We love e-books. They’re an awesome way to build relationships with people, provide valuable content, and, of course, get leads. But a well-crafted e-book takes work: great content, great e-book design, and great promotion. Since you’re putting in the time and energy, you should be getting as much out of it as you can. But a lot of times we see marketers set one live and leave it behind the gate. Sure, it will get some eyes. But there are some simple and clever ways to turn all that great information into even more valuable content.
We want to see you get the most out of your work, so we’re sharing some of our favorite ways to reuse, repurpose, remix, and reinvent your e-books. We hope it inspires you to dig into your archive and give new life to old content.
1) Infographics
Good e-book design is inherently visual, whether you use rich illustrations, eye-catching imagery, or detailed data visualization. These visuals are already on hand, so why not turn them into an infographic or mini graphic? Not only are infographics highly shareable but publishers are eager to enhance their stories with these types of visuals. Turning e-book information into an interesting infographic puts you on the fast track to more views. (Find out more about how to make publishers fall in love with your content.)
Example: We helped Highfive turn data from a company report into a shareable infographic.
2) Webinars
If you want to really build a relationship through content, some good old-fashioned interaction will do it. Your e-book has a wealth of valuable knowledge, which you can easily share via a webinar. These are particularly great because they give you a chance to really demonstrate your expertise, and they give participants a chance to engage, ask questions, and have a personal interaction with you. Also, if you record your first webinar, you can post it as gated content, giving people yet another avenue to the info.
3) Interactive infographics
Interactivity is a great technique to create interesting, engaging content experiences. E-books have plenty of valuable info that might benefit from the interactive treatment. (Heck, you can even make your e-book interactive.) Say your e-book is about small business tax forms; you could make a quick interactive tool that guides readers through filling out the forms. (See the interactive we created for Intuit that does just that.)
Example: We worked with Microsoft to create their Anatomy of a Breach interactive website, which includes animated data visualizations that show how prevalent the crime is.
4) Blog posts
Sometimes people will take a collection of blog posts and turn it into an e-book, but reverse-engineering is a great way to tease the e-book and bring in different audiences. You might turn a whole chapter into a meaty blog post. You might spin a sidebar into an interesting article. You might expand on topics not comprehensively covered in the e-book, then kick readers to the e-book to find out more. It’s a great way to maximize your reach. (Learn more about a divisible content strategy to get ideas to do this.)
5) Presentations & Misc Collateral
When you think about repurposing any sort of content, whether it’s e-books, infographics, or data visualizations, consider every communication touchpoint an opportunity to reuse existing information. You might use an e-book data visualization to enhance a presentation. You might reuse a diagram in a sales brochure. You might even create a visual press release with e-book info. There are more ways to reuse it than you’d think.
Example: We partnered with the Gates Foundation to design a highly visual presentation, using data visualizations to make the information easier to synthesize.
6) Motion Graphics & Videos
People LOVE video and motion graphics. (Haven’t you noticed your FB feed full of them?) They’re easy to consume. Just press play and watch. They can also save time in explaining concepts or delivering a story. Your e-book probably has lots of opportunities to tell a narrative story in a motion graphic.
7) Animated Infographics and GIFS
Animated infographics and GIFS aren’t quite the same as interactives. (Interactives require the viewer to do something that triggers an action; animated content does it on its own.) But they can also be a great way to bring content to life. An interesting data visualization GIF series can enhance a blog post or be shared on social. An animated infographic will catch someone’s eye in a blog.
Example: We partnered with Takepart to create a set of GIFS that highlights important statistics about veterans’ mental health. Though simple, the animated data visualizations make a powerful statement.
8) Podcast
This doesn’t mean you turn your e-book into an audiobook, but it can provide plenty of fodder to fill a podcast episode. You might use a chapter as a prompt for a roundtable discussion. You might break down a single subject and offer your best tips on it. You might have a debate between two experts. It isn’t always just about repurposing a visual. Information is information, and it can be translated into any format.
9) Microcontent
Microcontent is one of the easiest ways to repurpose all of your content. What is it? It’s the little stuff you extract to use on social, enhance blog posts, seed through your newsletter, etc. A single stat, data visualization, expert quote, or standalone image can help you promote content quickly and easily. Even better, they can be tailored to different types of people, helping you expand your reach.
Example: We collaborated with the Golden State Warriors Warriors to create a piece of data visualization microcontent to celebrate Stephen Curry’s MVP award.
