10 Smart Ways to Recycle Your Traditional Marketing Content for Inbound Marketing

In today‘s digital-first world, it‘s easy to view traditional marketing tactics like print ads, direct mail, and radio spots as relics of a bygone era. And while it‘s true that inbound marketing has emerged as a more effective approach for many businesses, that doesn‘t mean you should let all your old marketing collateral go to waste.

With a little creativity, it‘s possible to breathe new life into your "old-school" marketing materials by repurposing them for your inbound marketing efforts. By recycling content you‘ve already created, you can save time and resources while still extracting value from your previous investments.

So how exactly can you turn traditional outbound content into high-performing inbound content? Here are 10 actionable ways to do it:

1. Transform print newsletters into engaging email newsletters

If you‘ve been sending out print newsletters, you‘ve likely put significant effort into developing educational articles and visuals. Rather than reinventing the wheel, use that content as the foundation for a new email newsletter.

Of course, you‘ll need to optimize the content for email – shorter paragraphs, catchy subject lines, inline links, etc. But the core content can remain largely the same. Just be sure to focus more on delivering value than promoting your company.

2. Repurpose tradeshow banners as eye-catching social media images

The lifespan of a tradeshow banner is woefully short. But just because the event is over doesn‘t mean your banner design has to collect dust. Resize and reformat the visuals to create stunning social media images that grab attention in a crowded feed.

You likely put good money into hiring a designer for your banners, so why not squeeze more value out of that investment? A single banner could yield multiple social posts that drive awareness for your brand.

3. Convert banner ads into high-converting blog CTAs

Like banner ads, blog CTAs (calls-to-action) have one primary goal – to get visitors to click through to a landing page. So why not repurpose your old banner ads into CTA graphics for your blog posts?

You may need to tweak the copy and design to better resonate with your blog audience. But the general concept and value prop can stay the same. Place your CTA in line with your blog content to drive readers to take action.

4. Expand whitepapers into value-packed ebooks

Whitepapers are an old standby of B2B marketing. And while they still have their place, ebooks tend to be more engaging and reader-friendly. The good news is you can easily turn a text-heavy whitepaper into a visually appealing ebook.

Dig into your whitepaper content and pull out the key insights and data points. Then, use ebook templates to give the content a modern, eye-catching layout. Add images, charts, and examples to enrich the content. Finally, gate the ebook behind a lead gen form to capture emails.

5. Visualize research reports as stunning infographics

Let‘s face it – most people don‘t get excited about wading through dense research reports. But slice and dice that data into a compelling infographic, and suddenly you‘ve got a highly shareable piece of content.

Infographics allow you to tell a visual story with your research. They make complex information easy to understand at a glance. And they‘re a great way to earn backlinks and social shares that drive traffic.

6. Adapt brochure copy for your core website pages

If you‘ve ever written a company brochure, you‘ve already got a headstart on your website copy. While brochures tend to be more promotional than your typical web page, a lot of the general messaging can be repurposed.

Focus on adapting the content to align with your site‘s tone and voice. Emphasize the benefits you provide rather than just listing features. And be sure to optimize the copy for search engines by naturally incorporating your target keywords.

7. Modernize direct mail pieces into personalized emails

Direct mail may seem old-fashioned these days, but certain aspects of it still apply to email. A hyper-focused message, strong call-to-action, and eye-catching visuals are all essential for both tactics.

To turn a direct mail piece into an email, you‘ll need to condense the copy and really hone in on the core message. Make your subject line impossible to ignore. And be sure you‘re sending to an opt-in list to avoid spam complaints.

8. Extract punchy radio ad copy into click-worthy tweets

Writing an effective radio ad and crafting an engaging tweet actually require a similar skill set. In both cases, you need to communicate your message in a clear, concise, and compelling way.

Take the core concepts from your radio ads and whittle them down into 280 character posts. Use strong, active language that grabs attention. And don‘t forget relevant hashtags, links, and images that boost visibility and drive clicks.

9. Reimagine print magazine ads as Instagram posts

Did you know you can now run Instagram ads in traditional print magazines? Just kidding – but you can take your old print ads and use them as creative fodder for your Instagram content.

Obviously, you‘ll need to resize the images for IG‘s specs. But the general look and feel of the ad can translate seamlessly to social. Pull out interesting copy or stats from the ad to use as captions. And be sure to update any outdated CTAs.

10. Expand press releases into SEO-optimized blog articles

Finally, don‘t let your old press releases languish unread in some forgotten corner of the internet. Repurpose them into search-optimized blog posts that attract organic traffic.

Most press releases cover newsworthy topics that people are searching for info on. So dig into your archive, identify releases with strong keyword potential, and adapt them into helpful blog articles. You can even add commentary on how the news impacts your industry.

Tips for Successfully Repurposing Marketing Content

As you can see, there are countless ways to recycle your traditional marketing materials into content that fuels your inbound strategy. But to really make your repurposed content shine, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Always consider the context. What works in a print brochure won‘t necessarily work verbatim on your website. Tailor the content to suit the medium and the expectations of your audience.
• Don‘t just copy and paste. Slapping old content into a new format won‘t cut it. Take the time to refresh and optimize the content for its new purpose. Give it a modern spin.
• Mix it up. Using different content formats helps you connect with different learning styles. Some people prefer text, others like visuals. Variety is key.
• Quality over quantity. Not every old piece of marketing content is worth repurposing. Focus on materials that are still relevant and align with your current strategy.
• Squeeze every drop. A single piece of content can often be repurposed multiple times in different ways. Aim to get as much mileage as you can out of your best stuff.

Get More Value From Your Marketing With Content Recycling

Making the switch from traditional to inbound marketing can seem daunting at first. But by repurposing content you‘ve already created, you can hit the ground running and start seeing results faster.

Before you begin any new content initiatives, take stock of the assets you already have. With a discerning eye and a little ingenuity, you can transform dusty old marketing pieces into lead generating machines.

The examples outlined above are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of repurposing potential. Use them as inspiration to come up with your own creative ways to get more value out of your content.

By making content recycling a core part of your strategy, you‘ll save time, conserve resources, and extract more value from every marketing dollar spent. Old school, meet new school.