Contributed by guest blogger: Connor Cigrang

While ephemeral is still a relatively new concept it has certainly made its mark in the digital world. Ephemeral content is simply digital media that is only viewable for a limited amount of time, typically 24 hours. The rise of Snapchat and Instagram Live has brought this form of advertising to light and has become very popular, most significantly with millennials. It gives them a way to post whatever they want without having to worry about unwanted viewers coming across it years later.

While this concept may initially seem simply like yet another way for millennials to stay in touch with their friends, there are lots of benefits to using ephemeral content in your business model. The most significant benefits are the authenticity of temporary content and your audience’s fear of missing out.

For the past several decades businesses have tried to get their brands noticed by bombarding people with constant ads; at least 50% of the people receiving the ads have no interest in the content to begin with. I myself know that this can be very frustrating and certainly does not peak my interest in the product being advertised at all. Social media and ephemeral content could change this. By developing a presence on sites such as Snapchat, businesses would have a totally new platform for reaching customers. Interested consumers would need only subscribe to that business on social media and in turn would get to see new content every day. This would keep them much more engaged because the content is temporary and therefore always fresh. Fresh content gives consumers a sense of authenticity, rather than bombarding them with the same ad over and over again. With ephemeral content, you are delivering new, intersting content every day.

Fear of missing out is another benefit that comes with the use of ephemeral content. No one wants to miss the newest trend or biggest announcement. With the old advertising model people didn’t have to worry about staying up to date; the same content was always available for them to look at with leisure. Ephemeral content will keep your audience wanting more and not missing a beat. They will want to look at your content everyday because it’s always fresh and they want to see it before it disappears forever. Consumers will subscribe to your content and encourage others to do so as well so that they too can have access to genuine, fresh content. .

The power of ephemeral content is significant; not only does it give millennials a great way to stay in touch but it is offers great potential for many types of businesses. Adopting ephemeral content into your business model could be the next step to staying ahead of the competition.