By Noreen Fieber, Noreen Fieber Communications, www.noreenfiebercommunications.com
In the ‘creative’ world of B2B marketing communications, I make no apologies for being decidedly left brain. When I was recently asked by prospective clients to describe the most creative project on which I’ve ever worked, I answered by saying that for me, creativity means finding the most efficient way to get the job done well. It wasn’t the sexiest of answers but, surprisingly, my reply seemed to resonate with them. And I couldn’t help but wonder, is efficiency the new creativity?
Let’s face it. The recession challenged us all to become more efficient. And while marketing budgets are now starting to loosen a bit, resources remain scarce. At the same time, the social media tsunami is forcing us to maintain a persistent presence in the here and now; delivering useful content 24/7 across a broad spectrum of platforms. We’ve got to do more with less – and one way to meet the demand is with an efficient, practical approach to developing content I like to call ‘Build Once, Use Many.’
- Here’s what I mean. Got a white paper? You’ve probably posted it on your web site and distributed it at trade shows. Don’t stop there.
- Link to the white paper from newsletters and banner ads.
- Draft a news release highlighting the white paper’s key takeaways.
- Offer the white paper to partners, suppliers and professional associations.
- Post it on LinkedIn along with a survey to solicit feedback from connections.
- Pare it down and use it as a blog posting.
- Distill the key message(s) into a trade publication article.
- Turn the white paper into a Webinar and later, post the presentation on SlideShare.
- Divide the white paper’s "Top Ten Ways to (Whatever)" into a series of Facebook posts or Tweets.
- Have the author or key subject-matter expert record a two-minute video tease about the white paper, post the video on YouTube and link to it from everywhere.
One white paper. Nearly a dozen deliverables. Leverage. Leverage. Leverage.
The model isn’t necessarily new. Even the slogan ‘Build Once, Use Many’ is a phrase I coined with colleagues at a marketing agency years ago. But the concept is one whose time has clearly come. So the next time you’re preparing to develop a piece of content, think about how it can be leveraged efficiently. You may find that ‘Build Once, Use Many’ is one of your most creative ideas!
