In anticipation of Brafton’s upcoming webinar, “Repurposing content: How to do more with less,” we caught up with hosts, Marketing Director Katherine Griwert and Senior Director of Content Francis Ma, […]

In anticipation of Brafton’s upcoming webinar, “Repurposing content: How to do more with less,” we caught up with hosts, Marketing Director Katherine Griwert and Senior Director of Content Francis Ma, to get a better idea of what to expect. As a client-focused content marketing agency, Brafton’s goal is to help businesses develop strategies and create custom content that will serve as an entry point to customers and prospects online.

Katherine, who heads up Brafton’s creative marketing campaigns, plans to show companies how they can execute sophisticated strategies that include written assets, graphics, videos and emails without going over their resource limits.

As the person who oversees production teams at Brafton (Editorial, Video, Design, Research, Quality Assurance), Francis understands the importance of executing strategies on-time to drive results. He wants marketers to walk away from the event understanding how to get more impact from their investment in content.

Q: Can you talk about the webinar and explain the topic and theme?

KG: This webinar is about getting the most out of your content. We’re sharing what we’ve learned about making an investment in one content area to fuel broader outreach. Think of it as getting as much resource as possible out of the content life cycle, which is also a nice theme for spring – bringing new life to investments you’ve made for your brand.

FM: I would say the webinar is about connecting content – how can one type of content be spread around other mediums. If you have a white paper, you can use the research in a video blog or infographic. A lot of companies miss opportunities to sync up their strategy. Q: Why is this topic so important to marketers right now?

KG: Content marketing is a buzzword at risk of becoming a term that means nothing. People are obsessed with having content on their sites and they may not step back to think about what they’re putting online.

First-hand experiences and statistics show that the biggest marketing challenge they face is time; the stats say 69 percent of B2B marketers cite lack of time as their biggest constraint. But there are natural overlaps where you can streamline your efforts and become more efficient.

FM: I agree. It relates back to time. A lot of people know how important content is. What they don’t realize is there’s a way to to save time by putting more time into the strategy and research first.

Q: What do you see as the top trend for marketers across industries?

KG: We’re starting to reach something of a tipping point. For a long time, people were focused on investing in content for SEO. And we are slowly but surely seeing people expand the goals they set for content, as they realize they need to do more than have copy on the page for both search and business results.

Q: What kinds of trends are you seeing with companies already working with Brafton?

FM: Some of our clients are exploring a bigger variety. They want more content that’s interview based and original, like live reporting. We have a wide range of offerings that are finally being put to use, and more people are asking: “Can you do this?” As opposed to, “I know you do this. Can I have that off your menu?”

Q: How is this different than in the past?

FM: When I started at Brafton in late 2008, the conversations we had with companies revolved around, “Let’s use this keyword or this keyword phrase and let’s track it.” A lot has changed from then, and this isn’t to say keywords are important. They’re just used in a different way.

“Any kind of content that requires collaboration is going to take the longest, but it’s worth it because the result is bigger than the sum of its parts.”

Q: What kinds of content are companies most interested in now?

KG: Video is becoming more interesting; it’s great to see brands use multimedia to tell their stories. We have some people coming to us who only want video, but there are more people who want to incorporate video into existing strategies.

Q: What kinds of content take the most time to create?

KG: Video can take the most time to create if it’s animated or requires a lot of footage. Case studies also have a longer produciton timeline than other formats. Any kind of content that requires collaboration with a lot of different players is going to take the longest, but it’s worth it because the result is bigger than the sum of its parts.

FM: Anything that you have to plan in advance is going to take the most time. Travel – if you’re going to a conference on location, you have to plan ahead and do the prep-work (create a schedule, establish a focus). And because of all that prep work you do, you end up with the better finished product.

KG: And usually, that finished product can feed a lot of different formats and original pieces if you use the byproducts wisely.

Q: Hummingbird is a big deal right now – How much do search updates come into play here?

FM: Let’s face it: We live and die by what’s going on in search, but people have naturally embraced this idea of creating more sophisticated content. I feel like it’s natural progression – and it’s nice to see – because we’ve always been looking to make this leap. Now we’re there.

“Let’s face it: We live and die by what’s going on in search, but people have naturally embraced this idea of creating more sophisticated content.”

KG: I’d like to say Hummingbird isn’t the source of change, but the more honest answer is probably, ‘yes.’ Google does things that are seemingly a jolt to the system, but if you’re doing content right from the start, these updates should kind of be no big deal.

Q: How will a repurposing strategy help marketers win in the new SEO world?

KG: It would be great if a repurposing strategy could help people move beyond SEO. If you’re doing a really good job on your site and online in general – if you’re answering questions that people are genuinely asking – you’re positioning yourself to stand out in search. And repurposing content into different formats to supply the answers in a way that will best engage different users just increases your chances of success.

FM: Strategy is the foundation of quality content. You can put out a great white paper, but if that white paper isn’t what you audience wants, then it won’t produce great results. You need to know what readers expect and give it to them in the formats they want.

Q: How is repurposing different from a promotional strategy?

KG: There is obviously some natural overlap, but there is the difference between blasting “me, me, me” across different networks and adding value at every turn.

FM: From my standpoint, promotional campaigns are based on a service or product and the idea is to give them as much coverage as possible. With repurposing, it’s almost thematic. It can be about a product, but there is an overarching theme about what you’re trying to get across.

“We are slowly but surely seeing people expand the goals they set for content, as they realize they need to do more than have copy on the page for results.”

Q: Do you get nervous about public speaking?

KG: Appropriately so.

FM: I was deathly afraid of public speaking when I was a kid. I don’t know if something changed, but I’m less nervous now.

Q: What information about you most excited to share in the webinar?

FM: I’m excited to share the idea of taking something that’s written and turning it into something that’s design- or video-focused. You may not know it, but you’re already halfway there as soon as you write that blog post or white paper.

KG: I’m going to say examples of repurposing done well. I want to showcase some brand strategies that I think are admirable and sometimes, showing by example is the best way for people to take ideas in and think about what they can do.

Register for Brafton’s Webinar to hear more about repurposing strategies and how they can help you get more results with the content you already create. Tune in May 13 at 1 p.m. EST for the live presentation.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.