Ephemeral content refers to disappearing content that are only live for a short period of time, such as Snapchat and Instagram stories. Although it was led to popularity by Snapchat, a recent study revealed that influencers overwhelmingly preferred Instagram Stories to Snapchat (Source: Mediakix). Read on to find the Mashwire checklist that we use to strengthen our marketing campaigns.
More than 50% of businesses on Instagram produced a story on the platform and one in five organic stories from businesses will generate a direct message from a follower, potential client or customer. In this mobile-first environment that we live in today, millions of users worldwide are using Instagram to get more information about an advertised business so there’s no doubt any brand that are interested in marketing to this group of consumers should be investing in Instagram Stories. What is so appealing about fleeting, ephemeral content? How can your brand utilise Instagram Stories for your marketing campaign?
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Understand Your Audience
When it comes to building a brand on Instagram, many brands are often skeptical because their target audience are not ‘millennials.’ But we later found out that many businesses have the wrong idea about millennials, thinking that they are a young group of audiences below the age of 30. In fact, millennials are those who are 18-35 today. You might wonder if it’s worth reaching millennials when they may not necessarily be your target audience. You may even wonder if your product can be fitted into the sort of lifestyle-oriented content that Instagram users are after. According to Accenture, the spending power of millennials is set to surpass $1 trillion by 2020. The most valuable commodity on the internet today is their attention time and time again. Indeed, not all products can market themselves on Instagram as successfully as fashion, beauty, auto. However, what brands should focus on is finding innovative ways of exploiting this medium by producing content that is as native as possible. For Mashwire, we strongly believe that understanding why the users are there in the first place is key to delivering a message that offers true value and will, as a result, get true engagement.
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Using The Platform To Create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
The contradictory thing about ephemerality is that its biggest weakness becomes its greatest strength. Because posts disappear for good, there’s an exclusivity to viewing them, and users are more likely to check for new updates on their own, in case they miss out on some good content. In this way, flipping through Instagram stories became a routine for many, with users below the age of 25 being the most active and spending more than 32 minutes a day on average on the platform. Then, what is the best kind of content to strike a ‘FOMO’ effect? According to our expert POV, by telling candid, funny stories regularly, offering exclusive information through this method can help brands become part of their consumers’ routine and develop a connection with them.
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Create Authenticity Through Content
Before Instagram became a platform where brands tried to sell their products and services using polished adverts, brands used it to convey authenticity. Although many consumers do not mind beautiful and curated content appearing on their feeds, they are still seeking for authenticity on your Instagram profile. Moreover, authentic content can be used to break the clutter among all the other ‘perfect’ content served by all other brands. Perhaps this idea of authenticity will especially appeal to Singaporean audiences because many brands are still serving up conventional content that does not particularly create a sense of trust and excitement among their followers. For brands who successfully convey authenticity through Instagram stories, their followers are more likely to stay for the long haul and be more involved than the passive consumer.
Creating successful ephemeral content may seem as easy as capturing behind-the-scenes videos but here is a Mashwire checklist that you can use to help strengthen your Instagram marketing campaign.
- Decide if images and videos are more suitable for your brand or communication objectives.
- Post regularly for constant engagement.
- Engage influencers to create high quality photos and videos to engage your audiences.
- Associate your brand with a set of values and experiences beyond their category to generate engaging, authentic and original UGC.
Of course, Instagram stories on its own is not enough to fully harness the power of Instagram. True Instagram success is to generate regular user-generated content which is highly influential among your audiences. The best brands not only tell stories but play a role in them and connect with culture in a way that makes consumers want to weave them into their own stories. How are you writing your story?
