How Consumers Digest Branded Content [INFOGRAPHIC]

People are consuming more content online than ever. They’re getting it on smartphones, web-connected televisions, mobile devices, desktops, and laptops.

A new infographic by DKNewMedia show that, according to a Forrester.com study, “53 percent of Internet users are ‘always’ online for non-work purposes after 8 p.m. and 18 percent of Internet users are ‘always’ online before 9 a.m. for non-work purposes.” And, 32 percent of American consumers online trust strangers’ opinions on forums and websites over branded advertisements.

The most effective way to get consumers to take action is to ask them to enter a sweepstakes or register for promotions on a company website. The second most effective way is asking consumers to read promotional newsletters or emails, while the third is to ask for likes on Facebook. Most consumers’ attention spans last for three minutes, so content should be easily digestible. If it’s longer, it needs to include photos, videos, or some form of visual stimulation.

According to blogger Amanda Nelson and a study by Buddy Media data, Facebook posts that consist of 80 characters or less receive 27 percent more engagement. On Twitter, shorter hashtags are more popular than the long ones.

While people are digesting content at all hours of the day, it may not always be the best time to post certain types of content. For example, Mashable’s Samantha Murphy says that a tweet with a link should not be sent on after 8 p.m. on a weekday, and that same rule applies after 3 p.m. on Fridays on Facebook. Posting content whenever a brand pleases is not usually wise–it’s like playing darts in the dark. “By understanding the simple characteristics of each social network, you can publish your content at exactly the right time for it to reach the maximum number of people,” according to bit.ly.

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