Matt Bacak: 7 Simple Ways To Attract Short Attention Spans

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Attention spans are getting shorter as information and content of every industry are becoming more readily accessible.

We want what we want, and we want it immediately. This is the age of instant access.

On top of decreased attention spans or perhaps a contributing factor to it, adults are stretched thin for time. Consider the average mother in American society. She goes to work from 9:00 AM and returns home at 5:00 PM, if she’s lucky.

More often than not, she may not get back home until 6:00 PM. Once home, she has to run a kid to soccer practice or ballet class. Then after an hour of that, dinner has to be made.

Homework time comes after dinner and the house needs to be picked up, clothes washed, dishes cleaned. When it’s bedtime for the kids, Mom and Dad are exhausted but run a quick check of their email and social media accounts. They’ve only got a few seconds to spare.

Sound familiar? The demand for your time is seemingly constant and as an internet marketer, it’s something to consider when creating content for your list and/or customers. You’ve got to get to the point and quick before something or someone else comes along and grabs the attention of your prospective consumer.

So what’s an internet marketer to do?

1. Keep it simple.

2. Use images when you can. Have you ever noticed how your eye is naturally drawn to images? That’s because almost all of communication is nonverbal, more than 90%. The 3M Corporation states that process images 60,000 times faster than text. If that’s not a powerful motivator to use more images in your content, I don’t know what is.

3. Create headlines with maximum impact in mind. The headline might be the only thing the prospect reads before deciding to jump over to another site or page. Use action words that draw them in.

4. Consider the platform. If you’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., you’re like most people. The trick to engaging people on all these sites is to remember that they are different sites and the audiences are therefore different. A Twitter audience is very different from a LinkedIn audience so don’t write the same content for both. Tweak your message to fit the platform you are sharing it on.

5. Mobile devices are king. Most people are viewing your content on mobile devices like cell phones and tablets. Adapt your content, if necessary, so that it is readable, enjoyable and eye-pleasing to mobile devices. It only requires a little extra effort to make your content mobile device friendly and it gives a huge payoff. It’s worth it.

6. Make it memorable. Whatever your posting needs to give a punch that will leave a lasting impression.

7. Think bite-size. Have you seen those “bite-size” snacks in the grocery store? They’re just like your favorite food but just a little smaller, easier to carry around and less calories but they’re still the exact same food you like. Create your content with the idea that people can swallow the information quickly and easily. Write clear, concise sentences that get your point across quickly.

Use these tips and tricks to keep your content fresh and easily accessible to your prospective consumers, but keep an open mind about how you can give them more bang for their buck and keep them interested. Remember- they’re just like you. They don’t have all the time in the world but if you present them good information in the right way, they’ll take a couple seconds and give you their time. That’s all you can really ask for in today’s world.