Did you know that humans have developed a shorter attention span than goldfish? Yes, that’s right. If you haven’t heard already, a study by Microsoft Corp concluded that the average attention span has fallen to 8 seconds. (The average goldfish at 9 seconds). With a noisy marketing environment and only 8 seconds to tell your story, how can you ensure your message is heard?

1. From the moment we wake up (and
probably before we get out of bed), we’ve
already responded to a few emails,
checked our Facebook notifications and
Googled the weather for the day. We live
in a digital age which bombards us with
online noise more than ever before. The
average person receives 121 emails and
over 5,000 brand exposures each day.

2. On top of the information overload, humans have developed a shorter
attention span than goldfish. Yes, that’s right. If you haven’t heard
already, a study by Microsoft Corp concluded that the average attention
span has fallen to 8 seconds. (The average goldfish at 9 seconds). With a
noisy marketing environment and only 8 seconds to tell your story, how
can you ensure your message is heard?

3. Be clear, concise, and avoid any
reason for misinterpretation. Short
messages are harder to create than
long ones for a reason. Use fewer
words (and images) to get your point
across and ensure that each word (or
image) has been selected for a clear
purpose. Getting your online message
out isn’t only about what you say, but
how you say it.

4. Marketing research shows that 79 percent of
people scan online content rather than
reading word by word. How can you make
sure that your message doesn’t get
skimmed over? Create visually appealing,
scan-friendly content following these tips:
Call attention to details with bold typeface
Use bullet points to separate key facts
Use photos to support and break up text

5. To get you started on creating your first topic cluster here are a few steps to follow:
Data shows that the brain processes visual information 60 times faster than plain
text. Press releases that contain multimedia get 77 percent more responses
compared to text-only versions. Blog posts with videos are linked 3x more than
text-only blog posts.

6. Your key messages are engraved into your
brain, but will your potential customers
remember them? Let’s put these
questions to the test:
- Does your message evoke emotion?
- Does it tell your story?
- Does it entertain, inform, or educate?
- Is it creative? Does it grab attention?
- Does it create conversation and
connection?
- Is it “shareable”? (Would you hit the
“share” button)?

7. Differentiate yourself from your competitors so that your audience does
not feel they are receiving the same messages from multiple sources.
Even if you are similar to another product or service, there is something
about the way you do things that make your company unique. Your job
is to convey that uniqueness in your messaging.

8. Ensuring your marketing message is heard correctly can be a difficult
task. After all, failing to do this will make you a guilty contributor to the
noise in an already loud environment, right? At Blue Dress Inc we are here
to help you choose the right channel to engage with your target
audience and develop a clear strategy that ensures your message is
delivered, understood and actioned upon.

9. Ingrid Griffin, Internet Marketing
Consultant. Blue Dress® Marketing,
an Internet Marketing Company
headquartered in Knoxville, TN.
Internet Marketing Developed,
Implemented and Managed to Full
Circle! Organic Internet Search Engine
Guru. Turn Key Internet Optimization
Programs Placing You Everywhere and
Anywhere You Need to Be Online®
ingrid@bluedressinc.com
865-951-5887