Wear It Again: Organising Marketing Content to Reduce Cost Per Wear
There's a scene in Confessions of a Shopaholic where Rebecca Bloomwood insists an expensive green scarf will be an investment. She's certain it'll transform her whole wardrobe and her life.
And honestly, we've all made similar promises... "This time, it'll get worn heaps!" Sometimes we do. Other times, the new jacket just hangs there, untouched, gathering dust until we finally admit defeat and donate it. Tags still attached.
Your marketing content can end up exactly like that forgotten jacket. Created with great intentions, used once, then buried somewhere in a shared drive nobody remembers the password to.
The thing is, you don't always need new content. Sometimes you just need to actually be able to find the content you already have.
The "Worn Once" Problem
Ever experienced the stress of frantically searching for your favourite dress, buried somewhere deep in your closet, minutes before you need to leave? Heart racing, hangers clattering, clothes piling up on the floor...
Well, I have. Many times.
Finding marketing content often feels exactly like this. Great videos, event materials, team bios... they're carefully created but quickly scattered across emails, folders, personal drives, that one Slack message from three months ago that you definitely saved but apparently didn't.
And what happens when you can't find something? You make it again. From scratch. Which costs time, energy, and money you didn't need to spend... because the thing already existed. It was just hiding.
A Capsule Wardrobe for Your Marketing
Think of your marketing content like a capsule wardrobe. A carefully curated set of essential pieces that can be mixed and matched easily... neatly organised, effortlessly accessible, and versatile enough for any occasion.
I use Trello to keep my "content closet" tidy. Here's how it works:
Lists for grouping content into topics... external events, educational resources, flagship campaigns
Cards clearly labelled by event or sub-topic, holding images, videos, and presentations, sorted newest to oldest
Tags for things like recruitment, customer stories, brand assets... all instantly findable
Trello isn't the only option (a shared drive or even a well-organised spreadsheet works too). The tool matters less than the system. The point is that anyone on the team can find what they need without sending a "does anyone have...?" message into the void.
Why It Works: Lowering Your Cost Per Wear
Like your favourite wardrobe staples, clearly organised marketing content becomes an investment that keeps giving:
Presentation decks reused for meetings, trainings, and onboarding
Brand stories shared across proposals, recruitment materials, and client pitches
Event footage supporting sales, community engagement, and social content
Content that's easy to find gets used more. Content that gets used more costs less per use. That's your cost per wear going down... without creating a single new thing.
Getting Started: Your Simple First Steps
If your marketing content situation feels chaotic right now, don't stress. Start small:
Pick a tool (Trello, shared drive, spreadsheet... whatever your team will actually use)
Organise your existing content into clear categories
Share the system with your team so everyone knows where to look
It doesn't need to be perfect on day one. It just needs to exist.
Rebecca Bloomwood had a point. Investment pieces only pay off if they're used regularly. Make your marketing content the kind of staple your team actually reaches for... not the impulse buy gathering dust at the back of the closet.
P.S. If you're currently the person who "knows where everything is" because it all lives in your head... I see you. I've been you. It works until you go on holiday and your inbox explodes.