9 out of 10 people report wanting to see more videos from brands.
But producing video content is expensive - it requires an investment of time, energy, and money.
So how can you make the most of your video content without breaking the bank?
Our answer: Repurpose your video content.
Instead of only using each video once, you can reuse it in different channels and different formats.
In this article, we'll show you how to repurpose your video content to maximize your video marketing ROI.
We'll cover:
- The most effective ways to repurpose your video marketing assets
- Where to look to find content to repurpose
- Some key considerations to keep in mind when your start reusing your content
The Top 5 Ways to Repurpose Video Content
#1 Turn your video content into a blog post
This is an easy way to repurpose longer video content such as YouTube videos, slideshows, talks, etc.
You can transcribe the video yourself with software like Trint or hire someone to transcribe it for you on a platform like UpWork.
However, you can’t just publish the transcript on your blog as it is. You'll need to tweak the text to turn it into a readable blog post.
Clean up the text
Typically, people use a more conversational tone in video content, which doesn’t always translate well into the written word.
You should check the text for repetitiveness, sentences that trail off, sudden changes of topic, etc.
Especially if the person was just speaking off the cuff (as opposed to following a script), you'll probably need to do quite a bit of editing to create actually engaging blog content.
Format the text
According to the Nielsen Norman Group’s research, people rarely read online - they are far more likely to scan than read word for word.
Here’s how Kate Moren, the Director of Nielsen Norman Group, explains it:
“.... content creators need to accept this fact: People are not likely to read your content completely or linearly. They just want to pick out the information that is most pertinent to their current needs.”
This is why it’s so important to make your long form blog post as scannable as possible:
- Create a subheadline for each important section.
- Consider adding sub-subheadlines to further break up the sections where that makes sense.
- Break up the text into paragraphs. Each paragraph should be 1-3 lines long.
- Break up the text with bulleted lists, numbered lists, or checklists where that makes sense.
- Add images. Aim to have at least one image for every 500 words. Generally, the more images, the better, just make sure that they are relevant. Also, avoid stock images, as they are considered to be cheesy.
Proper formatting is important because no one has the patience for deciphering walls of text.
If readers can’t easily skim your blog post, they'll likely leave and never come back.
Embed the original video
You should embed the original video into the blog post so that the reader would have the option to watch it if that’s what they prefer.
This can also be helpful from an SEO perspective because embedding videos tends to increase dwell time which sends the signal to Google that people find that content valuable.
#2 Repurpose video content into GIFs
You can also repurpose videos into GIFs using the Giphy app, then use them to illustrate your blog posts, emails, and sales pages.
These short clips can help you bring your written content to life. It will make it more engaging and shareable.
They're especially helpful when you want to show a specific feature or angle of your product or software.
Instead of embedding a whole product or demo video, you can focus on the exact feature you're writing about.
Using GIPHY for brand awareness
A unique tip we learned from Harry at MarketingExamples.com is that you can also use GIPHY to boost your brand awareness for free.
Starbucks is a great executor of this strategy.
At the time of our writing this article, their 400+ GIFs have been viewed over 3 billion times.
That means each GIF has been used over 7 million times!
Once you've made at least five GIFs on the platform, you can apply for a brand channel.
Your GIFs will then be searchable in GIPHY's public GIF library. Tagging them with the right keywords can get your brand in front of a new audience with very low effort.
Your brand probably doesn't already have a cult product like Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte.
You'll need to get a bit more creative than just uploading existing videos that showcase your product's features.
Instead, you'll need to cook up GIF ideas that play off current trends, will resonate and be shareable, and ideally that target little used keywords.
#3 Use videos in your email marketing
You can use repurpose video content to make your email marketing more persuasive.
Here are the three best ways to do that:
Include videos in your email outreach
Consider including existing video content in your:
- Cold emails. Including explainer videos, personalized recordings, or product teasers in cold emails can be especially helpful for companies that sell innovative products.
- Your welcome sequence. Include your highest quality video content in your welcome sequence because that ensures that the new subscriber will get exposed to it.
- Your newsletters. Always share new video content with your subscribers, so don’t forget to include links to it in your newsletters.
All that can help you increase your open rates and make your emails stand out.
Just make sure that you add the word “video” in the subject line - this has been shown to increase the open rate by 6%.
Announce new video content
If you have a Youtube channel, your email list is usually going to be a different audience than your Youtube subscribers.
Whenever you upload videos to Youtube, make sure you also let your email list know.
You could mention your recent uploads in your regular newsletter. Or you could send out standalone emails if you don't upload videos very often, or if you've uploaded particularly valuable content.
Add a video to your email signature
You can also add a video to your email signature.
That might mean:
- A product teaser video
- A product demo video
- A product explainer video
- A video that features your brand’s representative
- A video that features your team and shows off your company’s culture
You want to choose the option that is most consistent with your branding.
Brands that have a more corporate vibe would probably be better off going with a teaser, a demo, or an explainer video.
Meanwhile, more personal brands might benefit from using a video that features people as that would add to their relatable brand image.
Should you embed videos in your emails?
Not all email clients support embedded videos.
If you embed a video in an email message, not all recipients will be ale to watch videos.
That’s why you should always include a thumbnail and link to the video itself.
Thumbnail links can help pique the recipient’s curiosity without risking technical issues in case their email client doesn’t support HTML5.
#4 Turn your longer form videos into social media videos
Repurposing video content into social videos is one of the highest-leverage ways to increase brand awareness.
However, all social media platforms are different, so the best way to do it depends on the platform:
It has powerful targeting and retargeting functionalities which means that a wide variety of videos can work well on this platform.
You can repurpose product demos, testimonials, case studies, and more.
It’s the largest professional network in the world so the video content you share on it should be business-focused. You want to position yourself as an authority in your niche by providing practical information.
For example, Chris Walker, the CEO of Refine Labs, has a podcast and shares clips from it on LinkedIn.
Note that this social network isn’t a place to post funny videos, trendy dances, etc. You don’t need to be all uptight and proper, especially if that would clash with your brand image, but you do need to keep it professional.
Whenever you want to post something there, ask yourself how will it help your ideal customers achieve their career or business goals. Can’t answer that question?
Then don’t post it on LinkedIn!
From what we have seen, Twitter’s algorithm doesn’t prioritize video content, which shouldn’t be surprising given that it’s a text-based social media platform.
That being said, video ads can be effective, so consider experimenting with them. See if you can find bits of video content that would blend in well with your target audience’s Twitter feeds.
Short bursts of information and hot takes work best. Just don’t make them too hot as Twitter users are notorious for condemning brands for the slightest transgressions, whether real or perceived.
It’s still an image-based social media platform but it has been heavily prioritizing video for quite a while now.
You can either repurpose your videos by taking screenshots from the best scenes and posting them as images or cutting out those best scenes and posting them as video clips.
TikTok
You have probably heard of TikTok’s notoriously addictive algorithm. Maybe you have even experienced it yourself!
But here at RocketWheel, we believe that there’s more to this platform’s meteoric rise than its algorithm.
The fact that TikTok creators project authenticity and establish a sense of personal connection must be contributing to its success.
That’s why we recommend focusing on user-generated content (UGC) style clips in your TikTok strategy: short and authentic.
This can be quite a challenge because video repurposing typically revolves around professionally produced video content.
The best option is to create unique UGC clips and then mix them with clips from your “proper” video content with decent production values.
YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels vs. TikTok Videos
YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and TikTok videos are best suited for short video content. This makes repurposing the same video across these multiple platforms and social media channels relatively straightforward.
Just be mindful of what video length each platform allows:
- YouTube shorts can be up to 60 seconds long.
- Instagram reels can be up to 90 seconds long.
- TikTok videos can be up to 10 minutes long.
This means that you can easily repurpose shorts and reels for TikTok but doing the opposite might be more complicated if your TikTok video is more than 90 seconds long.
Also, TikTok videos have watermarks, so consider using an app like SnapTik to remove the watermark from your video before you repurpose it on other platforms.
(It is believed that both YouTube and Instagram favor videos without watermarks, so removing them from your videos might help you get more love from the algorithms.)
Best places to find video content to repurpose for social media
Again, it all depends on the platform, but we have learned that these three types of video content work especially well on social media:
- Testimonials. They reassure potential customers that you are a real deal and help you create a human connection.
- Product teasers. Distributing short teaser clips on social media can help you create excitement and get people talking about your upcoming product.
- Event videos. Short videos that provide a highlight reel of live video from a recent event can help you attract more attendees next time.
#5 Turn your videos Into podcast episodes
You can also repurpose video content into podcast episodes.
However, this approach only makes sense if you're creating video content as part of a video series (e.g. Moz’s “Whiteboard Friday” on YouTube).
In that case, it’s likely that some people would prefer to consume that content in an audio format, so you can start a podcast with the same name and upload the audios there.
You can use the free open source software Audacity to export audio from your videos.
One thing to keep in mind if you choose to go this route is that you should write video scripts with both the video and the audio formats in mind.
Otherwise, you might end up shooting the video, only to realize that it won’t translate well into audio because the information that you presented visually will be missing.
Where To Find Video Content to Repurpose?
You can repurpose pretty much any video content including:
- Explainer videos. Repurposing them for social media can help increase brand awareness and reach people who wouldn’t have heard about your company otherwise.
- Product videos. They work best at the bottom of the funnel, so you can add them to your sales pages. You can also send them to sales prospects that are interested in your product and want to learn more about it.
- Customer testimonials. There’s no such thing as too much social proof, so repurpose customer testimonials wherever you can. Share them on social media and with your email subscribers, upload them to your YouTube channel, display them on your sales page, etc. You can also link to them in your cold emails since that will give you more credibility.
- Event footage. Social media is a great place to share highlight reels of recent events. Also, if you are serious about recruitment, you might want to consider creating videos of company events and sharing them on LinkedIn as that can help you attract employees.
- YouTube videos. You can repurpose your regular YouTube videos as YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and TikTok videos by cutting them up into bite-sized clips. Also, you might want to include your most popular YouTube videos in your email marketing welcome sequence.
- Webinars. You can create short clips that feature the most interesting content from your webinar recording and then post videos to YouTube, share them on social media, and add them to marketing videos and send them to your email subscribers.
The 3 Rules That You Need To Follow When Repurposing Video Content
It’s important to be intentional about repurposing video content. How does each video fit into your overall marketing strategy?
We recommend following these three rules for best results:
Rule #1: Have a clear goal
You need to ask yourself what are you trying to achieve to make engaging video content that will help with your business objectives.
Do you want to:
- Increase brand awareness?
- Create an emotional connection with potential customers?
- Build trust with potential customers?
- Establish authority in the eyes of potential customers?
- Convert potential customers into paying customers?
- Nurture your relationship with existing customers?
Your video production and video repurposing budgets aren't infinite, so you'll have to consider these tradeoffs when you repurpose videos.
Here’s a table that can help you figure out what is most appropriate at different stages of your sales funnel:
Rule #2: Get permission from stakeholders
You have to make sure that you have a permission to repurpose the video content in question.
Have all stakeholders approved the idea?
This includes both internal and external stakeholders.
A past client might have have agreed to posting their one video testimonial on your testimonials pages, but this doesn't imply permission to turn videos into video ads or social media posts.
Or you might find exciting video clips in your sales team's onboarding videos. They might want to keep this video information to keep their sales process away from your competition.
Either way, make sure you engage the relevant stakeholders before you reuse their video content.
This will keep you out of trouble - and they might even give you some insights into how to best use their video!
Rule #3: Stay on brand
All your video content should be consistent with your brand image.
This means that you need to consider not only what works well in general but also what would work well in your particular situation.
For example:
If you are in an industry where brands are expected to be authoritative, formal, and serious, then making funny TikTok videos might not be the best idea.
Conversely, if you are in an industry where brands tend to have an informal, playful, laid-back vibe, then goofing around on TikTok might be a great way to connect with your target audience.
Final Thoughts
The video production process is expensive. From pre-production, to shooting and/or animating, to video editing and distribution, the process takes up time and budget.
Repurposing video content is one of the best strategies to get the most out of one video.
Instead of seeing your entire video as only one video, try to see it as an opportunity for a well of all sorts of short and snackable videos. Look through these videos with an eye for what would work best - how to videos, video ads, vertical videos or horizontal videos, or any other videos that will work in your content strategy.
Ideally, you want to design your video marketing strategy with repurposing in mind, so that you would know exactly how you intend to use each video.
That’s the best way to maximize your video marketing ROI.
P.S. Need help repurposing your video content? We can help with that!
