What is eight seconds long and loses to a goldfish?

In case you lost track already, I will repeat:

What is eight seconds long and loses to a goldfish?

(Not a joke line! This is SERIOUS!)

For the few of you still with me, the answer is:

your attention span branded

We are being programmed!

If you got this far, stay focused and keep reading, please!

It turns out that since the year 2000, when smart phones started to rise in usage, we have lost 33% of our attention span. We dropped from 12 seconds (which already seems short!) to an average today of just eight seconds! And a goldfish? Nine seconds!

It is clear to me, that if I am going to keep teaching my clients to keep it short, I need to do the same! So – I am changing it up! Despite all the evidence that a longer blog post gets better SEO ratings, I am going to do my best to keep my posts shorter.

Does your marketing suffer from “attraction distraction disorder”?

I just came up with that term, but I think it’s a pretty good descriptor. ADD indeed! We are naturally attracted to distraction. However, that tendency is becoming a virtual disorder.


We humans look at everything with the preface: “What’s in it for me?” If we don’t see immediate benefits, the natural “hunter/gatherer” instinct to move on kicks in. We are hard-wired to search for the next thing we see “moving” in the bushes. Our focus shifts without conscious thought or decision. For our ancestors, the next “shiny object” could be the next meal.


So it is no wonder that we are easily distracted. A perfect example of this is what happens when your “friends” get an email alert (the under 2% that now get notifications) that you have posted something on Facebook. You know they are off your page in nano-seconds. They “glance” over to see the long list of their other “friends” who are liking stuff or posting new stuff in the ever-growing list of notifications and they are……Squirrel!

Again, this is just our basic instinct. We have an internal never-ending prompt to keep searching for the “thing” that will reward us. If you are not providing a valuable experience that is EASY to spot in your marketing efforts you are killing your long-term and short-term chances at engagement. I say this a lot, but it’s so important: Lack of engagement really hurts the chances of a sale.

The point is: get to the point!

Okay, mea culpa! My point is this: your marketing must be designed to captivate. I know that is obvious. But I challenge you to look at every word, every page, every link, every bit of your outreach to your audience with fresh thinking. Double down: really be brutally honest. Anytime you are trying to engage or get attention, it must be compelling. And watch out – I am going to be doing just that with my site in the months ahead!

Bullet points help:

  • Use less words
  • Add more pictures
  • Make it more about them
  • Make it less about you

And more pics help too!
Do you have an attention span longer than a goldfish?

One more tidbit – THIS is all about YOU: I found a new online service that does very short but free and anonymous website reviews.  (Wow… I am really seeing my own shortfalls on my website now!) It’s a little shocking and painful, but the two reviews I have received so far are eye-opening! I offer full reviews, of course. But for a quick and totally anonymous review this free service is pretty cool.

 

NOW: Join my email list and you will get the link to this review site as a thanks! 

And there is a coupon to use for a discount on my services also for new subscribers!

Psst: If you are on my email list, the link for the free review site is coming in my next email post.

If you want to know more about my full website review service and want the discount new subscribers are getting: Click here and email me!

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