How Derivative Asset Creation can Transform your Content Marketing Strategy

The official definition of a derivative is “something that is based on another source”, and in the realm of marketing, making use of derivative assets can be an extremely successful way to make the most of a single piece of content. Creating derivative assets allows organizations of all sizes to save time and resources when creating cross-channel marketing campaigns. For business people, marketers, and content creators, there is no better feeling than multiplying the reach of your content in minutes!

Before we dive into how to create derivative assets, let's first address what initial content is eligible for derivative asset creation. The key when it comes to choosing effective content is length and substance. Essentially, you want to create additional assets from a piece of content that is substantial enough to be broken down into various formats and themes. For many content creators, this could be one of your major publications such as a catalog, magazine, newsletter, ebook, etc. 

Here at Issuu, we love to repurpose our ebook content that we create. These ebooks deal with a variety of topics, including various partner integrations on the Issuu platform, and how Issuu can be used by a variety of industry professionals. Each ebook has enough content and discusses a broad enough topic so that various elements can be repurposed for other channels and marketing assets.

Why do I need derivative assets?

Derivative assets are extremely useful for any marketing campaign that touches more than one channel, which in today’s digital world are essentially all marketing efforts for any sized business. For example, a single piece of content that you produce is great to embed on your website or view live on Issuu, but is not optimized for other channels including email, in-product messaging, social media, paid media, etc. This is where derivative assets come in!

Create derivative assets with Issuu

The Issuu platform is a great place to start when it comes to repurposing your content to create derivative assets. With a plethora of features built in, Issuu allows you to quickly upload content and then create additional assets for different platforms, all within a matter of minutes.

GIF’s

GIF’s are a very effective method of increasing engagement and showcasing content in a unique way. Using Issuu, you can easily create GIF’s of your content and then share this content directly to Mailchimp. This allows you to easily level up your email marketing assets and present your newest publication in a way that will increase reads. 

Visual Stories

The Visual Story feature on Issuu is the perfect way to create social media content. Visual Stories are perfect for Facebook or Instagram stories and can help you bring your content to life on social media.

Article Stories

If your long-form content deals with multiple themes or topics, Article Stories are the perfect way to break up your publication into smaller bite-size pieces that are less intimidating and can encourage wider readership. Article Stories can be easily shared via social media or email.

Outside of Issuu, there are also a variety of different assets you can create that can help broaden your marketing campaigns. 

Graphics

Generating various graphics can be a great way to create derivative content that is perfect for social media and other marketing channels. These graphics can be anything from infographics to quotes, to images with on-brand design elements. Graphics are perfect for social media, especially if you have a specific quote/image/brand element that you want to showcase and that you think will naturally encourage engagement. A bold graphic piece can stop scrollers in their tracks and direct their attention to your original publication.

For those with little design experience, it can be intimidating to start creating your own graphic marketing pieces, but tools such as Figma and Canva can make the learning process a lot easier.

Blog Posts

Writing blog posts is a great way to extend the life of a single piece of content. For example, if you have recently published a magazine, you can publish a series of blog posts inspired by the content contained within your original publication. You can then link back to the publication from within each blog, thereby increasing traffic and reads. When scheduled out strategically, a series of blog posts can direct a steady stream of traffic to your content for weeks if not months.

Videos

Videos take slightly more work and expertise than other forms of derivative content but can provide an equally high boost to engagement and other metrics. Video marketing has been shown to have a very positive effect on conversion rates, search engine ranking, and social engagement. Videos can cover a wide range of formats including instructional or educational videos, short teasers, vlogs, promotional videos, etc. If you have the time and the skills, generating video content to accompany your publication can be a very rewarding process.

Create Once, Share Everywhere

All content creators know how much work it takes to produce publications that are relevant and substantive on a regular basis. When it comes to marketing and promotion, the process should be as easy and as effective as possible. Using the techniques we discussed to create derivative assets has the potential to save you time, money, and resources, all while increasing the success of the content you produce!  Upload your publication to Issuu today, and then get started creating derivative assets for every marketing channel.