Micro Content for Mobile Optimization: What Counts and How to Use It

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the importance of mobile optimization, and with good reason. Studies are showing that web content is increasingly being viewed on mobile devices, and often on several mobile devices simultaneously.

Even on mobile devices, content is the key to driving traffic to your website, but the type of content that works so well on desktop devices doesn’t have the same appeal to mobile users. So what can you do if you need content, but not the content you already have?

Meet your new best friend: micro content. Generally micro content is defined as any type of public or published content delivered in a bite sized quantity, essentially the opposite of long form content, and it’s been around for much longer than you’d think (headlines, jokes on popsicle sticks, and even baseball cards are forms of micro content).

It’s Not Short, It’s Fun Sized

Micro content is by its very nature quite small. Think bite-sized pieces of information meant to quickly engage the reader and easily shared. This form of content is perfect for captivating the relatively short attention spans of mobile users. The tricky part is keeping things interesting while keeping them short.

Images and Vine videos are very popular forms of micro content because you can include many different elements into something that can be consumed in seconds. Tweets and Facebook posts, if worded in an attention grabbing way, can also serve as effective micro content, but even in these cases images help.

Combinations of images and engaging text are also effective, like combining a relevant image macro (sometimes erroneously referred to as a meme, they’re similar, but separate things) with an engaging tweet or Facebook post. Just don’t post your micro content the same way to all of your social media streams; if you do, you’re going to lose audience engagement very, very quickly.

The microcontent your business shares should be centered on distinct events, whether it’s related to current events, gauging your brand’s interest graph, promoting a new product or service, or a host of other topics is up to you, as long as it has a purpose. Basically, don’t just share the viral thing of the moment, no matter how tempting, unless it’s relevant to your business and your brand identity.

Micro Content = Puzzle Pieces

When crafting your micro content, think of each piece as being a small part of the much larger puzzle that is your brand identity. Every tweet, pin, post or Vine is just one part of the puzzle that represents what your brand stands for and how your business is perceived.

Keeping that in mind, it’s easy to see how micro content can be used to tell a much bigger story, all the while engaging and entertaining your audience, all in little, easy to digest and share bits that are ideal for mobile optimization.