By Sahil Chopra
Marketers have borrowed a leaf from Gen Z. Ephemeral content and FOMO are some of the most powerful strategies used in marketing for audience engagement purposes. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat capitalise on FOMO as a psychological phenomenon to engage their audiences.
Ephemeral content refers to any content that lasts for a certain period, typically 24 hours before it disappears. Thus, its temporary nature brings urgency and exclusivity thereby pushing the audience towards immediate interaction before it is gone. Such platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook stories have utilised this concept to the fullest by introducing interactive polls, live Q&A’s among others that make people feel more included with behind-the-scene glimpses. The accumulation of these translates into authentic spontaneity in the content.
The biggest advantage of ephemeral content is that it differentiates a brand from others through a “real” or “human” appeal. Some brands have been able to connect more deeply with their followers by showing unedited, raw images of regular life, product creation processes, behind the scenes and so forth; this strategy is not like the beautified and edited updates on social media which are always displayed in feed. As compared to permanent social media posts that are often carefully curated and edited, this approach works differently and thus has its unique advantages allowing for real conversation.
There are also easier ways of creating Instagram and Snapchat contents thanks to user-friendly camera features introduced as well as interactive effects added recently, not to mention that you do not need any equipment whatsoever enabling brands and influencers keep up with them while sharing content consistently. In addition, short lived content is highly shareable resulting in immediate participation hence ensuring that consumers never forget about it and increasing brand exposure.
However, for brands, it is important to handle the changing content landscape with a strategic mindset. This consists of choosing the best platform as per target audience demographics, creating engaging and lasting videos that catch viewers’ attention in seconds, and also having meaningful call-to-action sections that take followers from any point A to B in their journey. Furthermore, they should be cautious on a couple of things, such as inconsistency, incoherence or an inadequate social media presence before spending too many resources on something that may not be permanent.
In a world where attention is short-lived and people crave genuineness, ephemeral content and FOMO marketing are two methods that brands can use to stay in touch with their target audience. By combining these techniques, influencers and brand marketers can make campaigns worth remembering or still influencing the buying decisions of customers.
The author is CEO and Founder of iCubesWire.