Do You Have A Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish? Microsoft says Yes. Here’s Why…

Apps. SnapChat. Instagram. Smart Phones…. Year by year, society is forced to adapt to rapidly advancing technology. Since 2000, roughly the beginning of the mobile revolution, human attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to a disappointing 8 seconds, falling behind that of a goldfish, which holds its rank at 9 seconds. As our brains attempt to keep up with an increasingly digitized lifestyle, weaker attention span may be a side effect of evolving to mobile internet, as said by Time Magazine.  According to a study by Microsoft corp., 77% of people aged 18-24 responded “yes†when asked, “When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phoneâ€.  This largely affects the business world through means of marketing and advertising. If attention spans are so weak, and there is a non-existent focus within consumers, how can businesses effectively market their campaigns with memorable content, that breaks the 8-second standard?

With an Attention Span of only 8 Seconds… How Does This Affect Marketing?

In an effort to make your marketing and brand campaign stand out, focusing on specific areas of your strategy will help to build brand loyalty.  

First start with a diverse strategy that embraces digital, experiential and tangible components

Tangible Marketing is considered to be: billboards to magazine ads, direct mail to events with physical components, (promotional items, items for purchase, etc).  With tangible mediums as well as other forms of marketing, frequency is key. It takes an average of 7 impressions with a brand to generate the level of conversion and measurable return on investment (ROI).

In Tangible Marketing – a strong headline is essential. This generates a measurable response from the consumer, that other factors will not. Your headline should be specific, to the point, and grab the consumers attention within 3 seconds. To help embellish your ad, an interactive video or an eye-catching image paired with catchy audio, serves to maintain the consumers attention. A strategy several marketers utilize is the use of endearing images such as puppies, or smiling children. Delivering lovable and adorable images/videos, while playing uplifting music, produces happiness within the consumer. This is ultimately the desired end result.

Now that you’ve caught your consumers attention, you’re set, right? Wrong. This is only the first step in successful marketing. To achieve long-term success, your marketing strategy will not only have caught the consumers attention initially but will keep a consistent relationship afterward, creating brand loyalty. Once a consumer is interested in your service, how can you increase the odds of creating a consistent, devoted audience? Here are a couple of tips to build brand loyalty.

In addition to frequency, advertise to build a connection – which translates into creating remarketing opportunities.  For example, digital and social ads that lead people to make a purchase, or alternatively, sign up to your email list or follow on social media for a special offer, free download, special invitation, or some kind of benefit. This not only helps monetize your campaign through sales but additionally creates opportunity to reconnect and create that important frequency of brand interaction.

Another crucial element to building a successful marketing campaign is to utilize Experiential Marketing. This marketing strategy directly engages consumers and invites and encourages them to participate in the evolution of a brand or brand experience. Experiential marketing translates to expos, promotional items, events, gaming, etc. requiring more than 8 seconds of interaction and increasing the rate of conversion to sales.

Ready, Set, Engage!

Content Marketing, (aka blogs, articles, etc) Content marketing is educational and informative. When creating content, deliver material that’s relevant to your target market. Let your consumers know about new and exciting developments within your company and what to expect next, create a two-way value relationship. The goal is for the consumer to feel involved and appreciated. Great examples are Q&As on social media or at events, naming and product development contests that invite consumers to be creators for your brand.

Get Feedback. Ask consumers for their opinion on your business. Are they satisfied with the content? Did the service meet their expectations? Let the consumer know you are listening to their concerns and their suggestions. If you want a returning customer, consider their wants. For surveys, keep them as brief as possible.

Stay Relevant. Be observant of your competition and what they offer as a business. Keep abreast of what’s trending in life, news and your region. If your marketing strategies aren’t relevant to the current market, your service will struggle to be prominent in the industry.

Loyalty Marketing. Give consumers a reason to connect, remain and return. Think: Subscription Programs, Loyalty Rewards. Frequency Incentives. They provide value for consumers to return and maintain an active relationship with your brand. Consider creating programs that reward loyalty to your brand. Provide insider access, special status, and special privileges for being a loyal customer.

Appreciation Marketing. Many businesses often forget to show gratitude to their consumers. By wishing a simple Happy Birthday, Happy Holidays, Happy Anniversary or Happy New Year, shows your consumer that you care about them outside of your business transactions with them. Appreciation marketing is an indirect and more personal way of remarketing your business.

Into the Blue has all the resources you need to help you build powerful campaigns for any goal your business has. From growing your social media, developing a website and also creating engaging content, Into the Blue can make sure that your business is using all your resources to their fullest potential. Email [email protected] to start your project today.

Research Article by: Isabella Isaacson