As Olympic teams from around the world are hitting the slopes (and ice and luge!) this week, us content marketers are training in our everlasting pursuit of the perfect content strategy. In our recent study, we found that many marketers ranked promoting their existing content as a low priority, while in reality, promoting existing content is what will help content marketers win the gold, as well as the hearts of prospects.

Just like Olympians must overcome challenges, so must content marketers! So, what do you say? Are you ready to be the best in content? One of easiest ways to stay ahead of the content competition, reach a wider audience and save time & resources is to repurpose existing content. Here are some tips that will help your content go the distance.

The Hard Hitters – eBooks & White Papers

What do the USA men’s and women’s hockey teams have in common with eBooks? They both pack a punch. eBooks are information heavy content marketing collateral that help support your customer buyer cycle, your organization’s credibility and increase thought leadership.The informative content in eBooks requires a lot of effort and consideration from content marketers, whether they’ve performed a survey or conducted another form of research, these pieces of content are heavy hitters. Done right, eBooks are great tools to provide evergreen information for readers and help guide them through the sales cycle.

Like hockey, eBooks also require team players. Writers, designers, editors and marketers are all required to create and publish a successful eBook. Building an efficient content team can make all the difference in producing high quality content and reaching the right audience. Need more insight on how to build a rockstar content marketing team? Check out these tips.

Because eBooks and white papers are so packed with quality information and take so much time to create, marketers should never move on to their next campaign without repurposing the content inside the pages. The breakdown of eBooks and white papers into more digestible formats, otherwise known as the content marketing pyramid technique, helps marketers get the most mileage out of great content.

Points for Presentation – Webinars, Infographics, Presentations

The judges on the skating rink (readers, in our case) are hard on presentation when it comes to choreography, interpretation and transitions in routines. Not only does it have to be high quality, but it’s got to look great – and so does your content. Visually stimulating content in the form of webinars, infographics and presentation slides makes material more comprehensive for readers. Your readers don’t want to always be confronted with text. Switch it up! These forms of content marketing can help break down complex information into piece by piece breakdowns to get ideas across quickly and clearly.

Think about it in terms of the marketing funnel. Use visually appealing infographics and Slideshare presentations as top of the funnel mediums to draw readers in and compel them to share. Webinars, a bit heavier and more of a commitment, help draw those folks into learning more on a topic.

It’s All in the Details – Blogs & Site Content

All of the Olympic athletes competing in races, whether its on the rink, the slopes or the ice track all have aerodynamic clothing and equipment. The details in these materials and accessories help propel skiers down the mountain, pilot luge racers and drive speed in skating. This is extremely important when wins are decided by a fraction of a second. And guess what – same goes for content!

Blogs and other short forms of written content can provide extra detail and add value to topics that didn’t receive as much coverage in your eBook. For example, lets say your eBook is about Global Content Marketing and you write how to optimize content for various cultures. A good idea would be to write a series of blog posts on each country, providing more detail on how to translate and localize for that specific audience; or perhaps a series of blog posts on global holidays to learn about, the differences of color interpretation in various cultures or global trends in mobile marketing. See where I’m going here? Break down large blocks of information into more absorbable pieces so readers can take away actionable information. In addition, including the original eBook at the end of blogs as a CTA (call-to-action) is a best practice to keep prospects engaged in your content.

Another way to use details to your advantage is to optimize your content for search. Repurposing your existing content helps you get the most out of it, but improving the SEO of that content helps you squeeze out every last bit. Besides, if readers can’t find your content, it’s going to waste. Fixing that one keyword can make all the difference in your audience finding your article instead of your competitor’s. Optimize titles, headlines, tags, etc. for search and reap the benefits of having your content read and shared.

Cheer on your Teammates (and Competitors!) – Curated Content

Sportsmanship – another important component of the Olympics. It can be incredibly difficult to gain fans with poor sportsmanship, just like it can difficult to satisfy your audience’s content craving with egocentric content. Solely publishing content created by your organization gives your audience a limited perspective on topics. Cheer on related articles with curation.

Content curation is the ultimate complement to your created content, and can give your topic that extra push. Curating content from various, credible sources adds to your own credibility by providing unique insights and new ideas. This diversity makes your content a go-to source for readers, who want to hear from their peers as well as other third party sources. Publishing curated information from outside your organization, even if it’s from your competitors, will provide your audience a one-stop shop when it comes to the information they’re looking for – and you’ll come out on top.

Using the content marketing pyramid method is a great way to promote, repurpose and get the most out of content, with a fraction of the time or resources needed. You spent a lot of time on that great eBook, don’t forget to market your marketing before moving on to the next piece.

For more ways to prepare your content strategy this year and learn how to work smarter, not harder, download our latest eBook, Content Marketing Tactics Planner 2014. The planner includes details on what best-in-class marketers are doing to create successful and sustainable content marketing strategies. Download now >>