media update’s Nakedi Phala takes you through four types of content consumption that can help you reach your target audience.

Content consumption can be broken down into a number of categories, namely — focused, content-binging, time-shifted and actionable.

Once you understand the type of content consumers that are out there, it is much easier to start creating the right kind of content for your respective audience.

The process of finding your perfect audience should begin with a little bit of research into the topic. Subsequently, you need to decide which type of consumption best suits your own branding, style and tone.

For example, if you’re targeting Gen Zs for your content, your best option would be dual content consumption, since they're known for multi-tasking. You might be asking, “how was I to know this?” Fear not, brave content creator! Just keep reading:

Here are four types of content consumption that can help you connect with your audience:

1. Content-binging 

This is convenient if your target audience consists of commuters, preoccupied business practitioners or busy parents who’d like to stay informed in the midst of their crazy schedules.

The content that you create can be structured in a way that is straight to the point and in a synopsis format, which would be quick to read. If you’re creating content for a ‘binger’, it’s always important to keep in mind that they live a fast-paced life and they hardly have time to spend going through large amounts of content; this includes the everyday online newspaper.

A way of making use of this type of content consumption is by publishing a summary of your article on social media platforms and a link to the full article behind a paywall. By doing so, a ‘binge’ content consumer will get the general idea of the topic and will be satisfied to have gotten the message in mere seconds.

2. Focused 

This caters to niche audiences who enjoy informal content, meaning the best place to reach these people as a content creator would be social media or blog-style platforms.

For example, if the content you’re sharing is about cars, it could be published in a newspaper or a magazine. However, to get the most out of this audience, you’d need to focus on sharing the content in a car magazine or creating a blog that reviews cars. You could then take it a step further and post about your blog on social media to obtain optimal engagement.

This audience is very focused on reading and learning about tops at that very moment, meaning they want the information right then and there.

3. Dual 

This form of content offers audiences an array of options, which means that it’s best for those who not only like to read but who also like to watch, listen, etc., Within this channel, it’s always best to take things further; go beyond the written form and really get your audience to engage with your content.

For example, if you are creating content for varsity students, it would make their day if they were able to download your learning tips from a site and save your video clips from your other digital platforms, such as YouTube, to use in their presentations, notes or assignments.

This type of content funneling is good if you want to increase your subscriptions, so you need to know your audience's traits, to catch mice you have to assume it likes cheese.

4. Time-shifted 

This content is a great option if you want your audience to continue to enjoy your content at a later point in time — be it on the same platform or another.

Let’s say that a sports fan misses their soccer game on your TV channel and, without wasting time, you take the whole record game (assuming you have the right to do so) to your channel's YouTube page for fans to watch later. Quite cool and convenient, right? Especially considering that ... Back in the early 2000s, if you missed your game, you missed it!

With the introduction of Showmax, Netflix etc, audiences are less likely to miss their favourite show; in fact, they are in control of when and where to consume their favourite content.

It’s important for content creators to keep in mind that their digital channels could become the absolute go-to for their audiences, which is why it’s so important to research an audience shift and to know when to drop a certain type of content consumption.

For a content creator, it’s vital to optimise your content so that it’s discoverable. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

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The 4IR will have a profound impact on how we live, communicate and navigate workspaces. Learn more about The Fourth Industrial Revolution: An African perspective here.