If you’ve ever sat down to watch a Disney film and felt an odd sense of déjà vu, that’s because Disney are the gold medallists when it comes to recycling content. Check out this list of side-by-side reused animations if you don’t believe us.
When it was first reported, the media attributed Disney’s use of rotoscoping (the process of recycling footage for new animations) as a cost saving exercise. But the truth, revealed by GeekDad in an interview with Floyd Norman (renowned animator), stated “It’s a lot faster and easier to just do new animation, and it’s a lot more fun for the animators. But Woolie (Wolfgang ‘Woolie’ Reitherman – animator and director for many Disney classics) liked to play it safe and use stuff he knew would work. That’s all it was.”
So there we have it. Whilst clearly there are cost and resource saving benefits to re-purposing content, the lesson we can take away from Disney here is that they re-used content they knew would work.
As marketers, this isn’t a ground-breaking revelation. Re-using eBook content for blog posts is just another day in the office. But are there other channels we can utilize to maximise our content?
The answer? Text messaging.
When it comes to distribution channels, text messaging is often forgotten – with email, social, PPC and even influencer marketing featuring as more common go-to strategies for marketing teams. However, SMS is the optimal channel for repurposing content. Not only is text messaging widely adopted and easy-to-use, but it can also come in handy when you have to connect with your subscribers in a pinch.
For instance, email requires HTML development and testing, while social media needs eye-catching images and video to stand out among the noise – all of which must pass the approval process. If this content has already proven successful from your metrics, it makes sense to get more mileage from it. In this instance, text messages can be crafted from social media posts, re-directing your audience to your website, or app. Graphics from your emails can be utilized as an MMS message, without the need to tap in your design teams.
Wolfgang ‘Woolie’ Reitherman may have liked to “play it safe and use stuff he knew would work”, but we consider it playing smart.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can re-purpose and maximize the impact of your content, get in touch with our team today.