It’s official we humans now have an attention span that is less than a goldfish! To spark interest from us you need to grab our attention in 8 seconds or less. So how can you engage with an audience that is so quick to judge. Here are 3 marketing tips that might help.
Digital access and channels have changed the way we now research and buy products and services. Customers and prospects form their own opinions and openly share them with others, whether they know them or not. If we like, enjoy, feel inspired or annoyed then we share what we’ve found or experienced, through conversation and social media.
Tip 1: Listen. Modern marketing is increasingly about listening more, and then creating a two way dialogue with your customers and wider audience. In order to engage with a goldfish you need to listen to them first and find out what’s important in their world. What are they telling their own audiences and what are they saying about you behind your back?
Get curious about where and what they share and find out the trends; what gets shared a lot? It could be tips on how to use a product or service or questions on how to. They might want to find out how others have experienced said product or service and this is where your customers brand stories can be really helpful. Find out where they are participating on line and whether they listen to podcasts, watch videos or tweet. Use tools such as Mention and Hootsuite to help you use social media more effectively. If you don’t know much about your customers then informally ask them with a survey or try some independent client insight research to get feedback on your behalf. It’s amazing what they’ll tell you if only you’d ask.
Tip 2: Use Visuals. About 80% of us respond better visually than audibly. We prefer pictures and watching things, so use images and videos in your marketing. Infographics are an excellent way of getting slightly complicated information across quickly. Here’s an example of a good one about beer versus wine, a subject we can all relate to I’m sure:
Tip 3: Use Stories. None of us like being sold to and we don’t believe dry marketing messages any more. Humans are hard wired to think in stories. We want to know how others have experienced a product or service and we are more likely to spend time listening to a story than to something we identify as a sales pitch. Stories help us reach the heart and the emotional states of our audience and this in turn keeps them listening for longer. We buy from people we like and we like those that tell us good stories. Here are some great brand storytelling examples
The world is now about engagement marketing so think about what your audience wants and how a goldfish might respond to your message. Plup!
