Updating old blog posts

8 Ways to Optimize Existing Content

Find out how cleaning up old blog posts can help you maximize your existing content – so you can engage more clients in less time.

Don’t let killer content linger in your archives.

Are you sitting on a wealth of thought leadership you’ve already created? If so, don’t let that killer content linger in your archives. Past newspaper articles, blog posts, newsletters, seminar presentations, and other items can easily be repurposed and reinvested into your marketing efforts.

At an industry conference, I learned the world’s best bloggers are putting as much effort into their archives as they do into creating new content. Here are a few tips from the pros on this growing trend on how cleaning up old blog posts and other content can help keep your content relevant and help you connect with more prospective clients online.
 

  1. Update your blog to make it more current. Review any facts, examples, or references used in the article and brush them up to make them more relevant for today.
  2. Make it longer. Add more details or additional examples to the topic discussed to increase an article’s length and depth.
  3. Add or improve visual elements. Add more images, charts or graphs to increase engagement and further illustrate your main points. Look for ways to improve existing images to make them more eye-catching or more in line with your current brand standards.
  4. Fix errors. Look for any typos or other mistakes that need to be corrected. You’ll also want to test any links included to make sure they still point to active pages, and correct or remove them if not.
  5. Reformat the content. Lengthy articles can often benefit from breaking up the content into chunks to make it easier for someone to scan. Add numbers, bullet points, and bold headlines to break up the copy. Lengthier content, such as long articles, presentations or books, can be broken up into several articles or perhaps even a multi-part series.
  6. Optimize for SEO. Does your content include keywords that people might be searching for on Google? If not, consider rewording some of the copy to include common and impactful words and phrases that your target reader might be searching for. Go to Google and perform a search related to the topic of your content. Google’s dropdown will display commonly searched terms that show how people think about and search for this topic. You can then include those phrases in your content.
  7. Update or add a call-to-action (CTA). All blog articles should end with a call to action of some sort, such as to call your office, subscribe to your newsletter, view a video, or visit a particular section of your website. Be sure to add one or update your existing CTA if needed.
  8. Change the format. An old article could be turned into a video or vice versa. An old PowerPoint presentation can turn into a recorded webinar. Consider different ways to present the content, and how your target client would most want to consume the information.

Now that you’ve figured out what to do with old blog posts and other content, find out more effective ways LPL can help you grow your business.

Already growing with LPL? Our marketing consultants can help you create financial advisor marketing plans, understand social media marketing and more. Access marketing tools or book a consultation in Resource Center.

You should consult your compliance department for information about the rules and use of social media.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Image

Sarah provides custom marketing and social media consultations for LPL Financial advisors and investment programs. In this role, she consults with and supports clients in effectively marketing their business in today's increasingly competitive environment. View full bio.