How to Capture Attention
in Today’s Crowded Digital Space

Prior to the pandemic, a paradigm shift towards digitization of the economy was already underway. In the face of COVID-19, it has been a reality check for brands that were previously reluctant to embrace the digital landscape.

But almost 11 months into a raging pandemic that will likely take the rest of 2021 to bring under control, the way that brands communicate and do business has been forever disrupted.

In fact, many statisticians and trend forecasters have predicted that we have fast-forwarded in the online space by six to eight years in the last 10 months alone. There is more noise, clutter and uncertainty than ever before and most people will continue to interact, engage and purchase online long after the pandemic is behind us.

In the face of such fierce competition based on sheer volume, how do you capture the attention of your prospective customers? How do you make sure that you are seen and heard, and most importantly, that you make an emotional connection with them?

There are two very important questions that you must ask yourself before diving into the tactical marketing strategy.

First, do you know where your customers are spending most of their time online? Are they hanging out on Facebook (68% of U.S. adults according to Oberlo) and Instagram or are they engaging more on LinkedIn, YouTube or newcomer, Clubhouse?

Before you create a content and engagement strategy, it’s imperative to look at where your target audience spends the majority of their time in the digital space.

Second, do you know how your potential clients like to consume their content and do you know how to create content in an engaging and compelling way?

You may have to survey your current clients to find out where they are consuming content online and their preferred methods. Studies show that demand for video content is increasing – five billion videos are watched on YouTube every day and 85% of internet users in the U.S. are watching videos online, according to Statista.

Once you are clear on where your people are hanging out and how they like to consume, you can begin to create content that will be valuable to them. This may be words, images, audio, video or a combination of all of these, but the most important thing is that it will be seen as valuable to your customers in some way – whether it’s entertaining, inspiring, motivating or educational. Remember, it’s about what they need.

Here are a few tips on creating compelling content that will help you capture your customers attention:

• Tell real, authentic stories. The more you share about the things you care about most and the WHY behind your business and brand, the more likely you’ll attract like-minded people who care about the same things that you do.
• In this post, I shared that the average person today has an attention span of less than eight seconds. It’s imperative that you create snackable, digestible and easily shareable content that gets to the point quickly. Once someone has successfully engaged with you and you have forged a connection, they’ll be willing to give you more of their attention. If it really moves them, they’re likely to share it with their network.
• Create eye-catching and colorful visuals and be consistent with your branding from both a messaging and visual standpoint. The Rule of Seven, a theory formulated by marketing expert, Dr. Jeffrey Lant, states that you have to make contact with a prospect a minimum of seven times before you even penetrate their consciousness, which leads me to my next point.
• Make sure you repurpose your content across multiple platforms and in various formats. For example, one 500-word blog post can be multipurposed into an email broadcast, a Facebook status update, 10 tweets, a short video, a podcast and multiple memes.
• Ask for and use testimonials. Today, consumers are relying less on traditional forms of recommendations such as magazine articles and television ads, and much more on friend referrals and word of mouth – or as I like to say, “word of mouse.” Before making a purchase, most people are doing their research using resources like Yelp, Google Reviews and picking up the phone to call a trusted friend or co-worker.

The most valuable asset in your business is your customers’ attention. Never before have we had the internet in our back pocket at the level of scale we do today. It’s likely that the vast majority of your audience is online, using social apps to connect, engage, purchase – and for entertainment, education and inspiration.

Social media platforms will evolve and change, but knowing where your clients are spending most of their time online and what types of content they like to consume (and creating and sharing that content!) will increase your chances of forging a connection and building a relationship strong enough to weather the choppiest of storms.