh content across several channels as well, and boosts your SEO. 

Creating a content repurposing strategy 

Just like a blogging strategy gives direction to your blog, a repurposing strategy will help you map out the A to Z of repurposing and do it well. 

Before you recycle any content, you need to know:

1. What to repurpose
2. When is the right time to publish repurposed content
3. How often to repurpose
4. Which platforms to use 

Relying on guesswork and upcycling content on a whim will not get you the results you want. So, start with mapping out a solid repurposing strategy. And make sure to document it. 

After all, a well-documented content strategy is key to succeeding with B2B SaaS content. 

#1 Measure the performance of your existing content

Look at your existing KPIs. For example, you may have a content map aligned to your customer funnel. You may be publishing case studies for those at the bottom of the funnel and informational blogs for those who are still at the top. You may be tracking unique visitors across devices, engagement rates, bounce rates, and session durations. 

Now, for your repurposing strategy, select those metrics that matter the most. For example, you can start by looking at the ratio of impressions to engagement rates. This will help you understand which content can retain the most eyeballs for the longest time. 

#2 Identify your ‘best’ content

Once you know which metrics to weigh, identify which content is performing the best organically. Doing this helps you ensure that your repurposed content will be high-performing as well. 

But if you are just starting out, it is okay to start with a handful of content pieces you’ve published. 

#3 Plan how you will repurpose the content  

Now, you have your base content. Time to start brainstorming and finalising what to do with it! 

Here is an example: 

Base content: 3 blog posts published within the last 3 months. All of them get high traffic and have a long session duration. 

Repurposing:

1. Update all blogs
2. Extract quotes from blogs and create graphics
3. Share them on Instagram and LinkedIn
4. Create post excerpts to publish on LinkedIn (as posts or carousels) 
5. Track impressions and engagement on Instagram and LinkedIn 

#4 Keep a record of repurposed content ‘pieces’

When you repurpose long-form content for social media, you modularize it. Keep a record of these modules so that you can publish them on new channels or repurpose them further. They also serve as a source of inspiration for later repurposing strategies. 

#5 Track, measure, and tweak

Track the performance of your repurposed content the same way you track the performance of your fresh content. 

Why? By tracking and measuring repurposed posts, you will understand how to present existing information in a way that helps your brand. Constantly testing your content will also help you find your customer-content fit. 

Sounds vague? Here is an example. 

Suppose your blog has quotes from your marketing head, hidden away in the long text. You have repurposed these quotes into neat-little Instagram squares, and they are getting a lot of likes. Go back to your blog, and see how you can change your formatting in a way that these quotes pop out of the text. Then, check if people stay on your blog page for a longer duration. 

This is a great way to test and measure what works, instead of leaving everything to fate and algorithms. And something Groove did to rise from the verge of collapse and earn millions of dollars in revenue. 

Sounds good, but my content team doesn’t have the time for repurposing!

We hear you. Let us do the hard work for you. At Ukti, our team of writers specialise in writing fresh content and upcycling existing content for B2B SaaS companies. Whether it’s turning blog posts into LinkedIn carousels or eBooks into a series of helpful blogs, we can do it all. Reach out for more details.  

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