From Tweets and Facebook notifications to emails, texts and more, our brains are constantly being bombarded by stimuli.
In fact, we’re constantly processing so much information that we have earned ourselves shorter attention spans than goldfish.
You read that right: the average goldfish, with its notoriously ill-focused attention span of only nine seconds, has fallen behind humans’ attention spans, now only about eight seconds.
What’s even scarier? Human attention spans are predicted to continue to decrease.
Sure, having information available at our fingertips has made our lives more efficient and easier. But for small business owners completing their own content marketing strategy, it has also presented some new challenges. When it comes to keeping your content interesting and engaging, here are five key tips to follow.
#1) Don’t Overthink It
Your audience doesn’t have all day to sift through pages and pages of lengthy information. In fact, seeing that much information may quickly overwhelm them and deter them from reading your website, newsletter or social media post.
When you write effective content, you need to get back to the basics. Clearly present your message, keep the information as simple as possible and avoid any industry jargon that could confuse the reader.
#2) Remember Who Your Reader Is
You’re trying to attract a target audience to your product or service, so make your content about them.
What sorts of pains does your potential customer have that leads them to your product or service? What benefits could be gained from purchasing your product? What would your target audience be missing out on if they don’t book your service?
Mention keywords, phrases and benefits in your content that resonate well with your particular audience.
#3) Make It Memorable
Multiple times of seeing the same information is typically needed before a reader takes action on a certain product or service. To keep your content at the forefront of peoples’ minds, repurpose your message into different formats (images, videos, presentations, etc.) and across different channels (emails, social media, etc.).
The more memorable your content is, the more likely your reader will remember it. A good story, a funny joke, an interesting statistic: the choice is yours when it comes to including a little something in your content that makes readers want to share it with others.
#4) Make It Easy to Read
White space, subheadings, lists and text formatting: it all works together to display content that is attractive to look at and easy to skim.
Accessibility is also key to keeping your audience engaged. Readers won’t hang around if your site or email is taking too long to appear, so make sure your load times are fast.
#5) Hire a Content Marketing Expert
Keeping audiences engaged with effective content is challenging enough for a seasoned content marketer. But for a small business owner who has multiple other tasks to do in a day? It can be downright overwhelming!
That’s why we’re here to help. At Sarah McKenzie Copywriting Services, we offer affordably priced content marketing services that focus on keeping your audience’s attention spans for longer than eight seconds. Contact us today to arrange a free consultation!