Blogs are nothing new. Since the mid-90s, people have been using blogs to post information freely. By the mid-2000s, blogs became a mainstream medium, and businesses started to use blogs to promote their companies.

Since blogs have been around for so long, it’s easy to think that, in this fast-changing digital age, they’re a bit outdated. But, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

In fact, according to Hubspot, more than half of content marketers said that blogging was still their main priority when it came to increasing inbound traffic. It’s clear, then, that blogs continue to hold an important place when it comes to digital marketing.

However, it’s also true that, in order to keep up with online trends, your content needs to incorporate other forms of media to widen your audience range. Videos, email newsletters, social media, and more should all receive attention if you want your online presence to thrive.

If you don’t have the budget to compile a marketing team, the prospect of managing an array of content types is overwhelming; how can you possibly run your business and do the work of a full time marketing agency?

I have good news for you: you can take blog content that you’ve already created and easily rework it for other platforms. Not only can this save you time, but it will also allow you to use your highest performing blogs in multiple places, earning even more clicks.

Here are five ways to turn old blogs into new content.

Refurbish dated blogs

Depending on how old your blog is, you likely have some oldies in there that follow outdated SEO and content marketing strategies. These older blogs might also contain dated information if your business is in a fast-paced industry.

It’s a good strategy, overall, to consistently revisit old blog posts to ensure that they’re up to date. If you’re struggling to come up with new content ideas, these old blogs can be a godsend.

Simply pick an old blog (start with the blogs that have the best traffic numbers), replace the images, and rewrite some copy to make it fresh and new. Check the links to make sure that they still work, and add new links if they’re relevant. Try to leave the permalink alone; if you change it, all of the links to that page will be broken.

Turn the blog into a social media post

Posting a link to your blog on your social media pages offers a fast and easy way to advertise new blog posts to your followers.

Take that idea one step further by turning your blog posts into your social media posts.

For example, if you created a blog post entitled, 5 Gift Ideas for Kids, you could create five different graphics for each gift idea and put them into an Instagram post. In the caption, you’d include a link to the full blog post. This tactic will advertise your blog while encouraging engagement from the social media followers who aren’t in the mood to read an entire article. It’s a win-win.

Turn the blog into a YouTube video

Video marketing is gaining more and more importance when it comes to content strategies. Videos are shareable, easy to digest, and they improve accessibility for those who have difficulty with written texts.

But, many people refrain from creating videos because they don’t believe that they have the proper skills.

With blogs, it’s simple. All you have to do is take an existing blog, turn the blog into a script (usually, this only entails condensing it a bit), and create some graphics to separate each section of information. It doesn’t have to be super fancy; it just needs to cleanly present solid information.

You can then choose to present the content a few different ways. It can be a simple slideshow with key points on each “slide.” You could have a narrator speaking in the background as relevant images and text are shown. You could create more of a production by having yourself or an actor present the information in front of the camera. It’s really up to you and which style speaks to your audience.

(If you need some help with YouTube, here are 16 free tools.)

Turn the blog into a podcast

Podcasts are similar to videos in that they present the same information in a new way. 

Making a podcast doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply record yourself reading your blog post in an interesting way, and you have a podcast! Feel free to add information to make it more conversational; people expect podcasts to be more casual and semi-unscripted.

If you don’t like the sound of your voice, there are tons of voice actors available who will read whatever script that you provide. 

Write an ebook

If you’ve curated a large amount of blog posts over the years, chances are that many of them have a theme. Take these collections, and turn them into ebooks.

Writing an ebook might sound like a massive task, but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s say that you’re a real estate company, and you’ve amassed a few blogs about home design. You can take those blogs, organize them into chapters, and simply rewrite the introductions and conclusions (and most likely parts of the body) so that it makes sense as a cohesive unit.

You can then either sell the ebook on its own or offer it as some sort of incentive (in exchange for subscribing to your newsletter, for signing up for a consultation, etc.). 

Blog posts are amazing tools when it comes to content marketing. If you’re only posting your blog posts on your blog, then you’re missing out on some worthwhile content opportunities. Instead of taking the time to research and write new blog posts, expand your content strategy by republishing your old posts in new media.

Of course, the biggest key when it comes to a successful content strategy is quality. If you’d like a professional to take over your blog or rework old blog posts into new pieces of content, let’s talk!