Recently an interesting question was posed to us by a client regarding online content, specifically, “what is the lifespan of content posted online?”
Whilst it is interesting to consider the lifespan of content, were not totally convinced it is the right question to be asking, at least in isolation. Our view is that to change behaviours, build brand and influence an outcome you need to be involved in ongoing dialog and/or content generation, whether this is online or offline.
The initial question should be to determine what messages are required to reach your audience and what is the best channel to access them. The lifespan of the content is a secondary consideration that should be evaluated with characteristics such as:
- Reach – how many people will read it
- Relevance – is the content relevant to the audience
- Accessibility – Significant amounts of content on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook cannot be accessed by all web users as it sits behind passwords.
Online news site content for instance is generally available for a long time and also receives a very high audience reach. The trade off is that you can’t control the content on news sites as it is written by journalists.
The lifespan of blog content is also long term and is always searchable. This content is ideal for search engine optimisation (SEO) and generating long-term traffic. Website content also has a very long lifespan, generally until you take it down.
Twitter has a relatively short lifespan, although Twitter is also a mechanism to extend the reach of your content. Social media monitoring (SMM), RSS feeds and Google news feeds all extend the reach of Twitter and other online information, meaning the content achieves additional reach.
On the surface Facebook content would seem to have a short lifespan; however the business opportunity is more related to building long term dialogue.
Like a physical ‘one on one’ conversation, the comments a person makes have a very short existence however collectively build an overall lasting impression. You may not recall every specific comment made from a person however you will have a perception built by their communication and behaviour.
In the corporate world, creating relevant and interesting content impacts your customers and stakeholders impressions. Despite the short lifespan of your online updates, we recommend you actively use online tools like Facebook and Twitter to build customer engagement which results in brand trust and ongoing customer support.
So consider the longevity of online content in context of your communication objective and don’t forget to include evaluation of reach, relevance and accessibility.
