Embrace Big Rock Content To Maximize Content Marketing

If you’re a marketer in a small or medium-sized business, you probably have a small staff. It may even be just you. The challenge to churn out content – even in a large organization – can be downright difficult.  But there’s an easier way to keep new content creation flowing. It’s all about repurposing a Big Rock content asset throughout each quarter.

What is Big Rock Content?

Here’s a great description from Marketo’s blog to help you understand exactly what Big Rock Content is, “These are your big kahunas, the large thought leadership pieces that not only illustrate your unique point of view, but that you can also break up and use to create smaller content pieces. At Marketo, our ‘Big Rocks’ are in the form of our Definitive Guides, which can be 80+ pages jam packed full of awesome content and tips. From our guides we develop a variety of other content pieces: cheat sheets, infographics, visual slide decks, webinars, podcasts etc., so we can extend the life of our guides for a long time.”

Repurpose.  Repurpose.  Repurpose.  Break Apart Your Big Rocks.

Repurposing your Big Rock content is a great way to keep fresh content flowing out to your audience.  While you do have to put in some upfront work on that Big Rock, breaking off little chunks to repurpose into different types of content isn’t so hard. This also helps you create more relevant content more often that can continuously be shared.  It’s easy to get caught up in creating content just for the sake of creating it; however, if it’s not relevant and useful, then you’re wasting your time.

When you use the Big Rock approach for your content marketing strategy, you are basically taking a major piece of content and using that as your ongoing content source for some period of time.  For example, you may choose a theme for a quarter, develop a white paper around that theme (the white paper = Big Rock), then break that content into smaller pieces to repurpose it in various forms. Each of those smaller pieces can lead back to your gated, Big Rock content. Gate that rock – it is very valuable and should be used to generate leads.

When you repurpose your Big Rock content, you have new opportunities to capture your audience’s attention in different ways.  Just like we all learn in different ways, there are different ways your audience wants to gain knowledge from your content.  So, don’t force them into learning via only one form.  Give them to opportunity to take it in via a method that is comprehendible to them that will stick with them.  The more they enjoy your content and understand it, the more they will share it.

When executed correctly, your Big Rock content can fuel your content plan for an entire quarter.  This process will help keep everyone on the same page. With a focused approach, you can start enlisting the help of subject matter experts in your organization to help develop both Big Rock content and those repurposed “chunks. If you build your quarterly themes around business goals and align them department objectives, people will be more inclined to help you.

The Content Marketing Pyramid

Curata’s Content Marketing Pyramid is another way to think about the Big Rock marketing approach.

The premise is the same, but the idea of a pyramid may help you better visualize exactly how the Big Rock approach should work. In this case, the top of the pyramid is the Big Rock. Curata shows how that Big Rock gets repurposed in your content marketing strategy.

Here are just a few ways you can repurpose your next piece of Big Rock content:

Blogs – Break the Big Rock up into pebbles.  Share long and short form blog posts related to various pieces of the larger piece of content.  Make it easy to digest in smaller portions.

Infographics/SlideShare – Make your story visual.  Turn your content into a visual display that tells the story in fewer words and uses pictures to help get the point across.

Webinars – Conduct webinars to engage your audience.  Webinars can be great learning tools and gives your audience the chance to engage with you by asking questions.

Videos – Create short videos about the different aspects of your Big Rock content.  Make video series for sections of your content.

Social Media – Share insights, facts, stats, etc., from your big content in short posts on social media.  This will drive engagement and leave the audience wanting to know more.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with every piece of content your company creates.  Keep it focused on your big content.  Develop various ways to share it so that your audience will be more engaged.