Approximately 7 minute read

It’s 2016 and majority of brands are still marketing like it’s 2011. So, you have a Twitter account? That’s freaking great. Nobody really cares unless you are engaging with the right people and getting their attention. So, you have a Facebook business page? Great. What are you getting out of it? Are you capturing people’s attention? Are you communicating to the right target audience? Do you still think that Snapchat is for sexting only?

[clickToTweet tweet=”You need to bid for your customers attention, not impressions. ” quote=”You need to bid for your customers attention, not impressions. “]

If any of the above apply to you than I’m quite saddened to tell you that your brand is way behind the times. We live in a day and age where consumer attention matters more than impressions. You still have to impress people but getting their attention is the first order of priority. Majority of brands these days are primarily concerned with creating impressions rather than capturing the attention of their potential customers. For instance, stats are a viable component of understanding user engagement. However if you pay close attention to bounce rates and the average time people spend on a web page it will clearly show you that you’re not capturing the attention.

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Getting the attention of your potential customers though is tough. Especially in a world full of heavy competition and insane market saturation.

So, what does it take to get people’s attention? That’s the big questions to answer here, right?

Strategy: Game On

Like anything else marketing related you are in dying need of a strategy. Throwing up stuff on the wall and hoping it sticks simply isn’t a viable tactic and a waste of time. Tossing money at a problem definitely does not work. Your most feasible option is to figure out how you are going to capture the attention of your potential customers. For instance, you are reading this article currently and wondering how I am intending on capturing your attention. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers and think like them.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Strategy > Implementation > Tactical Execution. ” quote=”Strategy > Implementation > Tactical Execution. Have a game plan ready!”]

The emotional sentiment is huge these days. As a matter of fact majority of marketing circumvents around it. Bidding for people’s attention entails in focusing on the emotional ingredient. What makes your customers laugh, think, rationalize? Identifying their emotional attachment toward something is also a good approach to capturing someone’s attention.

Good Content and Phenomenal Storytelling

People are far more compelled to buy a product or service where there is good content associated with it. For that matter a great story is even more enticing. Let’s think about this for a second. When you are in the market for a product or service, what are some of the things that circle in your mind? For instance, buying a new house. The way a house is marketed to you with its unique story and added value proposition says a lot about your decision. On an emotional level you might be envisioning all the memories and good times yet to occur. You  might be also strongly considering how this new house will suit your needs.

Does the house have a 2, 3, or 4 car garage? How many bedrooms are there? Is there a finished basement? What is the age of the house? Is there a good school district?

The content associated around the product or service you are seeking are determining factors in engagement. Understanding the story behind each as a consumer will make you think twice about how fitting it may be for you. When it comes to getting the attention of our customers think about the content substance and story behind it.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Good stories always strike a chord with people.” quote=”Good stories always strike a chord with people.”]

Focus Heavily On Mobile

In the U.S. alone over 150 million people are accessing the internet on a mobile device.  That is quite the substantial amount of consumers that are perusing the web. These are your potential customers spending their time cruising through your website. So many brands these days are yet to realize the power of mobile marketing. I truly hope that you are not one of them. I’m referring to having a mobile-centric presence. If you have a responsive website then at least you are appealing to a mobile-centric audience. here is the problem though with majority of responsive websites.

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Most responsive websites serve up way too much content to mobile users. It forces them to scroll multiple times to access the right content. With an attention span of about 5 seconds on a mobile device your potential customers are most definitely not consuming all of your content. It’s important to delineate the exact piece of information you want them to absorb.

If you want attention from your customers don’t swamp them with insane amounts of content. But please do keep in mind that this tactic is solely applicable for mobile marketing. Composing long-form content is definitely acceptable for desktop and maybe even tablet users. That is if you still use a tablet.

Leverage Search Channel

When there is interest or intent to buy one of the first places that a consumers turns to is a search engine. Given that Google owns 93% of the global organic search market share this is where most web users tend to turn towards. Regardless of what device they are using to search but most commonly these days it’s a smartphone. As a brand this is your first opportunity to capture your target audience attention. Capturing with captivating organic results that will hopefully resonate with their needs. They might be comparison shopping, looking for a product, or specific service. Regardless of what that search query may be focused around this is your prime opportunity to grab their attention.[clickToTweet tweet=”Search is the #1 channel where consumers turn to for products or services.” quote=”Search is the #1 channel where consumers turn to for products or services.”]

One of the biggest challenges these days regarding Search pertains to poor user perception. I’m specifically talking about the lack of proper Meta Data optimization that ultimately shows up in the SERPs. In a sea of competition it’s extremely hard to impress your target audience. So think long and hard of how you can separate your Meta Data content in competitive sense from your competition. Do you have good call to action? Are you genuine and truthful about what you have to offer or sell? Is it promoted in a non-spammy type of way? Think about some of these elements when sculpting your Meta Data information for individual web pages on your website.

Tactical Social Media

Social platforms like Snapchat and Anchor is what’s hot currently and you need to be all in on both. Snapchat is all about carving out an engaging story that resonates on an emotional level with your target audience. Anchor on the other hand is changing the face of public radio. It allows any user practically to establish a voice of their own while cultivating a targeted audience. Here’s the reality check about social media though. It’s an amplified version of word of mouth advertising but on a grander scale. It’s one thing to fire off a tweet or status update and another to do it with engaging messaging.

Folks, this is the difference between good social media and bad social media practices. The social media space is also heavily saturated at this point with so many brands flocking into it. Hence why grabbing the attention of your target audience is even more difficult than before. This is why it’s extremely important to strongly consider a social media strategy. One that resonates specifically with your brand and focuses on the specific goals and objectives. Social media calendars are also still considered to be a viable method of constructing structured messaging.

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