The attention span of the average internet user has greatly decreased. Research shows that it’s about 8 seconds. That’s how long you have to grab someone’s attention, and marketers have a difficult time determining how to leverage that short amount of time to get users to take action.
Obviously, the key is communicating that the call to action (typically a link to a post or video) will take the user to content that is relevant and timely. From there, you need to encourage further engagement. SDL, which provides tools to improve the customer experience, provides an infographic that breaks it all down.
Some interesting takeaways in this one:
- Customers (and potential customers) expect a consistent experience across all channels and devices. That means responsive designs, consistent color schemes and layouts, and easily identifiable content. Think branding.
- Relevant content trumps everything else. Understanding your target audience is key.
- Personalization gets more attention.
- Incentives rock. And not just coupons. Loyalty and rewards programs make businesses more attractive.
- It’s not always about price. Many shoppers continue to prefer a great experience, even if that means they’ll pay a bit more.
The rules for grabbing attention don’t just apply to social and SEO, either. Keep them in mind when developing email campaigns, landing pages and product content.
