It’s no secret content is king. But now that the secret’s out, it seems every and any brand is pushing their own content — and it’s too much for customers to keep up with.
To compensate for the content fatigue consumers have come down with, their attention spans have become shorter and their standards higher. Users scroll through TikToks, tweets and more that don’t immediately capture their attention, only pausing for what they believe to be the best of the best.
It’s not just customers that are adapting, though. Businesses have devised their own strategy to deal with the influx of content. They’ve begun to come up with new, innovative ways to create content that stands out.
What are the strategies they’re using? What trends have taken hold? We’ll show you the best business strategies that brands are leveraging to beat content fatigue and how you can use them to liven up your own content marketing efforts.
Why Content Fatigue Is a Problem
Content creation has exploded, fueled in part by the demand for SEO-driven content online. It’s easier than ever to write your own thought leadership piece and share it on LinkedIn. Filming and launching a video that gains hundreds of millions of views is possible with an iPhone and a healthy Wi-Fi signal.
Better still, content captures attention. Over 90% of marketers agree content marketing has been effective for their business — with the engagement metrics to prove it.
But while so many businesses leverage content marketing, our newsfeeds, search engine results and more have become cluttered. Customers see up to 10,000 ads a day — that’s simply too much content to process.
It’s only natural, then, that customers are tired. Some describe it as content fatigue or burnout. Others are calling it screen fatigue, content shock or information overload. Regardless, they all describe the same feeling: the digital landscape has become too noisy.
But the solution for businesses is not to stop producing content. It’s to start producing smarter content with a sharper content strategy. Here are the innovative ways marketers are doing just that.
Tapping Into the Power of Visuals
The power of visuals can’t be overstated. Images catch our attention in an instant. They help us understand — and retain — information. A picture is worth a thousand words — and marketers are using infographics, videos and more to their advantage.
In fact, studies show that 80% of people will watch a video, while only 20% will read text. And with so much content competing for your audience’s attention, leveraging a medium they’re more likely to pay attention to is crucial.
Take a look at how brands are using visual content formats to take their content to the next level.
GIFs Pack a Punch
GIF marketing leverages the power of engaging visuals, while catering to our increasingly short attention span. Better still, GIFs are much more engaging than static images. It’s in our nature to immediately pay attention to anything that’s moving.
Brands have found a number of ways to use these to stand out. For instance, a GIF can be a thumbnail for a video embedded into an email, providing an engaging preview that boosts click-through rates and encourages customers to click to play — perfect for optimizing your email campaign.
GIFs can also make your social media posts and campaigns more engaging. Check out this drool-worthy GIF from IHOP as an example.
Emojis Are 🔥
Emojis have been around since the late ‘90s, but they became especially popular after their addition to Apple’s iMessage feature in 2008.
What makes them so popular? They’re a clever and easy way to liven up your copy. Brands have found them especially useful for increasing engagement. One study showed that a tweet featuring an emoji had a 25% higher engagement rate than a tweet without.
Emojis can be used with almost any type of content. They can be added to tweets (er, X posts), LinkedIn posts, incorporated into a video and used on a landing page.
OOne of the most common use cases are email subject lines, which can help resolve common pain points for email campaigns — low engagement and high unsubscribe rates. For instance, including a champagne glass or Christmas tree during the holiday season can make your subject line stand out in your customer’s crowded inbox.
Short-Form Videos
As we touched on before, customers have adapted to content fatigue with an increasingly shorter attention span.
While videos are incredibly engaging, today’s users don’t always have the patience to sit through 5- or 10-minute videos. But you can say a lot in just a few minutes, even a few seconds, when you have an immersive medium like video.
Take a look at the 24-second video below and see if it doesn’t draw you in.
If you need proof of this trend, consider the wave of short-form videos across social media, spearheaded by TikTok. Instagram followed shortly after with the introduction of Instagram Reels. And other social platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, have also taken hold of the trend.
And it’s not just social platforms that are doing this. Businesses everywhere are using this trend to get their products and services in front of their target audience. For instance, Ocean Breeze saw a staggering increase in brand reach thanks to a viral TikTok featuring the brand’s beverage.
The CEO reported impressive metrics: over 15 million brand impressions, all from a short-form video users can’t get enough of.
But what if you don’t have a video studio in-house or a big budget to pay one? That’s where AI can help. You can create AI videos, from prompt to finished output, in minutes, no tech skills needed. Even better, with our AI video creator, videos are automatically on brand and draw from your approved assets, so you can be sure each video is on point, every time.
Leverage Storytelling
Content is all about telling a story. Most brands, though, find their content falls flat because the stories they tell revolve around sales.
There are so many stories you can tell with your brand that go beyond the traditional sales pitch. Swap a flashy discount for something that will actually stick with your audience.
This commercial from Extra Gum is a great example. If you haven’t seen it yet, find a box of tissues now. It’s a tear-jerker.
Rather than focus on their gum’s long-lasting flavor or any other claim you’d typically expect from a commercial, EXTRA Gum was able to stand out by creating a story full of emotions that speaks to audience needs. It’s an ad customers will actually want to watch — rather than choose to skip.
Add Personalization
There’s a reason why over 70% of consumers become frustrated when brands don’t offer personalized personalized marketing content. With so much content to pick from, personalization makes it easier to surface relevant content that speaks to our wants and needs.
If you’re scrolling through Netflix, for instance, a personalized selection of shows based on what you’ve watched in the past can help you quickly find something you’re likely to enjoy.
An increasingly popular form of personalized content across industries is recap videos highlighting every viewer’s personal achievements. Orangetheory Fitness exceeded their expectations for their marketing campaign to reduce member attrition with this personalized year in review.
By leveraging customer powerful data, Orangetheory Fitness was able to deliver a video giving every viewer insight into their personal fitness journey and all they had achieved with the brand.
And members loved it. The video they received told not just any story — but their story, interesting them immediately. The campaign helped lead to a record-breaking 97% attendance rate, 45,000 additional classes booked and improved member retention.
Beat Content Fatigue
You now know some of the best ways to sharpen your marketing strategy and combat content fatigue. Leverage storytelling to keep people engaged. Craft a message that’s relevant to them. Put it in a video, a format people can’t get enough of. Leverage storytelling.
As innovators in the world of digital content, we’ve seen our clients stand out with video that goes above and beyond what customers expect. Videos can now be interactive, personalized and even generated in real time with AI. If your content needs a boost, Lucas AI Video Agent is the perfect place to start.
Ready to rise above the digital noise? Let’s connect.
