Ephemeral Content: Crafting Moments That Resonate Forever with Your Audience

In the digital marketing landscape, it is no news that for online visibility and growth, content is key, and content is king. However, humans are known for their short attention span, and this has contributed to the use of ephemeral content. Over time, marketers have gotten used to the typical well-planned evergreen content to drive traffic and boost sales. Evidently, this is a very effective tool that generates results. But recently, ephemeral content seems to be doing the job and more effectively, at that.

What is Ephemeral Content?

Ephemeral, as the word suggests, simply means temporary. Hence, ephemeral content is any content, usually photos and videos, that has a short lifespan or is available for a brief period of time. Usually, ephemeral content only lasts for 24 hours before it disappears. It is used across different social media platforms. On Facebook, we have Facebook stories where users can upload pictures using different filters and features, that are visible for 24 hours only. The feature allows users to save uploaded content to Story Archive where they can be viewed later by visitors or friends.

?On Instagram, the use of Instagram Story is another kind of ephemeral content. Instagram Story allows users to enjoy various features like polls, stickers, question boxes, and so on. You can also save your stories into Story Highlights after it has disappeared from the stories feed. On Snapchat, ephemeral content is known as Snapchat stories, and here, a collection of snaps captured are uploaded and visible for 24 hours. You can save the uploaded snaps to Memories to keep them visible and share with your audience. The use of ephemeral content started on Snapchat where messages and media has a short lifespan.

Why are Ephemeral Content Beneficial to Brands?

It's simple. FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Nobody wants to be left behind on any vital information and this is what ephemeral content thrives on. It feeds on the curiosity of your audience and pushes them to see what’s actually there. How does ephemeral unleash its magic on brands?

1.?????? It boosts audience engagement

As much as evergreen content allows the audience to drop likes and comments, which allows for engagement and visibility, ephemeral content takes the engagement to another level. The use of ephemeral content allows the audience to engage better with elements such as polls, stickers, questions and answers, etc. Live streaming is another form of ephemeral content where brands get to share real-time content and carry their audience along on what is happening at the moment. The interactive style of ephemeral content gives a touch of fun to the professionalism of your brand and this way, you don’t just boost engagement but attract more followers.

2.?????? It drives urgency.

The FOMO factor is one of the reasons ephemeral contents works well for brands. Every human wants to stay abreast of any information that is beneficial to them. Nobody wants to miss out or be out of sync. Hence, ephemeral content, due to its short lifespan, keeps audience on their toes and gives a sense of exclusivity. Brands can utilize ephemeral content to elicit immediate response from their followers for limited time promotions, flash sales, or discount offers. It is also a good way to drive traffic to the brand’s website.

3.?????? It promotes connection and authenticity

One of the good sides to ephemeral content is that brands get to be real and informal with their audience, and this makes their audience feel closer to them. Whether it’s a Behind-the-scenes short clip or it’s a live video, ephemeral content allows your followers see the human side of the brand. This way, they trust your brand more and they become a part of your brand’s journey. When followers see the authenticity of the brand, loyalty sets in, and they are committed to you. You can start by showing them the team, your workspace, or share a live event.

What should you do before putting out ephemeral content?

There are a few things to put in mind and prepare before putting out ephemeral content as a brand. Before diving into creating content, you want to have some things settled to avoid being stuck or having low responses.

1.?????? Understand your audience

Before creating ephemeral content, you want to study, know, and understand the audience you are talking to. It's like communication; you want to say the right things, know what will keep them on their toes, and spark curiosity.

2.?????? Choose your content format

You need to know if you want to go live to show your followers something interesting or you want to share a funny and relatable meme. Decide how long or short you want the content to be (a short video is preferable). Also choose the kind of call to action you want to infuse, after knowing the action you want your audience to take.

3.?????? Throw away the script

The strength of ephemeral content is in the fact that it is informal, mostly unplanned (as opposed to evergreen content) and very relatable. You don’t want to have a boring script that will seem uninteresting to your followers. Instead of a script, an outline or content plan will better.

How do you use ephemeral content creatively?

There are many creative ways to leverage ephemeral content but the tactics you use should be dependent on what your brand goal is. Always have your objectives listed out and then, craft your content to fit into them. Here are some tactics.

• Live videos: Live video is one way to allow your followers see you as an authentic brand. You can show them some behind-the-scenes snippets or even take them to your business event happening at the moment.
• Question and answer sessions: This is one way to allow your followers know your brand and the team better.
• Interesting polls: Polls are interactive, and they let you ask your followers questions while they vote for their best answers.
• Teasers and giveaways: The temporariness of these offers makes your audience feel the urge to participate quickly before it disappears.

Ephemeral content is one effective way to increase your brand visibility and engagement on social media. It allows your brand to communicate with your audience, get close to them, and increase brand loyalty. Use it the right way and be sure to get evident results.

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