One of the smartest things you can do for your marketing team is to create a cache of evergreen content. You can repeatedly use these pieces of content to generate online buzz and bring in new interest and clientele.
The challenge, of course, is coming up with strong evergreen content and knowing how to repurpose it over time so that it continues to feel fresh. Below, I will discuss the factors involved in making the best evergreen content. I will also outline nine of the best ways to repurpose the content you already have into new posts and other types of content.
What is Evergreen Content?
Evergreen content is any content not bound to a particular place, date, event, or temporary set of circumstances. This means that evergreen content is always relevant to your current and future readers, regardless of current events. It must also be content capable of attracting and pulling in potential customers.
From an SEO perspective, evergreen content is content that brings in a relatively constant stream of viewers (i.e., constant traffic). This is because it never goes out of style and always provides value to the audience. For example, a blog post about choosing the best crypto exchange platform in India will be relevant for years to come to all Indians looking to enter the crypto space. This is because, for the foreseeable future, people who want to trade cryptos will always need a crypto exchange to do so. With an ever-increasing number of options, choosing the right platform will become harder over time.
Most websites and blogs already have some form of evergreen content published, which they either created intentionally or unintentionally. If you want to know what makes a piece of content evergreen, here are a few key factors to keep in mind:
Keywords & SEO
Evergreen content is no different than other types of content in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) requirements. You want this type of content to generate organic traffic, so choosing the right keywords and sticking to SEO best practices is essential.
When creating evergreen content, make sure you are using the right keywords. Longtail keywords, or keywords that garner more specific searches, are usually the best for this type of content.
Once you establish your keywords, write or create the best possible piece of content around that topic. Make sure to put the keyword in the title, URL, and throughout the body of the written work. Be careful not to “stuff” your content with keywords, though. This will be annoyingly unreadable, making Google and other search engines penalize you by purposely sending you far down the list in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Beginners’ Language
Keeping language simple will make your content readable to a broader audience, including clients, customers, business partners, and even employees. Nobody wants to sift through technical industry jargon to get the answers to their questions, so keeping things simple with the evergreen content you intend to use over and over will make readers feel more welcome.
Of course, there are cases and industries where highly-technical content can be beneficial, especially if you know your target audience is already familiar with it.
Avoid Time-Sensitive Information
If you intend to use and reuse content, you want to avoid using anything that applies to a specific date. That’s not to say you shouldn’t publish content write about news, current trends, updates in your business or industry, or even discuss current pricing or supply and demand issues.
What it means is that that type of content is not evergreen content because it only serves its purpose of providing value to the audience when they read or view it right away, quickly becoming obsolete.
Keep it Relevant
Keep the information you use in your content relevant to your industry and business. Let’s say you work in the crypto industry, and your company runs a crypto exchange in Singapore that doesn’t operate within the US because of legal constraints. With this in mind, it’s probably best to avoid posting content about the benefits of trading cryptocurrencies from the US since that will only pull in customers whose needs you won’t be able to address.
Popular Evergreen Content Formats
Once you’ve chosen a relevant topic and the keywords you plan to target with your evergreen content, you should select the format to present it to your audience. Below are some popular formats to deliver evergreen content:
- Lists. Think “Top 10…” or “Six Reasons Why…” You can exploit this format in either written or video form.
- Industry Reports and Whitepapers. These are long-form written reports about the industry overall or a particular solution you offer.
- Tips and Tricks. These are sometimes called “hacks” and are a beloved way to generate social media buzz. These also work equally well in video and written form.
- Tutorials and step-by-step guides. For example, “How to Train a Puppy” or “How to Land a Second Interview Fast.”
Even though these are very popular, evergreen content can come in any other format, so don’t be afraid to try anything you think you might be able to repurpose later on. Keeping an evergreen cache is a wise business move when developing an online strategy. It helps scale your content marketing with minimal effort.
Following the tips mentioned above during content creation will help you publish material you can repurpose time and again. However, how you repurpose this material matters as much as how you create it. In the next section, I’ll show you how to repurpose like a pro without losing any value from your original content.
Repurposing Evergreen Content in Nine Different Ways
The value of your content is only as good as the interest it spurs in your audience. Simply re-posting the same articles with only minor changes won’t cut it. Nobody wants to click on their favorite business blog or social media account and see a “new” post that turns out to be the same thing they saw several months ago. That’s why you have to switch things up. Here are nine tips on how to pull it off.
Tip #1: Update and upgrade old content.
Did you have content that did really well when you first posted it and kept performing better than average months after, but after a year, it started falling behind? If this is the case, give it an update instead of just re-sharing it exactly as it was. This means adding more recent data, different quotes, more recent case studies, and so on while keeping the core content intact.
Nobody wants to read the same thing twice, but people will often re-read a post (and be happy to do so) if they can see how the same content applies to recent developments in their industry.
Refresh it with more up-to-date information, add quotes from your staff, and a new testimonial from a client for a quick and easy reset on old content.
Tip #2: Change the feel of the message.
Suppose you shared a well-written report six months ago on the benefits of using your company. It initially got a good response, with thousands of unique clicks banked, but then, traffic died out even though you are sure it’s the perfect example of evergreen content. Wouldn’t that be frustrating?
You could blame the content and vow to never use it again on your social media or website. However, you might want to consider that it may not have been the comment itself but the feel of the message that kept the post from sticking.
Re-packaging the same information with a different tone and style may be all you need to keep viewers coming in.
Tip #3: Re-format with exciting visuals.
Remember that different people will absorb information more effectively in different ways. Therefore, you cannot expect everyone who is drawn to your website to be interested in reading a 3,000-word blog post to get the information they need.
Re-formatting blog posts into infographics, slideshows, videos, or other more visual forms of content can attract and retain the attention of more viewers. A simple and engaging infographic can be even more effective than a well-written blog post if done right, and it’s almost sure to get more social shares. This is where you let your graphic design skills shine (or hire a good designer) and watch as traffic increases without spending a minute researching.
Tip #4: Re-optimize it for new keywords.
Targeting a different keyword is another intelligent way to reuse evergreen content. This is especially relevant if the original targeted keyword has recently been lagging in search volume or your traffic hasn’t been converting the way you would like. This strategy helps drive new, possibly more relevant traffic to your social media, blog, and website in a non-time-sensitive manner and with minimal effort.
All you need to do is start with your standard keyword research, pick keywords that are simple to understand and unique to your industry, then optimize your evergreen content for the new keyword.
Tip #5: Turn your content into a trivia game and invite your followers to play.
People love to play games, so why not reward your most loyal readers with a fun game where they can win prizes? Take information from your old evergreen content and ask your followers on your favorite social media platform a daily question about that content. This will encourage your followers to engage with the post, video, or podcast (or whatever type of content you’re using as a base for the trivia game) by commenting on their best guess at the correct answer. The first correct answer wins a prize!
Tip #6: Repurpose it for educational value.
Sometimes we get so caught up in looking hip or relevant that we forget the merits of posting educational content. Whether you’re posting an infographic, defining industry terminology, or creating a simple “how to” guide, you can make the most out of your evergreen content by pulling pieces of different content into a simple educational post.
This will help keep traffic coming in from those who are already in the industry and familiar with what you do and also from newcomers who have questions about your niche. It also presents you as an expert in the industry, which will help you gain footing and trust among new and potential clientele.
Tip #7: Make it “bite size.”
Evergreen content should be authentic, relevant, and credible. In most cases, this usually results in long-form posts backed by a lot of research and experience. Here’s the issue, though. While some will take the time to read the report and do so happily and eagerly, others will not think it’s worth their time.
Repurposing this information into “bite-size” postings can help keep those in the latter group invested in what you have to say. This is because every time they finish reading or watching one of your bite-sized pieces, their brains will reward them with a nice shot of dopamine as a prize for completing that task, which, in turn, will motivate them to read or watch more content.
Instead of listing all the information procured on the topic, pick some of the most relevant and impressive pieces of information to focus on in shorter posts. You can also link to the original long-form post for further reading, which will also be great for SEO!
Tip #8: Write a book on it!
What’s the difference between a blog post and an eBook? If you already know the answer to this question, you know you can combine blog posts on related topics into a valuable eBook that many will want to read.
Even if you’ve already posted the information for free, you can create an ebook or booklet and sell the information to those who are looking to buy. Kindle Direct offers many great resources for businesses and entrepreneurs to monetize their expertise by selling ebooks or paperback books if the format interests you.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to sell your ebooks. You can also use them to capture lead contact information (through an email capture form, for example). Another option is to print them out and use them as a hook for drumming up interest at trade shows or via social media contests. You can even offer a free book as part of your onboarding package for new clientele! The possibilities are endless!
Tip #9: Use evergreen content to ‘re-cap’ your year.
Creating a “year in review” post for your digital marketing at the end of the year is always a good idea. This is true whether you are writing a completely new post or simply repurposing evergreen content.
To save time, take excerpts from previous blogs and use them in your review. This will also help your clients and associates remember back to times during the year when the information was new. This is a great way to show organized growth that you, your employees, and your customers can celebrate together!
The bottom line
Multiplying your content’s value is a great way to maintain an online presence during slow periods where there is not much else to post or blog about. It is also one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of creating “fresh” content in a pinch!
Creating evergreen content is the first step in maintaining a consistent online presence for your marketing strategy. This content contains information not tied to a particular time or location, so it is easily repurposed into new blogs and posts later on. By repurposing your evergreen content, you not only save time and effort for your marketing strategy, but you continue to remind your clients why they need you and attract new clientele along the way.
