We all know how susceptible kids are to shiny new toys, but adults can be just as defenseless. Who doesn’t love an innovative new device, a helpful new tool, or a beautiful new wardrobe? Turning our focus toward creative products that can make our lives more fun or easy isn’t inherently bad.
Truthfully, living within an attention economy is part of our human experience. But in today’s noisy world, consumers of every age need a little help finding the brands that can solve their problems – and that’s where attention marketing comes into play.
If your brand is doing all the right things to win your audiences’ awareness but you’re still struggling to break through the crowd, it’s time to up your attention-marketing game. Direct from our team to yours, here’s a discussion of the best attention-grabbing techniques in today’s marketing landscape, along with tips about where to find extra support if you need it.
What Is the Attention Economy?
Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep, and repeat: The average American has a highly structured day that leaves little room for distraction – right? Actually, even with all our daily demands and routines, people spend an average of 13 hours a day consuming traditional and digital media. Whether that’s through web searches on a lunch break, social media scrolls on the couch at night, or anything in between, your target audience’s attention is constantly in demand.
An attention economy is precisely that: A space in which consumer attention is limited, scarce, and highly valuable.
The concept of an attention economy was first introduced in 1971 by economist and psychologist Herbert Simon, who noticed that information overload is actually an economic issue. In Simon’s own words, “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” In today’s fast-paced world, there’s more competition than ever for consumers’ scarce attention, and marketers have no time to waste throwing their own hats in the ring.
The Monetization of Attention
A consumer’s attention is 41% more valuable than it was just 10 years ago. How, you might ask? Recent studies show that in the past 10 years, the attention given to traditional or digital media has risen by 15%, while ad spend has increased by an incredible 72%. Together, those factors have pushed the cost of attention-per-minute to new heights, to the point where consumer eyes on a brand’s ad will cost upwards of $1.33 this year.
On top of these increased media trends and growing attention-per-minute costs, we have an added layer of complexity: Consumer behavior has evolved to favor shorter attention spans and fragmented attention, which means marketing behavior has been forced to evolve alongside it. With fewer minutes (or even seconds) to capture and hold consumers’ focus, brands are turning to attention marketing to make sure they don’t lose their footing.
The Marketer's Challenge: How To Compete in an Attention Economy
Today’s attention economy is a swirling combination of information overload, fragmented attention, and selective focus. In short, consumers are constantly being bombarded with more ad messages than ever before. At the same time, they’re often interacting with multiple screens and devices at once, like watching tv while scrolling online or toggling between multiple web tabs to work and take care of personal business as quickly as possible. These factors lead to decreased or selective focus because, as much as we’d all like to think we’re superhuman, our ability to focus is limited, too.
This may sound like a perpetually challenging scenario where you’re always at risk of falling behind, but it doesn’t have to be – not if you have the right attention-grabbing techniques in your toolbox. Let’s explore the industry’s best attention marketing strategies below, including the tried-and-true method of storytelling in marketing, to make sure you stay front and center with your target audience.
Three Attention-Grabbing Techniques for Maximum Success
There’s no need to waste time and resources reinventing the wheel when proven attention marketing strategies are already available. If your brand needs a fresh injection of creativity to grab and hold your consumers’ focus, Leap Group is detailing our top three attention-grabbing techniques to get you started.
01.
Invest in storytelling
Storytelling in marketing is much more than a modern marketing trend, it’s a top-tier strategy for connecting with consumers. Storytelling opens the door for emotional connection, which is often far more memorable to audiences than a recap of your product’s best features.
02.
Lean hard into high-quality visuals
Creative ad copy with eye-catching visuals is four times more effective than relevant messaging when it comes to capturing consumer attention, espcecially when targeting Gen Z audiences. Gen Z usually responds best to high-quality user-generated content where the line between ads and personal testimonials is blurred.
03.
Develop time-sensitive content
Once you’ve captured your audience’s attention through these three techniques, it’s critical that you maintain consistent engagement with your customers. Attention marketing is never a one-and-done occurrence. Instead, your attention-holding techniques should include regular content posts, digital community development, consumer relationship nurturing, and an expansion of your brand’s presence across multiple platforms and touchpoints.
Remember that data-driven results are your friend in attention marketing. Capture and analyze metrics like engagement and bounce rates and repeat visits to measure and track consumer attention over time. This will help you learn what’s working and when to pivot your strategy.
Get the Attention Marketing Support You Need
In today’s media-saturated world, it’s more crucial than ever to capture and maintain consumer attention with a solid attention marketing strategy. As we discussed above, marketers can win audience attention with authentic storytelling, high-quality visuals, and time-sensitive content. These three attention-grabbing techniques are a fantastic starting point for any brand looking to up their attention marketing game.
And, if your team needs or wants a higher level of support, Leap Group is here to partner with your creatives! The multi-faceted Leap Group team is made up of proven experts who are well-versed in helping brands cut through the clutter and truly connect with their audiences. Leap Group has 25 years of experience helping brands create authentic storytelling, bold visuals, and breakthrough experiences. Reach out to explore all the ways our team can help your brand market less and matter more.
