It can be a challenge for schools to constantly keep coming up with fresh, new and engaging content for an entire school year. The thing is, parents (a key audience for school marketers) are a lot like buses, there will be a new group along any minute! Okay, maybe the analogy is a bit simplistic, but the point is that every year there will be a new group of families entering your school for the first time, or transitioning between years or between the primary and secondary school. For the most part, the experience is likely to be new for these families. But guess what? Their informational needs, questions, interests and concerns are likely to be the same. Just ask a Registrar! Creating new content is the cornerstone for content marketing success, but it doesn’t mean you need to start from the ground up each year.
Here we show you how to refresh and repurpose your school blog content:
Start with a blog audit
Well in advance of the new school year, conduct an audit of your existing school blog content. Firstly, check that the topics meet the needs of all the key parent groups in your school (new families, existing families, families new to primary/secondary school, and families of boarders). Make a note of any gaps, and that becomes a new blog topic to be written up.
Update or ‘refresh’ existing blog posts
The next step is to re-read your existing blog posts for accuracy of information and then refresh, expand on, or consolidate the information. Here are some tips:
-
- Update any statistics or facts that are referenced.
- Add or update images/graphics/videos.
- Refresh examples or case studies used.
- Add links to blog posts on the same topic.
- Add a Call to Action (CTA) button.
Tip: Remember to insert that the blog is an updated edition and use the same URL so your SEO is not affected.
Turn past posts into email newsletters
Check the school calendar for key themes and turn old posts into new content for some ‘special edition’ email newsletters. Relevant themes could include: How to prepare your child for Kindy; Settling into the School Year; How to Help Your Child Prepare for Exams. Look for those topics that are going to have widespread interest. You can post the original blogs as is, or create summary posts with links back to the original articles on your blog.
Start creating ebooks
Schools are home to a plethora of professionals and leaders in their relevant fields. Whether it’s educators, school psychologists, student wellbeing specialists, or professional sports teachers and coaches, there are any number of ‘experts’ who can provide insightful and relevant advice and commentary on topics relevant to parents and families. Once again, review your blog posts and identify some central themes that could be expanded in more depth, identify sections that could be bolstered with commentary or research from your ‘experts’ and ask them to contribute additional information. Ebooks do require more effort, but keep in mind that these can be used over and over again, or even printed for school events.
MarketingProfs compiled 20 Content Stats Modern Marketers Should Know which shows that, “marketers who prioritised blogging gained 13 times more ROI than companies that did not.”
You’ve invested significant time and resources into your existing school blog posts, so make them do double duty by refreshing and repurposing them each year.
