Looking back to 2011, no one would have predicted the rise of content that only lasts 24 hours, so-called ephemeral content. When it first appeared as the main feature of Snapchat, it was only popular among teenagers. Things have changed a lot since then, and ephemeral content has taken the internet by storm. Ephemeral content is simply any visual content, video or photo, with a limited lifespan, and it has become white-hot marketing material. After Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram jumped on the bandwagon with amazing results, especially for the latter. For marketers, it has become a unique and powerful way to reach target audiences. But is it worth the hard work if this stuff disappears after 24 hours? Absolutely. In what follows, I'll not only explain why this content is so effective, but I'll also explain some of the best ways to use it to build a stronger connection with your audience and increase your sales. Why ephemeral content on Instagram is so effective Most content marketers like to focus on evergreen content , the kind that should never go away.
It can provide both old and new readers with valuable information, it drives traffic, builds authority, and generates more leads and sales. Overall, evergreen content has a huge payoff. From this perspective, creating ephemeral content can seem like a waste of time and effort. But consider that Instagram stories grow 15 times faster than feeds . For a variety of reasons, ephemeral content creates higher stickiness and engagement. It's authentic: this type of content is about showing events in real time, so it humanizes brands and allows them to employee email database be more authentic. It creates a sense of urgency: as ephemeral content on Instagram is accessible for a brief period (24 hours), it increases the fear of missing out (FOMO). So the audience acts quickly and the marketers take advantage of it. It grabs attention: in most cases, ephemeral content appears in a separate feed, and users can see whether they've watched it or not.
Thus, it attracts attention and helps beat the feeding algorithms. Believe it or not, ephemeral content on Instagram is the best way to grab your audience's attention. Why focus on Instagram? Instagram rolled out its stories feature in 2016, and over the past two years it has grown in popularity among users. Let the numbers speak for themselves : 400 million accounts use Instagram stories every day 1/3 of the most viewed stories on Instagram are from businesses Instagram stories increased time spent on the platform by 15 to 32 minutes per day1 in 5 organic business stories get a direct message 96% of U.S. marketers surveyed plan to continue using stories advertising over the next six monthsThe company has built on this success with the introduction of live video and, more recently, longer video content through IGTV. Overall, it seems like Instagrammers are more likely to interact and share content in an engaging and playful way using ephemeral content. It's a great opportunity for brands to connect with customers where they're already engaged and drive more sales.