9 seconds.
That’s the average attention span of a goldfish.
The attention span of a consumer today is now less than that.
Turns out a new Microsoft Corp. from 2015. The study revealed that our impaired attention span is now a record low of 8 seconds. This is one second less than the average goldfish. That’s right! A goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds, 1 second longer than you and me.
In theory, this means that we actually have a better chance of interacting with a goldfish than visitors from the human species.
Of all the movies about animal species trying to outdo humanity, none is considered the goldfish. Goldfish is plotting a world conquest, striking us with its superior attention span.
As a result, your company has 8 seconds to attract a customer.
That’s 8 seconds of full concentration and processing power before your brain moves on to the next task. Unless you’re in the business of making fish food, your audience isn’t made up of cute goldfish.
Today, care has become a rare commodity for businesses, especially among Millennials. When people have such short attention spans, getting their attention is challenging. There are many other fish in the sea, like a constant stream of ads and conversations taking place in the form of emojis. It is too easy for your message to be washed out to sea.
This “gold fish effect“It affects all business decisions that are made today and those that are not yet. So how can you attract consumers? Relax, marketing to attention-grabbing” goldfish “is relatively easy!
Time to go fishing! Here are three tips to bait your hook and attract an engaged audience:
- Tell a story – Nothing draws the viewer’s attention more than seeing something out of the ordinary. Make your story “hook” unique and people will pay attention. Create ads that elicit emotion.
- be smart – When you write content for a website or a flyer, you want to grab people’s attention quickly. You want to spark their curiosity and keep them engaged in those first few seconds. This is where you really let creativity rise to the top and come up with something that will engage your audience and lead them to your call to action quickly. Which brings us to …
- Keep it short – Really short. The less familiar the viewer is with your brand, the lower their attention span. Will your product or service help them? Talk to that. If you can’t answer that simple question quickly … they’re gone. (Hint: Animated GIFs can grab attention without the viewer thinking this takes too long.)
It is okay if some consumers slip off your hook and swim away. It’s natural. Not all consumers will be interested in what you are trying to say or offer. However, interested visitors will remain engaged and entertained until they decide to stay at your pond.
Now you can congratulate yourself on concentrating long enough to complete this article.