TL;DR: In the digital age, our attention spans aren’t getting shorter, but we’ve become selective due to the constant barrage of content. Captivating stories and personalized messages can still hold our focus, making personalization crucial for marketers. It’s about building trust and connections with customers, just like the Kleenex “Feel Good” campaign.
In today’s digital age, it’s no secret that our attention spans are often compared to that of a goldfish – a mere 8 seconds. But is this really the case? Can we truly blame our waning focus on the speed of the digital world? Perhaps not. The BBC has laid this myth to rest, assuring us that our attention spans aren’t quite as dire as we think.
Rather than our attention span shrinking, it’s the deluge of content from multiple channels and devices that’s at the heart of the matter. We’ve become selective, seeking out what truly captivates us. In essence, our attention spans are task-dependent.
Prezi’s State of Attention Report found that more than half of the respondents attributed their disengagement to instances where a story either lacked substance or did not challenge them mentally. But more than half, 55%, of all business professionals surveyed for the study said a great story captures their focus and keeps them engaged. Aside from content quality, there are also statistics that show website visits have shortened. Data suggests that the average amount of time spent on websites before navigating away has gone down by 49 seconds in the span of 2 years. But on a closer look at the data, it shows that these durations are more or less stable on web-based browsing. Instead, it is when people browse using mobile devices that the average time spent on the website before navigating away has decreased by 11 seconds. When you take into account the fact that mobile browsing has become a lot more popular, the change is a lot more drastic. Shorter web browsing on mobile devices should not be surprising since people are usually on the go and information search is highly task focused. But the fact that customers are selective about giving their attention means that brands need to ensure their messages must be relevant to their target customers. Push advertising is not going to be as effective since leads are being initiated by customers.
Brands must be prepared to meet customers the way they like at their preferred time, in their preferred format. Another implication for more selective attention is that personalisation is key. Eighty percent of marketers saw a measurable lift in business from personalised campaigns in Evergage’s Trends in Personalisation Survey. In addition, Hubspot’s analysis of 330,000 call-to-actions showed that personalised ones converted 202% better.
But a word of caution for marketers eyeing personalization: it hinges on customer data. The line between personalization and privacy is thin. The key is to collect data with your customers’ consent. Think of it as sharing – customers willingly provide their information when they see value in exchange, like accessing gated content.
Avoid spooking potential customers with intrusive personalization efforts. When they know little about your brand, provide free content to build trust and credibility. As they move down the marketing funnel, they’ll be more open to sharing their information.
Spotify nailed this strategy by curating personal top songs playlists for users based on their data. Personalization is all about trust and building relationships. Just like Kleenex’s “Feel Good” campaign, it’s about creating a connection that resonates with your audience.