
Writing compelling copy can be extremely time consuming, but I have found it is quite easy to repurpose content when a structured plan is followed. Beginning with a blog, learn how to use this core content across marketing platforms.
1. Blog - Begin with a blog between 1200-2000 words. This is a great way to begin to develop content that can be repurposed for most of your marketing initiatives. Often cited as a top SEO tactic, blog content is ideal to reach targeted audiences and improve your website's position in organic (unpaid) search. Wordpress is one of the best ways to create a versatile website and blog library organized by themes or topics.
So, if you are unclear, here is how blogs are best described. Blogs are often written in first person, and tend to be more conversational, as they are coming from a personal perspective. In the case of a private independent school, for example, the perspective could be from a student, administrator, faculty, or staff member.
This does not mean the content should be strictly the writer's opinions, but rather should include some or all of the following: tips, lists, resources, quotes, data, links, and ideas which stimulate the audience to think, engage, and ask questions. To enhance your reputation as a reliable resource, use research to embellish the article with various facts, data, and other findings.
2. National Press Release - Now, what is a press release and how does it differ from a blog?
The approach for a press release should always be more objective and factual in tone, rather than from a personal perspective, unless it happens to be an op-ed piece.
From the blog, if it contains newsworthy information on a current education topic, make adjustments so that you can convert some of the content to a press release.
Keep in mind though, here you are trying to appeal to journalists who are seeking out new stories. To get it picked up, ensure you follow the media guidelines. A press release should follow AP standards and the format includes: title, subhead, quote, body, and a boilerplate summary of your organization. For boilerplate examples, check out this info.
National platforms like PR Newswire are always seeking out great articles that will appeal to various audiences. As long as you follow the instructions, you will get published, but there is a fee to publish on these national platforms.
3. Local and Hometown Press Release - From the national release, distill the copy down to approx 400 words if it is newsworthy for the local market.
Local news generally includes: updates, special events, awards, new services (e.g. online education, workshops, summer camps, etc.), capital improvements, important new hires, and other important time-sensitive announcements.
For hometown news, remember this typically centers on specific student achievements such as: graduation announcements, college acceptances, special awards, and scholarships. For this purpose, blog content may not be applicable, but headlines and some messaging could be useful in general releases. Check out Read Media/Merit as an efficient way to generate lots of hometown news stories to significantly increase your word-of-mouth advertising.
4. Social Media - From the content in the blog, you can also repurpose the headline and a few key sentences for a single or series of posts on social media sites. If you use
Sprout Social or Hubspot, or other inbound marketing systems, this will help you efficiently post on each site.
5. Email News - With newsletters, you have two options. You can send out the full blog article to prospective and/or current families in a newsletter, or include excerpts as a teaser, along with a link to the full blog on your website. This will drive traffic to your website blogs and improve your SEO. Check out this article for some of the top newsletter services.
6. Website - For your website, it is important to have blogs organized within a library by category. This allows families to search and find content easily. For most schools, the blog will show up on the home page as well as in the blog section of your site. This is also typically true for press releases as well, where you would have a designated news section. Both news and blogs help improve SEO results by showing on your top pages of search. If you need more info about your site's SEO, get a free SEO analysis and affordable service options from Brendan Schneider's Media company.
7. Literature - Blogs are an excellent way to build content for viewbooks, annual magazines, and brochures. Repurpose headlines, key content, and embellish literature with other current info to make it fresh and interesting. Printed materials are great, but also consider flipbook technologies so all of your literature is also housed on your website. Once again, it serves an SEO purpose and reinforces blog information.
8. Event Programs - Blog content can also help you craft messaging for event programs and handouts. Use your core messaging from your blogs to build strong headlines, captions, and more. For example, for a blog about college graduation might include college matriculation statistics and top colleges that could be included in programs.
9. Displays - Another way to repurpose blog content is to reinforce key concepts, facts, or ideas on campus and on school fair displays. Sometimes schools take key statistics and convert them to compelling bullet points in an infographic format for fairs and campus pop-up displays. To create your own simple designs for placards, easel cards, and more, you might want to try out Canva.
10. Videos - Last but not least, don't ignore ways you can use content from blogs in various videos. Record a simple video on Zoom so you can walk through a screen share of the blog content, and then upload it to your YouTube channel and website. You can also take some copy and apply it to text thumbnails and YouTube end cards where applicable.
Need Copywriting and Editing Support? Aperture Advisory Associates can help you learn how to repurpose content across your platforms or act as your go-to copywriter/editor.
Benefit and learn from a former Director of Admissions & Marketing with over 15 years of experience in private boarding and day schools. Affordable fees. Free Consultation.
Website: apertureadvisory.com
Email: info@apertureadvisory.com

Comments