Content is everywhere, and there is no story to enjoy. That’s ‘The Rime of the Contemporary Brain Rotter’. Yes, brain rot, that’s what the cool kids call it. With social media, we have swiftly moved from meaningful story-first content to memes to a sea of ‘cringe content’ that people consume ironically. Quick commerce notifications, email subject lines, all content is a reference to a meme.
But hey, it works. Till it doesn’t! The reason: content fatigue. We are constantly surrounded by it. Content Fatigue is when people are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content coming their way, which renders most of it unenjoyable. As a brand, or a creator, how do we stand out in an impactful manner? Break the clutter, as the marketers say. That is while looking out for our customers and not adding to their overwhelm. How do we help them achieve content nirvana instead? There’s no cheat code here. But as with our health, there are certain vitals to keep in check for your content health.
Resist the urge to spam
They will come and tell you that the algorithm supports when you post content every single day. While that may be true, it is counter-productive to post content that doesn’t add value to your audience’s lives. To post content just for the sake of it, without having the right quality is myopic and will saturate your audience much sooner than you expect.
Instead of contributing to their fatigue, enrich their minds with high-quality, story-driven, and visually engaging content that addresses their needs.
Content is King, but Insight is Queen
Brands and creators start losing their audience when they lose sight of insight. This is often triggered by chasing numbers like shares, likes, and impressions in a short period. Social media and its metrics are one part of branding and touchpoints, but the reason we do it is for the audience.
To create meaningful content day after day, as Simon Sinek says, is to ask ourselves ‘Why’. Understand the needs, interests, fears, and motivations of your audience. Not just once. Keep re-evaluating them as they evolve. Gather the insights and build content from it.
Longer doesn’t always mean better
When people hear ‘value-driven’ or ‘brand story-focused content’, a lot of them assume it has to be exhaustingly long. Sure, some of the content you curate can be on the longer side but pithy content can still be impactful. Think of Apple as a benchmark, for a brand that is global, large and always under the marketing scanner. For a niche brand, think of Olio stories, which curate impactful content, long and short.
Tip: Ask yourself, what purpose is this content piece serving? Is it educational? Entertaining? Motivating? Or anything else. If you have a clear objective, you don’t lose out on engaging with your audience.
Engage the senses
In the world of reels, we cannot share something too plain or basic. Polls, quizzes, videos, gifs, and even static images with great design, or data through visuals, are all wonderful ways to elevate your content to be more engaging. Not to mention, the algo gods support it more too.
UGC is the next current best thing
UGC or User Generated Content is captivating and powerful because it is authentic, trustworthy, and engages the audience through an almost ‘word-of-mouth’ approach, but digitally. According to a report by Stackla, 79% of the respondents believe UGC highly impacts purchasing decisions. It fosters a sense of community. Therefore, encourage your audience to share their experiences and publish them (consensually) on your website, social media, and other touchpoints.
Find your balance
Your content can neither be too promotional, nor too detached from your brand. The brand push has to be value-driven. If it isn’t, it only makes sense to either skip that post/campaign or modify your strategy to include it. Most brands and creators mistake the audience for being ignorant or lacking in the ability to discern good from bad content, but the fact is that this content is serving the audience.
Find your balance with information, storytelling, and all the insights gathered from your audience. Most importantly, do not shy away from modifying your strategy as and when your business and your audience evolve.
Et voila! Content nirvana, not fatigue. Find your chi by focussing on quality, insights, providing value, and engaging with your audience. This will enable a meaningful and lasting connection with your community.
Psst! This blog was created after a lot of thought by a real person. #NoGenerativeAI