The age of ‘short-lived’ content is here. Are you ready?
Not many moons ago, the gold standard in content creation was to pass the test of time. Content which has a long shelf life.
Longer the shelf life higher the possibility of immortality for the creators (am exaggerating a bit, but let it be). And with this illusion, the writers and creators stretched all the sane and insane limits. But it looks like, work that would stay relevant appeals and is remembered for centuries is a bygone. And this is not particularly true in the realm of online – point in case T20 Vs Tests.
Times have changed and have changed real quick.
This is the age of shorter formats, short-lived content – which is quickly produced, posted, and is only around for a short amount of time. Young consumers are jumping on to the short-lived content, and where there is a crowd there you find brands.
However, most of the Brands have to do the catching up with this trend.
No two views about the ever-changing consumer, they have changed in the past, are changing, and will continue to change. We prepare for the change. Change is good. But, this ‘vanishing content’ has stunned the marketers and a few others.
Why is this happening?
Internet with Smartphones has turned the dynamics of consuming and buying of things. 
Waiting and Idling are things of the past. The Mobile has created a certain new behavior of consumption.
This new behavior is termed and identified as Micro-Moments behavior. What this means is, people, turn to a device (mostly a smartphone)—to act on a need to learn something, share something, search, watch something, or buy something. Posting witty one-liners, funny videos or informative tutorials are some other activities they perform on the sidelines.
This new behavior has propelled the advent of Short-lived content.
What is it?
Content that’s quickly produced, posted and is only around for a short amount of time. “In the moment” pictures, “live streaming” which disappears after 24 hours.
This type of quick content is also known as vertical content, which is particularly popular with the millennial.
According to Mary Meeker’s 2015 Internet Trends report, vertical viewing has increased fivefold, from a mere 5% in 2010 to 29% in 2015.
Platforms such as Snapchat, Periscope, and others optimize the user-generated content in a manner that creates higher stickiness and engagement.
In such a crowded digital web space, it’s crucial for marketers and companies to recognize the importance of this type of content and the role it can play in any marketing strategy.
How to use Short-lived content to Market Your Business
Millions of Millennial and Generation Z users per day who crave instancy and immediate action are your target audience.
They rely on mobile content to entertain, inform and engage with their favorite brands – making mobile-first apps like Snapchat and Instagram their go-to platforms.
- Use interactive content and live streaming to gain attention as below:
- Showcase the behind the scene production, images or videos. Let the customer see the efforts that are put into a single delivery, product etc.
- Get influential Users to endorse your service or product. Word of mouth goes a long way. Focus on creating advocates.
- Share inside access to VIP events which users may not be able to attend
- Showcase through live-streaming new products
- Promote upcoming events or releases
Remember, THE SPONTANEOUS ELEMENT TO SHORT-LIVED MEDIA IS IT’S DRIVING FORCE.
Remember, you can’t edit the short-lived content. After all, it’s live. Needless to say, the content should be original and brief each time. As a given, keep the frequency of posting high.
It’s the impulsiveness of the posts that leads to quick conversions and sales. The impulsive nature of momentary content combined with the effectiveness of video marketing underlines just how powerful using short-lived content platforms can be for brands.
Let us all hail the short-lived content.
