Content is king when it comes to a digital marketing strategy. Most, if not all, people prefer getting to know a company’s brand through engaging and compelling content rather than advertising.
But a common dilemma for companies is understanding the shelf life of their content. For example, when should they place content, and how long can customers and prospects engage with it? The good news is that content you create can have a longer lifespan if strategically developed to encourage repeat visits to your site and social media platforms. Let’s review the common denominators that will help you create content with an extended shelf-life.
Is Your Content Relevant?
There is a big difference in how long content remains relevant. For instance, construction best practices or “how-to” educational pieces offer promotional opportunities for months or even years. Conversely, content that is seasonal or event-based can be short-lived.
Relevancy also dependents on where you place the content. For example, content on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook last for minutes or hours, while a blog post has a much longer shelf life, upwards of a few years.
IT services company Mamsys researched the length of time digital content remains valid. Their data showed:
- Twitter “tweets” have an average shelf life of 18 minutes
- Facebook posts are valid for roughly 5 hours
- Instagram posts will appear for 21 hours
- LinkedIn posts are good for 24 hours
- Pinterest pins show up for 4 months
- Blog posts can stay visible for up to 2 years
PRO TIP: Focus on developing timely and relevant content. When shared to multiple social and web-based platforms, it is a sure-fire way to capture consumer’s interest when it matters most.
Does Your Content Continue to Provide Value?
Content with a short lifespan doesn’t necessarily mean it has less impact and value. As an example, a well-crafted tweet can remain relevant and memorable for a very long time. The key to sustainable content is creating a mix of material that continues to provide value.
Many businesses turn to “evergreen” content to offer value and encourage consumers back to their website and social feeds. Evergreen content typically provides a constant level of sustained interest among consumers, which is a great way to get maximum exposure and garner engagement with your audience.
PRO TIP: If the shelf life of your content is shorter than you’d like, you can take steps to extend your content’s lifecycle by reusing it to attract and engage your current and prospective customers all over again. The key to doing this is two-fold: determine your best performing content and be creative in recycling it.
Ultimately, the best way to give your content a longer lifespan is to share valuable and meaningful content that continues to resonate with your clients.
Is New Research Available?
Do not overlook the need to include newer research or updated statistics to keep your content fresh. Focus on sharing new research or statistics in multiple formats for best results. For instance, post a link to your latest Instagram post one day, and later in the month, share a link to an updated blog post that elaborates on the Instagram post.
When reusing content, it is imperative to be creative, even when providing new statistics or research. Sophisticated customers can spot repeated content, so avoid copying and pasting the same text and images into a new website page, social media post, or blog. A better approach is to consider what data or information consumers are looking for and then tweak your content to elaborate on those details while utilizing new imagery or headings.
Do Consumers Think Differently About the Content Topic?
Over time, consumers start to shift their perspective or paradigm related to topics they once may have been partial to. The shelf-life of content is directly related to how quickly consumers make that evolution in thinking.
Content that encourages consumers to shift their thinking will be long-running pieces that leave your business revered as an industry thought-leader.
Conclusion
Knowing your content’s approximate shelf life is an effective way to realize how frequently you should be posting on various platforms and how much time you should devote to creating each piece of content. Spending several hours writing a tweet that will be around for less than a half-hour is a poor use of your digital marketing efforts. Similarly, spending a half-hour to write a blog post that will last for two years is not wise either.
Creating relevant content that provides value to the consumer while utilizing the most up-to-date research and statistics will undoubtedly improve your content’s shelf life. Well-performing assets offer the greatest return on digital marketing efforts, which is the goal of any successful marketing strategy. With years of experience helping businesses create compelling content that turns viewers into leads, Lead Revenue will help take your business to new heights! Learn more about our digital marketing strategies here!
