I came across a great phrase which I am going to share - ‘pimping your content’. This is a phrase coined by John Watson, CMO of ShipServ and 2010 B2B Marketer of the Year. He talks about the intelligent re-using of content.

Create some content that supports your proposition. That demonstrates and substantiates what you want to be known for, what you are experts in and what the benefits your clients are left with. Once created, make sure this is intelligently recycled across all media and contact points of your campaigns.

So if you have written a blog or white paper, make sure you post it on social media sites. Email it to your client and prospect base. Add onto your website. You may even be able to get media coverage.

From my many years working with mail order companies they are the masters of ‘pimping content’. From base catalogues, new catalogues were created by re-paginating spreads to change the pace and feel of the book. Sometimes all it took was a recover and it looked fresh enough to re-mail and bring in lots more orders. And opportunities such as parcels were never wasted with catalogues being included in this ‘free ride’ contact. Now with the online opportunities the same photography and content is also pimped across the web, blogs and email marketing.

Repetition v wear out

As marketers we often worry about the ‘wear out’ factor, that our messages will become wallpaper if repeated too often. But I sometimes think there is a bit too much navel gazing going on here. If we think about it logically, people are rarely sat there eagerly awaiting our next marketing missive. There is inherently a great deal of wastage people - who are not in the market for your product or service so don’t take notice; people who do not read that magazine, blog or email; new people coming into the market every day.

So as well as making sure you use your content as much as possible, also don’t be afraid to repeat it. When I worked on a B2B healthcare provider we could mail the same list every 3 months and it not effect response rates. Because we didn’t have renewal data, we just had to ensure they were front of mind so when they were looking to renew, they had an awareness of the brand.

Re-cycling not just repetition

Now recycling is not just about repetition. It is about re-using and just as plastic bottles may get turned into handbags, then your content can be adapted and changed to make it appear fresh and to be used in different areas.

• Take a different angle on your subject matter
• Format it differently – can you turn it into top tips, best practice advice, case studies
• Use examples and anecdotes to bring it to life
• Update with recent developments in your industry or sector
• React to what is going on around you and relate back to your content

So invest in creating some stunning content based around your proposition and then don’t be afraid to repeat, recycle and pimp that content.

Image by: Photographer Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalImages.net