Repeatedly utilizing the same (or comparable) bits of content is known as content reuse. It enables us to produce "common" material once, centrally. The "common" material can be included in numerous documents or subjects. This implies that whenever content needs to be updated, it only needs to be altered once, and all subsequent uses of that content will immediately reflect the change.
🍀 Let's imagine, for instance, that you have user manuals for a selection of formats: paper, PDF, and online. All three types of formats have several features in common. I would write the information for the "common" features only once and then utilize that same content for all three versions of the user guide rather than creating it three times.
Reusing material is an important tactical element of a content strategy. In addition to enabling single sourcing and multi-channel publishing, efficient content reuse also maintains editorial consistency, saves time and money, and can assist assure correct, legal content that is also effective.
Effective content reuse involves transclusion rather than copying and pasting, in which material is created in one place and referenced in another. Transclusion is used by many Extensible Markup Language (XML) architectures; the Darwin Information Typing Architecture is likely the most well-known (DITA). Numerous content management systems and writing tools also come with exclusive transclusion tools.
By creating structured content that is standards-based and semantically rich, businesses may maximize content reuse. Different granularities of content reuse are possible:
- A comprehensive informational item
- An extended topic or groups of themes
- Components of a subject
Content can also be created to allow conditional processing (filtering) to produce various information products. The right amount of granularity can be determined through content analysis. The technique of content reuse, the types of content that should be reused, the level of granularity for reuse, the management of reused content, and the ownership of reused content should all be specified in a reuse strategy.
You can manage reused content effectively by using a content management system (like WordPress) to restrict access, track where the regulated content is utilized, and locate potentially reusable content. Any piece of material has the potential to be reused, but reusable content needs to be created with that purpose in mind. This entails organizing and classifying material to make it simple to locate, reorganize, and modify in the future.
Why repurpose content?
The need to produce more content faster, tailored for customers, and more media than ever is overwhelming for organizations today. This creates a challenging position for businesses and their content providers when coupled with the problems of shrinking resources, time, and money.
Reusing material can significantly enhance how content is produced within an organization. Long-term reductions in time and expense for development and maintenance are among the improvements, along with improved quality and consistency. Reuse also streamlines content inventory, makes it simpler to evaluate content demands, and supports rapid content reconfiguration to meet changing needs.
The following benefits are offered by reusing content:
1. Higher consistency.
Writing information once and using it repeatedly ensures it is consistent everywhere it is used. Higher-quality content is the result of this constancy.
Structured content is content that is written for reuse. Content that is similarly arranged for related sorts of information is referred to as structured content. Writing styles are more consistent when the data is structured.
2. Lower expenses for development and maintenance
Because a content provider must produce less content, development costs are decreased. Reusable material is either quickly available through enhanced management facilities (such as metadata and content management) or is automatically made available to the creator rather than needing to be written entirely from scratch or requiring the time to identify and copy the content reused (systematic reuse). Additionally, your operations are more effective, and your content is better structured, reducing costs.
Everywhere it is reused, content is automatically updated when it is modified. The content management system tracks all the locations where the material is present, whether in its original form or a modified version, so your organization doesn't have to; this allows for quick selection and updating.
3. Quick transformation
Modular content is reusable (small self-contained components that can be combined with other parts). Products and customer needs are continually changing in today's environment of fast change. Organizations may quickly modify their content to meet changing needs thanks to modular, reusable content. If anything is missing (and what it might be), you can quickly determine if it is missing and what it might be. You can also utilize modules to create new information products to satisfy new demands.
4. Translation
Reusing can considerably lower the cost of translation. Reuse further reduces costs, even though translation memory systems have helped businesses do so through pattern matching. When content is submitted for translation, the memory translation tool is used to detect content strings (text) that have already been translated. Any previously translated text reused can be automatically put into the version that needs to be solved when content is reused.
🍀 Without ever sending the content to translation and incurring additional expenditures, you may quickly modify translated content and even provide entirely new information products from existing pieces that have already been solved.
The less tangible advantages of established writing norms, consistent language, and a reuse structure also necessitate lower translation expenses. The cost of reformatting text is another significant expense in translation. Before content can be translated into the target format, it frequently needs to be converted from the source format to RTF (Rich Text Format) (for example, Help, FrameMaker, HTML). Much of its formatting is lost when it is transformed. It is simple to reformat content automatically when content and format are separated, regardless of language.
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Types of Content Reuse
You might want to consider implementing various content reuse techniques in your content strategy.
Linked content is when one piece of content is kept in one place, like a database. Then, this content can be extracted into various types and utilized elsewhere. Website photos are one type of linked material that is frequently used. Images are primarily kept in a single folder, but they can also be hot-linked from other websites or used on several web pages.
They are commonly used on websites as a standard disclaimer or terms of use, boilerplate text. This text may be used on numerous web pages and websites without modifying the content. Another typical type of boilerplate material that you might use in many places is CTAs after blog posts.
Content reuse in multiple formats. This could entail more work than just pasting a paragraph or getting it from a database, but it has several advantages. A single piece of material can generate numerous additional content articles in various formats with a little extra effort.
Content reuse for multiple audiences. This might require minor tweaks to adapt the information to a larger group of users. A piece of content intended for internal use, for instance, could be modified for use in external marketing.
Benefits of Content Repurposing
1. Accomplish multiple objectives
There is a possibility that a piece of content that is working well in one area will also perform well in other areas. Perhaps one of your blog posts is bringing visitors to your website.
2. Connect with a broader audience
Something you published a year ago won't reach the same people if you publish it now, whether it was a blog post or a social network update. Every day, new individuals open profiles on social media. Additionally, your audience develops and changes over time, so consider updating an old piece of content and republishing it to reach your growing base of devoted fans.
3. Increases Your Range
Although the people of your target audience might share a lot of traits, their preferences and learning styles will probably vary. Some people learn better with visuals than with audio.
4. Diversify Your Content
While consistency is essential in marketing, that doesn't mean you should always use the same platform. Instead, you should use all available media and marketing channels to spread the same message.
5. Maximizes effort and time
Repurposing your material allows you to increase output while retaining quality while using the same amount of input. You can use the time you save to work on new marketing strategies and take care of other business-related matters.
6. Makes You More Visible Online
Repurposing existing material generates additional, high-quality content, and the more of this you have online, the more visible you will be. Gaining more brand recognition, expanding your audience, and ultimately increasing your customer base depends on having an excellent online presence.
7. Redeem less successful content
You can expect some content you post to do less well than others. The issue might not, however, be with the quality of the content. It can be the setting in which it is given. A blog post series that promotes your website could be created from an eBook that didn't generate many leads for your company. Or a collection of less popular blog pieces may be combined to create a fantastic eBook that produces a lot of requests for consultations. For these services and more, visit MPL-Publisher.
Content has a lot of value, but there may be more than you realize. Examine your current material and consider how you may repurpose it. Better still, develop fresh material with this method in mind so that future repurposing will be more straightforward for you. Your life will be easier if you repurpose your content, but repurposing will be even more detailed if you plan.
