Content marketing is often assumed to simply be the development of content.

However, this perspective vastly underestimates the complexity and depth of content marketing. A more nuanced view introduces the concept of a “content marketing remix.” This approach is not just about creating new content; it’s about strategically repurposing and reimagining existing assets to maximize their value and reach. I run a content repurposing agency that specializes in helping brands implement the ideas of a content remix.

Here’s a slide that I shared at a recent keynote presentation I gave at MozCon 2023:

The message was simple:

Content marketing is NOT just about creating content. You have to distribute it as well…

By remixing content, marketers can adapt and distribute a single piece in multiple formats across various platforms, ensuring that it resonates with different audience segments. This strategy breathes new life into old content, amplifies its message, and enhances engagement without the need for constant creation of wholly new materials. In essence, a content marketing remix leverages the full spectrum of possibilities within the realm of digital marketing to achieve greater impact with existing resources.

Marketers often assume that their job is done after they press publish on a new YouTube video, a new podcast episode, a new blog post or new lead magnet. In reality, content marketing is the consistent act of both creation and distribution of content. One of the best ways to distribute content that is often overlooked is the power of a content marketing remix.

But before we jump into the power of the remix you need to understand it’s role in the marketing mix. Content remixing is a part of a content distribution strategy.

What is a content distribution strategy?

A content distribution strategy is a strategic document that an organization creates to guide its marketing efforts for promoting posts, ebooks, resources, and other content assets.

And I’m a firm believer that the act of content distribution is STILL one of the most underrated & under invested areas of digital marketing.

Many marketers will spend 20 hours to create a masterpiece and spend 20 minutes to promote it. Then they’re left wondering:

Hmm… Why didn’t that take off?

Distribution folks. Embrace it…

What is a content marketing remix?

The opportunities that exist for content distribution are broad. You can distribute your content through paid media channels, direct to your audience, through owned channels, in niche communities and on social media. There are literally hundreds of ways to distribute your content. But one way to distribute your content that takes inspiration from the wonderful world of Hip Hop is the power of creating remixes for content that already exists.

For example — You can turn a single blog post into a…

• Downloadable PDF
• Podcast Episode
• LinkedIn Update
• Slideshow Deck
• YouTube Video
• Quora Answer
• Tweet Storm
• Infographic 

And so much more…

But for some reason most brands will press publish on a piece of content once and that’s the lifecycle of that asset. It’s a broken approach.

You need to embrace the remix…

Content marketing remix is the act of taking one asset and turning it into multiple other assets.

If your audience is spending time on multiple channels, it’s a low hanging fruit to remix your content for the channels they’re spending time on.

• If your audience is on Twitter; remix your content into a thread
• If your audience is Instagram; remix your content for Instagram stories
• If your audience is on LinkedIn; remix your content as a LinkedIn article

“If you do not subscribe to Foundation’s newsletter, you are missing out on a content marketing GOLDMINE. Definite must-read.”

– Rachael Hensley, Director of PR and Comms at Shippo

Embrace the remix to give your content a longer lifecycle. 

Content marketing remix is something that I’ve been talking about since 2017 when I wrote a piece titled “Rain Drop, Drop Top, How To Make Your Blog Never Flop, Flop”. Hilarious title right? Either way; in that piece I explain how leveraging a content marketing remix was a strategy I had used time and time again to reach new audience. The first time I applied the technique was when I took an ultimate guide that I created about Instagram and turned it into a Slideshare deck… That deck went on to generate hundreds of thousands of both views and dollars in revenue. It eventually became a YouTube video, a downloadable PDF and even a course. You can do something similar and go on to selling videos and courses from just one piece of content.

See, here’s what most marketers overlook:

After creating content for a few months (or even years) you start to build up a reserve of valuable content. Over time, you shouldn’t limit these stories to a single format; instead, you should diversify their format by remixing them into new formats for new channels.

Out of all the different assets that exist that you can create podcasts & videos are probably the most remix-able content formats.

One video asset can be transcribed and turned into a blog post.
One video asset can be transcribed and formatted into twitter thread.
One video asset can be stripped of the video and turned into a podcast.
One video asset can be chopped and skewed into snippets for social media.

Video is a content asset that provides marketing remix gold, especially if you’re using tools like Wave that allow you to turn text into video in one click or Canva, where you can create and edit videos on the go.

Content remixing goes beyond just repackaging; it’s about reimagining your content to fit and flourish in different ecosystems. For instance, infographics can be broken down into individual data points or graphics that can be shared as Instagram stories or Pinterest pins, tapping into the visual-centric audiences on those platforms. Similarly, long-form blog posts can be condensed into powerful quotes or key takeaways for LinkedIn posts, catering to professionals seeking quick insights.

How To Know What’s Worth Remixing?

Not all content is created equally.

Some of the content you develop is going to have a sole purpose (think sales enablement content) but some assets will be created with the sole intent of offering you the flexibility to remix it. The best way to validate whether or not a piece of content should be remixed is to first get that solo asset in front of as many people as possible. Once you have distributed that asset to your audience, it’s time to analyze how they respond to that content. If the reaction is significant — plenty of social media shares, new leads, thousands of downloads or views, etc…

That’s a sign that you have content-market fit.

Content market fit is occurs when a piece of content’s value, the customers needs or wants, and the distribution channel leveraged all align. It’s at this point where you have a signal that shows remixing this asset could be worthwhile. Keep in mind… Content-market fit doesn’t have to validated or acted upon two days after going live. Many companies have developed hundreds of assets over the last few years and have had a handful of different posts that were wildly successful.

Those assets have content-market fit. Thus, it’s these successful assets that you also consider remixing.

The opportunities of a remix are endless. The only thing that can truly hold you back is your commitment to putting in the time after pressing publish. It’s a fundamental shift in the way most brands view marketing but it’s a shift that could change the way you do content forever.

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