How to repurpose your content

Repurposing is a resourceful and cost-effective way to generate more value and return from B2B content. It can also help maximise potential reach, improve quality and refine audience targeting. And, even diversify your output to capture new audiences.

But, while it can be tempting to try and squeeze the maximum value out of every single piece of content, it’s also vital to know when you’re stretching something too far. Overuse of materials and unnecessary repetition will undermine your credibility or make it seem like you’re short of original ideas.

Here are four key considerations for knowing when it’s right to repurpose:

1. To resurrect or not to resurrect?

It’s often said some things are best left to rest. But certain content can be given a whole new lease of life with a simple reshare or a light refresh. Don’t be afraid to repost or share old material if it’s theme or topic has resurfaced or is just as relevant now. If done right, it will only reinforce your position as forward thinking or ahead of the curve. However, make sure you remove any outdated or time specific references wherever possible.

2. Will it transform into other formats?

Some content has valuable potential to be transformed into other formats. An engaging webinar should offer plenty of quotable material for snippets or short clips. And, if you can get hold of the transcript, it can also provide the basis for a new blog post. Strong whitepapers should have enough content in them to craft multiple blog posts. Similarly, old blog posts can even be turned into short guides.

Plus, it’s always worthwhile to think about what would translate well visually. For a start, eye-opening stats and astounding data can be extracted for infographics. These are just a few starting points, but there’s a whole range of possibilities to explore and experiment with.

3. Will it repurpose for social media?

Social media is a great tool for repurposing marketing materials, as almost everything has potential on social media if the content is of good quality. For example, intriguing stats and thought provoking quotes from whitepapers can be used as social posts that capture people’s attention. Great phrases from articles or blog posts will draw people in and, if they’re paired well with powerful imagery, they can be used in slideshows, animations, or videos. The same applies if poignant questions or sound bites stand out during webinars, simply posting them on social media can drive engagement and interaction with your followers and stimulate fresh discussion.

4. Most importantly, is it evergreen?

The final and most important point is to recognise how some content is ‘evergreen’ and has greater repurposing potential. While there’ll always be a place for repurposed content in your campaigns, you’ll get far more value in the longer term if you plan your strategies with future opportunities in mind and create content to stand the test of time.

We all know how current trends and terminology can quickly go out of fashion, so try to gauge whether you think something will last. If you always work with a longer term view in mind, then you’ll always have something that’s relevant or valuable, and can easily be repurposed in a short space of time.

Get repurposing

On the whole, repurposing isn’t a shameful secret, almost all marketeers are at it. But the key is to understand when it’s the right time and when it’s definitely not.

Here at asabell we have extensive experience in helping clients shape their marketing strategy, feel free to get in touch if you’d like to find out how we can help you.

Understanding thought leadership

B2B stands for ‘business-to-business’ and B2C stands for ‘business-to-consumer’. While these two acronyms might seem fairly self-explanatory, it’s surprising how often people fail to recognise some of the main distinctions.

So, what are the key differences that set these two indispensable forms of marketing apart?

Audience

B2C is directed solely at the end user, therefore it speaks directly to an individual. B2B usually speaks to buyers, decision makers or C-level executives on behalf of their entire business, team, or department. In this way, the buying process for B2C is generally a lot faster, impulsive and requires less factors for consideration. In comparison, the B2B audience will often be thinking about the longer term benefit to their organisation and will have a wider range of practical considerations before conversion.

Level of detail

Quick purchasing decisions, fast transactions and a close focus on individual user experience is much more suited to the realm of B2C. Whereas, B2B audiences will often expect something more thorough, detailed and in depth, as they’ll need to undertake extensive research to build a business case for purchases. Consumer focussed content is often simple and short to convey key messages quickly. In comparison, a business orientated audience like to have evidence of credibility and expertise to convince them you know what you’re talking about and that you can provide authentic insight and evidence. This might mean referencing more stats and data, consulting subject matter experts, and using the relevant specialist terminology.

Fact: 90% of B2B customers visit 2-7 sites before they make any purchases.

Relationship

There’s a distinct difference between the type of relationship B2B and B2C will have with their content. On one hand, B2B is far more concerned with building a longer term relationship, on the other B2C is far more persuasive and aims to create a faster acting impression. In B2B, building a trusted and reliable reputation can be done through thought leadership strategies and content which highlights dedication to your industry. Your B2B audience will want to feel you understand their work and professional needs by offering valuable solutions. B2C buyers might be more inclined to feel an emotional connection or feel that you’re speaking to their sense of personal identity.

Types of content

As with many things, the content you might wish to deploy can vary considerably between these two marketing strategies.

B2B often relies on more informative and information driven resources:

• Whitepapers
• eGuides
• Expert blog posts
• Case studies
• Infographics
• Newsletters
• Webinars
• More B2B focused social media platforms such as LinkedIn/Twitter

Comparatively, for B2C you may want to use:

• Short videos or animations
• Rich media such as pictures/images/videos
• Brochures
• Anecdotal articles or light-hearted blog posts
• User-generated content
• More B2B focused social media platforms such as Facebook/Instagram/Twitter

Fact: In a small study of 1,000 adults in the UK, it was found that consumers are more likely to share an online video than they are a text article.

Tone of voice

When it comes to tone of voice, there’s some notable differences between B2B and B2C. As a general rule, individual consumers are certainly more emotionally driven, therefore you can be far more emotive, persuasive, and rhetorical with your approach to them. B2B audiences will largely interact with content as part of, or as an extension of their work, so it’s critical to retain some level of professionalism and formality. While both will benefit from a conversational and approachable tone, B2C certainly has more opportunity to push the boundaries of informality, with generally more room for humour and hyperbole.

Refine your strategy…

While there may be some crossover between the two, it’s undeniable that understanding the differences is essential if you’re going to win over your audience and deliver successful returns.

Interested in how you can cultivate your own B2B marketing strategy?

Here at asabell, we specialise in B2B and have helped a long list of clients establish themselves as a unique voice in their industry. So, with our longstanding experience and expertise in this area, we’re more than equipped to help you on your way.

If you’d like to find out about some of the solutions we’re able to offer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Understanding thought leadership

Thought leadership establishes your brand or organisation’s reputation at the forefront of its field, as an experienced leader and unique thinker with plenty to offer. It shows your committed to progression in your industry and solving the emerging challenges of your peers and customers. Right on the pulse, you always keep up to date with the most relevant information and are always on top of exactly what’s happening around you.

58% of respondents read one or more hours of thought leadership per week. But, cementing your influence as a trustworthy source of ideas and solutions isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes time, plenty of experience, and the ability to convincingly convert your audience over to your point of view, plus a carefully executed and well considered content strategy.

So, what are the key considerations when creating effective and convincing thought leadership?

1. It’s not about sales
   It’s key to understand that thought leadership is not directly about sales. Instead, it’s about establishing a pioneering reputation in your field, because if you’re successful in achieving that, then you’ll naturally be able to generate a wealthy stream of new customer conversations. While any company worth its salt is always looking to find new leads and customers, it’s vital any content that’s part of your thought leadership strategy avoids a directly ‘salesy’ or self-promotional tone.
   
   First and foremost, thought leaders should always be committed to the growth of their specific industry and exploring emerging trends. Any content lacking depth or revealing an ulterior motive will undermine your credibility and reputation. Remember you’re promoting new ideas here, not sales.

2. It’s built on experience and expertise
   As a reliable oracle of information, your content needs to be consistently up to date with the current challenges of the industry you’re in. If your readers are going to believe what you’re saying, they’ll need to be able to relate. Wherever possible, talk about real life pain points, situations and examples from your personal experience, as the more you can ground in reality, the more convincing and trusted your voice will be.
   
   One sure fire way to establish expertise is to bring your subject matter experts onboard and mine their impressive and extensive well of knowledge but remember to keep it engaging.

3. It’s authentic and unique
   Illustrating your leadership status is also about offering powerful and original ideas, changing the way your audience thinks about a subject and inspiring them to follow. In this way, thought leadership isn’t about joining the background noise, it’s about adding something meaningful and worthwhile to the wider conversation of your industry. You need to stand out as a distinctive voice.
   
4. It must be insightful or worthy of your readers’ time
   Ultimately, you need to offer valuable insight to make it worthy of your readers’ time. Try to think carefully about the challenges you’re facing in your line of work. If you’re experiencing it, then it’s very likely that others are also struggling with the same or similar challenges.
   
   Do you have an idea or solution to resolve some of their problems? Or a unique and thought provoking experience to contribute? Remember, if you’re repeating the sentiment of something else you’ve read, then you need to ask yourself, am I a leader or a follower?

Become a leader

We have plenty of experience with helping our clients to build their reputation as thought leaders in their industry. If you’d like to find out how we could help you with your unique thought leadership strategy, please get in contact.

How to create ‘user-focused’ content in 5 steps

Ensuring that your content is relevant and useful for your user is fundamental in content marketing and the mantra of most experienced content creators. And it’s become more important than ever. We now live in a hyper-connected digital age where almost anyone can become a writer and publisher. Content is created and consumed faster than ever before and your audience is likely jaded from all the spam, adverts and irrelevant or badly produced content that they encounter on a daily basis. Users are becoming increasingly picky about what content grabs and holds their attention, so it’s crucial that you cut through the noise when it comes to your own channels.

We’ve outlined 5 steps to help you ensure your content is relevant to your audience:

1. Establish a clear purpose

You’d be surprised how often this simple but important point is ignored. If you can’t justify the point of what you’re doing, or if the reasoning behind creating a piece of content is just because ‘that’s what we should do’, then that’s not good enough. Does your audience need it? Will they use it? Do they want it? Is it relevant? Always consider why you are creating this content and how it benefits your audience.

2. Identify your target audience

Understanding your audience is critical to getting the returns you deserve, so drill down into the granular detail about who they might be. What are their characteristics? Interests? Profession? Which channels do they use? All these criteria will help build an idea of who you should be aiming your content at and how to tailor it for them.

3. Determine your tone of voice (TOV)

When it comes to copy, clarity is always key – but don’t forget to infuse a sense of identity and individuality into your TOV and keep it consistent. Injecting character into your content is a powerful way to be memorable and drive connection, trust and, ultimately, conversions. Consider the type of person you’re targeting and use appropriate language – for example, being overly informal or humorous isn’t going to resonate with a largely professional audience.

4. Find your user needs and map your user journey

Your users have needs. Otherwise, why would they want to access your content? Perhaps it’s to solve a problem, maybe they’re seeking advice, they may want to learn, keep updated with current trends in their industry, or they may just want some enjoyment. Make sure to map out your user journey, starting with their need, how your content fills that purpose and, finally, the action you want them to take.

5. Decide on your call to action (CTA)

Don’t miss this valuable, and often final, opportunity for conversion success. Make sure your CTA is clear, visible and concise. And, for readers with shorter attention spans, consider having mini-CTAs placed at different points of your article or content – don’t always leave them to the end.

At asabell we have a team of highly skilled copywriters who can help with your projects, big and small. If you’d like to find out more about how we could help you, please get in touch.

Top tips for self-filming: part three

When it comes to what makes the cut, small details can make all the difference. There’s often a fine line between what separates amateur video footage from the work of a professional.

If you’ve been following our self-filming top tips so far then you should have some of the fundamentals in place, but now it’s time to start thinking about adding in the game-changing final touches:

7. Sound check, 1, 2, 3
   It doesn’t matter how great your footage looks if your sound quality is terrible. It’s worth taking a moment to listen carefully to the sound in the space around you. Take into consideration any potential interruptions in the immediate surroundings, whether that’s traffic, air conditioning or passers-by. Unless you’re looking for a bustling atmosphere and background noise, generally the quieter, the better. Selecting the acoustics of your chosen space is important because sound can bounce around in flat and open plan spaces and make your recordings unpleasant or difficult to hear. Think about what you can do to absorb the sound, if necessary, and use soft materials like curtains and carpets to deaden the noise.
   
   Adding a decent microphone is a great way to immediately improve your sound quality, especially when you want to move the camera further away. For those on a budget, it’s fortunate there’s now a wide range of affordable, fairly high-quality microphones that can be plugged into smartphones. These come with functions that can reduce wind noise, record better bass tones, and make your sound fuller.

8. Lighten things up a bit
   Lighting is an incredibly complex and skillful art. But there are some basic principles you can apply straight away. The first is making the most of the free-to-use, readily available natural light. Natural light is your friend when filming, so think about where it’s coming from to illuminate your shot. If you’re sat with a window behind you, your face will be dark, so a quick fix would be to adjust your positioning so that the light is shining on you at a 45° angle. This will not only fill your face with light, but give some interesting shapes and shadows to your other side.
   
   As a general rule, the softer the light, the more flattering it will be. It’s good practice to let nature fill the ambient space with natural light, and then you can add an artificial light or two to enhance your face and figure and make it stand out on film. LED lights are lightweight, use very little power, and are often cheap. Female vloggers often favour a ring or ‘beauty light’ for an even fill of light around the camera. Try experimenting to get a good balance.

9. Three-point lighting
   Three-point lighting is the basis of all professional photo and video shoots, so it’s good to have it in the back of your mind while shooting.

• Having your main lighting source at 45° to the camera is called a ‘Key Light’ (Point 1), and it should always be the brightest.
• After this, if you don’t want to have moody shadows or shapes, you’ll need to balance it with a ‘Fill Light’ (Point 2). This could be another diffused light source at half the intensity of the Key or even just a reflective surface, softening the shadows and bouncing light back onto the subject.
• Finally, the most effective lighting tool is your ‘Back Light’, which outlines the back of a person. By highlighting their shoulders and hair, you can really make them stand out against the background.

We hope our tips for self-filming have been useful and you start to notice the difference in your videos.

If you’ve found this series useful but would like extra help in devising, shooting, and editing your videos, then get in touch to find out about the services we offer with our partner Fine Young Films.

Top tips for self-filming: part two

So, you’ve followed the basics and know how to line up your shots, what kind of background you want to use, and how to avoid entry level pitfalls. But what about starting to incorporate some more advanced techniques and variation into your video recordings?

Part two of our blog post series explores some handy ‘next-steps’ to take your filming to the next level:

4. Keep your composure
   With the amount of Zoom meetings happening these days, you’ve probably noticed a lot of poorly composed, badly framed shots. But there are a couple of really easy ways you can instantly improve the quality of your framing:

• In general, avoid low angles. It might take a bit more effort to raise your camera but it’s worth doing. The camera should aim to meet your eye level, or just slightly above if you want a more flattering angle. Try not to have more than a few inches of space above your head, as tilting the camera up too far can look clumsy and careless.
• Stick to the ‘rule of thirds’. Split the frame up into three sections horizontally and vertically, so that there are nine squares in total. Use the bottom line of the top section as a resting point for your eyes and place any objects of interest where the lines intersect. This golden rule has been a valuable, trusted tool for filmmakers and photographers for many years, so never underestimate how valuable it can be for creating the most visually engaging shots.

5. Up close and personal
   Close-ups can add considerable character to your footage. Subliminally, it tells the audience the information in the current sequence is more important, so they literally have to come in for a closer listen. If you watch carefully, many film scenes start wide and move closer as the drama increases. So, try starting your first shot from head to waist (a mid-shot) and then move in closely, so it’s just head and shoulders (a headshot). Make sure the camera is raised up to your eye level so that you don’t zoom into your chest. In the final edit, you’ll then have far more choices for shots which will bring your finished film to life.
   
6. Making the final cutaway
   There’s an age-old phrase in filmmaking that goes as follows, ‘don’t just say it – show it’. No matter what your video is about, if it’s just footage of you talking, it will eventually become boring. Show the audience what you’re talking about by using cutaway shots to breathe life into your film. Literally, ‘cutting away’ from the person talking to another shot illustrates what they’re saying, plus makes a video visually interesting. They’re also a helpful way of moving between different dialogue takes, as the overlaid image will distract from any audio editing. Most importantly, make sure you match any cutaways with the rest of your video. For example, if your talking shot is static, make sure your cutaways are nicely composed and still too to contribute to the overall feel.

Start testing these out

Getting some of these techniques right can take a bit of practice but overtime you’ll find they add new layers of quality to your films. Look out for the next part of our blog post series for more advanced production tips to help you improve your footage even further.

Top tips for self-filming: part one

In this day and age, everything is mobile, on the move, and instantaneous, and making videos is no exception. Even some of the most professional videographers are now reliant on their smart phones, for easy access to filming, editing, and publishing in minutes. And, while many will argue that you can never replace the real thing, the footage and quality that can be achieved these days on a mobile phone is not only impressive, it’s also becoming harder and harder to tell the difference.

The past 18 months have forced more people than ever to start figuring things out for themselves, as lockdown inevitably made it impossible to pull together a crew and a professional set-up. No doubt, many will have noticed the quality they’re capable of capturing on their own, and it’s more than likely that self-shot footage will continue post-pandemic.

So, it’s really quite simple… the better the footage, the better the film and, when you’re shooting your own footage on your own device, the quality of your output is solely your responsibility.

Along with our partner, Fine Young Films, our three-part blog post series will provide you with our top tips to getting the most out of recording yourself on your own camera, starting with the basics of camera support:

1. Supporting yourself
   Your friends and family’s handheld vlogs can be fun to watch, funny and even endearing but in a professional context, the level of quality won’t be up to scratch. First of all, get rid of that handheld look. Get your phone mounted onto a tripod, for a straight, solid and more professional shot. Tripods don’t have to be big or expensive, you can even improvise with a pile of books – but always make sure your camera stays secure.
   
   Next, start to think about keeping your shot level. Look out for straight lines and verticals in your shot which will help indicate whether you’re off-balance, such as door frames or shelves. If necessary, take a step back from the tripod and get a better sense of the perspective, wide frame, and scene. And, for the final touch, adjust your camera so that it sits just above eye level, ever so slightly looking down to capture a nice, flattering angle.

2. Choosing the right background
   Your background can reveal a lot about you so it’s critical to get it right. Where you choose to film is your ‘set’, so choose wisely. Your background could be bold and colourful, or muted and stylish, but wherever you pick the focus still needs to be on you. So, keep it plain, light yourself up to stand out, and don’t get too close to your backdrop. If you decide to use a real environment, make sure it’s tidy and create depth by standing into the space and not up against a wall.
   
   Adding interesting elements in the background can be a powerful tool, for example a light or a plant can break up the space, or objects that do some of the storytelling or that can reflect your personality. Keep an eye on your framing as well, last thing you want to notice once you’ve posted your video is a plant growing out of your ear.

3. Before you hit ‘record’
   Here are a couple of tips and tricks to use before you hit the big red button:

• to avoid frustrating interruptions, make sure to turn flight mode on
• film in landscape instead of portrait to instantly make your footage look more professional
• check for last minute adjustments by using the front camera on your phone to check your framing
• make sure you’re filming in video mode, not photo mode, as this will crop your footage and affect your overall framing
• test the record function, play it back, and make sure everything’s looking and sounding OK, before you get going properly.

Get filming

No matter how simple, these tips and tricks will help you capture the best possible footage from your makeshift set-up. Keep an eye out for the next part of our self-filming blog post series and, if you’d like help editing your self-filmed videos, then get in touch.

4 tips for writing effective copywriting briefs

It’s very hard for a copywriter to write a high-quality piece of work if they don’t have a high-quality brief to follow. Essentially you get out what you put in. Here are four top tips to help you write better briefs so that your copywriters can produce their best work:

1. Introduce your writer to the intended reader
   You know who the content is aimed at but your writer might not, so introduce each other. Using personas in your briefs can give a clear idea of what subject matter, tone of voice, and level of specialist complexity are appropriate, helping your copywriters to craft relatable content for your target audience. Even if it feels silly to say “47-year-old Steven, who works in cybersecurity and is struggling with managing remote workers”, this paints a picture of the individual and their pain point. Ultimately, the more detail you can provide about the reader, the better.
   
2. Always have a clear call-to-action
   You could be wasting your copywriting budget if your copywriter starts writing without a clear idea of what you want your reader to do once they’ve read the copy. Sometimes in larger organisations, content can change hands a lot, get passed down the line and the purpose ends up getting lost. Like Chinese whispers… If needs be, go back to the drawing board and outline a reason for each piece of content in your strategy. If you can’t clearly explain the action you’d like your reader to take and the purpose of the content in your brief, you’re not going to see the conversion rates or engagement you were hoping for.
   
3. If necessary, make a call
   A discussion of the project and what you want to achieve can sometimes be more time-efficient than trying to condense everything you want to say in an email or briefing form. Remember, a skilled copywriter will know the key information they need, so make sure the conversation is collaborative. After the call, they can write up their notes from your discussion and outline the key points you covered so that you can both sign it off before they start work.
   
4. Include background information or other examples
   If you’re aware of similar articles or topical news stories that explore the same issue as your copywriting project, share them with your copywriter. This isn’t about plagiarism or creating unoriginal content but about providing background and inspiring ideas. It’s also worth sharing similar pieces of work you’ve done, or they’ve written, in the past. There’s no point reinventing the wheel if there’s a previous format or style you’re looking to recreate.

Copy that captivates

Any time invested in creating a strong brief will pay off later when you get high-quality copy the first time around. Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to put your writer on the right path to success by sharing all the insight you can in your brief.

Here at asabell, we understand that words might not necessarily be your forte. We have a team of highly skilled copywriters who can help with your projects, big and small. If you’d like to find out more about how we could help you, please get in touch.

How to plan effectively to promote your webinar

As you’re probably aware, a successful webinar can help you to connect with your community, drive customer interactions and bring in new business. In fact, 74% of marketers consider webinars to be the best way to generate quality leads.

But are you getting the results you want ? Or maybe you’re thinking of hosting one but you’re not sure where to start?
It’s really important to have a well thought out strategy for both before and after to maximise its impact.

This might all sound daunting but thankfully our experts have done the hard work for you. We’ve created a full guide so all you need to do is follow the steps.

Get started with your webinar planning by downloading our guide below, or if you’d like some help planning your next one, get in touch with our account management team.

How to structure your web content for success

When you’re planning your website content, your top priority should be making it easy for your users to find what they are looking for – it must be all about the user experience. And a good UX design needs well-structured content that takes your audience’s needs and user journeys into account.

Here we share some top tips for structuring your content, and the best ways to use it to signpost and guide your user to make your website effective.

Structure for readability

The much-cited Nielson Normal Group research studies found that 79% of test users simply scan pages and only 16% read word-by-word. Users want to spend minimum amounts of time on each page, not trawl through text, so structure to help readability.

Remember these tips when creating and editing your content:

• Include an introduction or opening that flags up what the page or article is about
• Use a hierarchy of information – less important information may need to go on a separate page or lower down in another section
• Use bullet points, lists and short, snappy paragraphs to help with skim-reading
• Break text up and add variety to your pages using images, videos and other media
• Consider drop downs (accordions) for larger blocks of text which go into detail on a particular subject to help quick browsing
• Create landing pages with links out to child pages for larger sections, rather than creating long pages with lots of information all bundled together

Guide your user

If your user can’t find what they need, or the structure of your content is illogical, then you risk a high bounce rate and low conversion rate. When you’re used to your own website it’s easy to slip into thinking it’s obvious where to click next or how to find certain content, but your user may have only just landed on your website. Look at your structure from the viewpoint of a first-time visitor and make navigation intuitive.

Make it easy for your user to find their way around:

• Use headings and subheadings to signpost your content
• Tell the user where to go. Is there relevant content on another page? Tell them to click through. Is there a handy video guide below? Tell them to watch it
• Think about how presenting certain information (such as opening hours) in a carefully formatted table can make it easier to read
• Use clear hyperlink text so the user knows where they are going and what to expect
• Group small amounts of related information visually and prioritise key elements so that your content has a logical structure
• Ideally, only use one call to action per page – preferably styled as a button with just a few words specifying a clear action such as ‘Get in touch’ to boost conversions
• Use different design elements to separate out sections and to make key information stand out, for example testimonials or client logos

Structure for success

Here at asabell we have experts on hand to help you with creating and editing copy, and we’re highly experienced in bringing fresh eyes to your website with a deep-dive audit. If you’d like some support with your website structure or content, please get in touch.