7 Ways That Entrepreneurs can Repurpose Content for Their Businesses

Content creation is a very important part of PR & Communications and significantly helps to build brand visibility.

When it comes to content creation strategy many small business owners and "professional influencers" (employees who use their social media platforms to raise their personal brands and be brand ambassadors for their employers) find it difficult to remain consistent. The fast paced nature of the digital world means that we are under so much pressure to create and consume content that we have very little chance to take stock or consider the impact of our content. It also becomes very difficult to be intentional and strategic if we put so much pressure on ourselves, we end up with digital burnout if we're not careful. But there are ways in which you can still communicate effectively to your audience without becoming inconsistent or constantly feeling overwhelmed but repurposing also works in reminding new followers/members of your audience about your past work. You can never simply assume that people know everything you have done and by bringing it back to life you keep your content live and maintain awareness.

Here are a few simple things you can do to repurpose your content whether it is for your business brand or for your personal brand so that you can remain connected with your audiences and maintain brand visibility:

1. I've already used an example in this post - use your social media posts in blog posts and online articles like this. Not only does it keep your tweets/status updates/instagram posts alive it illustrates the cross-platform capabilities of social media. Social media doesn't have to be stagnant you can use it to inspire more content and reuse it on your sites or even other platforms. Take a look at some of your brand's most popular tweets and see what you can use and how you can use them - whether it's to embed them in a piece like this or use a screenshot on another platform to keep the conversation going.

2. Don't waste pictures! It's absolutely OK to use pictures from the same day more than once - the #Throwback hashtag is also a good example of either resharing a picture you have already shared in a new way or sharing a picture that hasn't been shared in a way that encourages followers across multiple platforms to re-engage with your memories. 

3. Use tools from platforms like Buffer and Hootsuite (find out about more tools via my eGuide) or on wordpress a tool like Revive Old Posts - to reshare old posts and videos. Your videos, blog articles, podcasts etc don't have to remain dormant especially if the content is relevant. Share them regularly to remind your audience about something significant that your brand has done. 

4. Re-share clips from audio or video interviews  - similar to resharing your pictures why not share clips from any audio interviews or if you have videos as part of your comms strategy share clips across social media to remind your audience about that content. Remember that the purpose is to reinforce the idea of community building with your stakeholders (customers/clients/colleagues/industry figureheads). 

5. If you have spoken at an event or created a presentation you can use a platform like SlideShare on LinkedIn to publish the slides to share after the event or simply write a summary of the event. If you're feeling lazy you can use an event hashtag to collate all the social media conversation (usually twitter) about your talk and embed them into a post with a short review about the event. 

6. If you are building your personal brand as a subject matter expert you can use blog posts to create Guides (internally and externally).

7. If you have a newsletter (you should have a newsletter by the way) you can repurpose old blog posts and use them for content. You can also use blog posts for podcast and video ideas too which is another example of the cross platform nature of content. 

The lesson here is to not let good content go to waste. You are surrounded by so many great ideas which you can use for yourself as the brand ambassador for your business/organisation or for the business itself. 

The Problem With Aldi's "Food poverty" influencer campaign: Poorest Day Challenge

Ronke Lawal provided her insights and perspective on the backlash that Aldi received on social media for its “Poorest Day Challenge” to PRWeek. #AldiPoorestDayChallenge paid influencers to show their followers how to live on £25 a week and was subsequently pulled after receiving criticism and the supermarket faced an online social media crisis.

Ronke told PRWeek:

The campaign comes across as if Aldi’s creative team, or the agency partner they hired, are far removed from social realities on the ground. The concept is not necessarily a bad one (showing how good value Aldi is for those on limited budgets), but the wording and framing of the challenge is insensitive and ill-thought[-out] – and it is further compounded by actually paying a social-media influencer to take part.

To read the full piece read: https://www.prweek.com/article/1672984/aldis-food-poverty-influencer-campaign-tone-deaf-lacking-authenticity#

How Business Owners Can Prepare For Their First Media Interviews

Being invited to undertake a media interview in whichever form it takes is exciting and it means that your business’ media relations strategy is working but quite often business owners do not prepare in a way that allows them to make an impact with their interview.  If you are invited to be interviewed on television, radio, magazines, blogs, podcasts or any other media platform, it is crucial that you are prepared. Many businesses and entrepreneurs seek media profiling as a way to enhance their brand visibility and credibility, so getting a media interview right can really ensure that you build and maintain your reputation within your industry.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your first media interview:

Media training – it is definitely worth investing in an expert to media train you before you undertake a media interview, this is particularly important for any video or audio interview but you may find that you need to seek advice on making the most of written interviews too.  Do not underestimate the value of getting the right training before you step into the spotlight. Ariatu PR offers media training services as well as an eGuide which is more indepth than this piece.

Be ready for the response – Remember that everything you say whether it is written or recorded can make or break your brand particularly in a digital age where interviews can have an even wider reach than ever before, you can go viral for all the right reasons or you could even have a PR crisis. Be ready for any level of exposure – good or bad. Whilst you might not become famous, there is a possibility that you might receive a lot of attention in a short space of time so make sure that you prepare yourself for any newfound attention. Take the time to assess the motives of the media channel that is sharing your story or interview too; some have good intentions but some also see your story as part of their  media cycle and you should not take it personally if they do not support you after the interview.

Take a moment to review yourself – if you know that you will be the face of your business or you have become a subject matter expert in your sector then make sure you take the time to review your performance, watch/listen/read – don’t bury your head in the sand because it feels embarrassing. If you want to do better then you need to know better, and knowing better means reviewing your progress and undertaking critical analysis and being open to feedback. You should also consider investing in your personal brand and public speaking skills as they can help you when positioning yourself for media interviews.

In this video I provide even more tips and guidance on preparing for a media interview.

How Serie A Completely Missed The Mark in Challenging Anti-Black Racism

In 2019 The Italian Football league Serie A launched an anti-racism campaign called “No To Racism” which ended up missing the mark completely by featuring monkeys as symbolic of the idea that “we are all monkeys”. It was not only insensitive but reflected a lack of foresight. It reflected how a lack of real inclusion can have a negative impact on even the most “well-intentioned” campaigns.

Social listening as well as stakeholder consultations would have led to a more informed decision and that decision should have been that this artwork is insensitive and a major distraction from the issue its trying to address - Ronke Lawal, Ariatu PR

Read more here: https://www.prweek.com/article/1669327/use-monkeys-serie-anti-racism-campaign-tone-deaf-hurtful-bame-community#

Key Communications for a No Deal Brexit

Ariatu PR Founder, Ronke Lawal offers key PR and Communications advice and top tips in the event of a no deal Brexit on the Chartered Institute of PR’s YouTube channel,

Public Relations can make a huge difference in how you handle uncertainty amongst customers in the event of a No Deal Brexit. Ronke Lawal gives her advice on how to be prepared.

A lot of small businesses are going to face consequences as the result of a No Deal Brexit. Ronke Lawal shares her advice on how to prepare a Crisis Comms strategy.