Ephemeral content on social media is any digital content on the internet that is accessible for a limited amount of time, usually over 24 hours. Also referred to as disappearing content, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok stories are examples of the transient nature of content.
This is the opposite of evergreen content. Viewers can only revisit it when it’s manually added to your profile, such as Instagram Stories Highlights. The subject is typically only significant for a brief period, such as the announcement of a flash sale or an update every day.
Ephemeral content lets you interact with your viewers more personally by using more authentic content that is not produced. It also allows for an immediate response or action when you use the correct type of content.
Why Ephemeral Content Is Important
In 2019, Statista reported that Instagram’s stories feature has 500 million active users daily, and WhatsApp is just behind with 450 million active daily users.
Stories on various platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Facebook, are all considered brief media.
Why is it popular, and why must you be a part of it? Let’s get into it now.
1. Interact with audiences
Engaging with your customers is an excellent way to create ephemeral content. People scrolling through stories on social media platforms could be more inclined to interact with your company if the content is actionable.
For example, Buffer, a tool for planning social media, uses brief content to host Q&A discussions in Instagram Stories. With a Q&A sticker on a story, Instagram users can ask questions throughout the story and have them addressed.
Answering questions on stories keeps audiences engaged. In addition, asking people questions about their favorite things, such as Buffer did, can help gain insights into the kind of content you can create to increase engagement.
2. Boost sales with shopping
Many social media platforms that host content on ephemeral devices also have a shopping feature. Shopping, such as Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Businesses with accounts on these platforms can also set up an online storefront on stories with the cosmetics company Fenty Beauty.
This advertisement is shoppable; you can see this in its “See More” text at the end of the story. Shopping online takes on the meaning of the transient nature of content as users are pushed to the limit by the time limit. You can create another sale by tapping a few times from a shoppable story.
Facebook and Instagram offer a feed for stories. Shoppable advertisements can be displayed. This can be useful in reaching an even larger audience by promoting your brand and products.
3. Diversify content with authenticity
The brief content can expose viewers to the personalities behind your company. Since this feed is distinct from the primary meals, you can publish content that could be more polished and disappear in the future, giving users the impression that they got a glimpse into something more unique, an exclusive peek into your company’s workings behind the scenes.
To broaden your content offerings, You could offer your followers a tour through your office via Snapchat or post templates that followers fill in on Instagram, such as LinkedIn did in the following case. It is possible to post the answers and show off those who follow you on your page to engage them with your posts.
In the end, short-term content can be more authentic than sponsored posts in your feed. It can be imperfect; short-term content gives your audience a genuine and honest view of your company’s image. It’s a great idea if you’re looking for ways to make your brand more personal.
4. Engage audiences
Social media offers a tremendous chance to collect user-generated content. Effrasible content can help with this. Engagement rates indicate the number of people viewing and engaging with your content. In addition, the higher the number of users who interact on your page, the greater the likelihood you are of acquiring new leads.
I suffer from a lot of FOMO, or the fear of not being able to enjoy. This is where temporary media excels. It is an excellent option for special deals or other content that only people with access to an account’s story can interact with. For example, Coca-Cola added a World Cup geofilter following its Belgium Red Devil win on Snap stories from last year’s tournament.
Types of ephemeral content on social media
Let’s look at various types of ephemeral content that are available through social networks:
Instagram stories
Instagram Stories are images or videos that are up to 24 hours long. It includes various interactive features like questions, polls, stickers, and hyperlinks. It is possible to save stories as Story Highlights and keep them accessible even after it has disappeared from your feed of stories.
Stories are a fantastic opportunity to attract leads and attract customers. According to research, 43 percent of users on social media view stories more often than other video types on Instagram.
Facebook stories
Facebook Stories resemble Instagram Stories and will remain in your feed for a day. They appear in the upper right corner of your meal and let users apply filters, stickers, and texts to their stories. Stories on Facebook can be read by followers, friends, or a specific audience selected by users.
Snapchat stories
A Snapchat story is a series of snaps recorded within 24 hours. It is possible to save your Snapchat Stories to Memories to make them last longer. It can be an excellent way to document your work as a company and let your customers know about it.
TikTok stories
TikTok stories, sometimes referred to by the name of TikTok moment, are short videos that stay in your stream all day. You can also add hashtags, links, tags, hyperlinks to other accounts, and even include location tags. In contrast to Instagram Stories, TikTok stories can only be made by recording moments of content.
Why ephemeral content works for brands
Many brands use digital content that is brief across channels. Are they because they’re more straightforward to develop, or do they help the brand’s marketing goals? It’s both!
Short-form videos and images boost engagement
Ephemeral content works perfectly at a time when people are drawn to shorter ranges.
In general, video content that is short in form is an excellent choice for companies as it is the best kind of in-feed content, as per the Sprout Content Benchmarks Report. These are likely stories, too, since they’re quick to view and include interactive elements.
Short-form stories could help you make an instant purchase or sign up. It can also connect quickly and communicate updates to your followers. Regularly publishing content on ephemeral media can aid in increasing brand recognition by providing a consistent touchpoint that’s low-lift and easy for your target audience, ensuring that they are always current in their minds.
Leverages FOMO to attract viewers
Fear of being left out (FOMO) can be described as a characteristic unique to temporary content and the primary reason it works for brands and creators. Your viewers know they have a certain amount of time to access the content, creating an urgency.
Let’s imagine that your preferred brand can answer questions from its audience on weekends, and you would wish to take advantage of the opportunity to ask a question. You could do the same with your brand by leveraging the time-sensitive nature of your activities to boost interest and increase engagement.
A lot of brands launch new products as well as promotions through stories. The limited availability of content increases the urgency and increases participation.
It builds authenticity
Social media users like “real-life” content from brands on social media. In research conducted by Sprout Social, 64% of users say they would like to feel connected with the brand.
Ephemeral content lets you expose the human face of your brand on social media by posting current content. This helps make your brand and content more relatable and personal since it’s informal and not overly edited. You can also share behind-the-scenes and exclusive content to create more connections to your viewers.
It’s more interactive
While in-feed content-feed content is better to use reach, ephemeral content is more to engage your followers.
The majority of platforms offer a range of interactive features that are unique to ephemeral media. This includes answering questions, running polls, or introducing specific calls.
3 examples of brands that drive engagement with ephemeral content
Three companies make use of temporary media in various ways to encourage engagement.
Nike
Nike utilizes Instagram Stories to build a buzz around their upcoming launch products by releasing short videos. This particular story focuses on the debut of their Nike React Infinity 3 running shoes, launched in June 2022.
Covering an event, such as the annual convention or conference, with ephemeral content is an excellent way to create interest, both for the attendees and those who are watching it online. It is possible to transform these snippets into different formats.
With a tool like Spout Social, You can plan the content for different social platforms and at the optimal time to encourage engagement. It is also possible to track the performance of your ephemeral content and compare it with parameters of other types of content to get a complete view of the event’s social impact.
Semrush
To help promote their most recent blog post or YouTube video, Semrush provides important highlights from their stories. They also hyperlink the article to encourage users to visit their website.
If you want to increase visitors to your website or blog through social media channels, follow something similar—a link to the page, an overview of the material, and an appealing message or highlight.
You can also create an easily trackable link using Sproutlink to gauge the effect of your ephemeral material on the number of visitors to your site.
Brainify
Brainify the brand, which provides helpful parenting tips, utilizes Facebook stories to gain insight into the interests of their followers through interactive polls and queries. Collecting data on your intended audience and developing connections with them is an excellent method.
Like Brainify Like Brainify, you can use the interactive features not just to improve engagement but also to get direct feedback from your customers on their opinions. This could inform future content or even enhance your services or products.
In conclusion
The strategic integration of ephemeral content into a brand’s social media approach presents an opportunity for lasting engagement. By understanding the diverse types of ephemeral content and why it works, brands can stay current, build authenticity, and create a sense of community that resonates with their audience.