Information is everywhere. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like much of a problem. Marketing should be easier than ever, right? Wrong! While access to information has gone up, up, up, our brain’s ability to absorb said information has stayed exactly the same. There’s a world of information around us, but we still have to choose what to focus on.

To make matters worse, most adults can only pay attention for 8.25 seconds (roughly the same attention span as a goldfish). So not only are you fighting for attention in a densely crowded environment, you have less than 10 seconds to share your message and sell your customer. That’s a tall order even for even the most skilled business owners.

Create Your Own Luck

There is a silver lining to all this change. Here’s a clue: The human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.

Smart companies are leveraging this fascinating bit of science and adapting their marketing campaigns to cut through the noise. Successful brands create distinctive visual patterns that we can recognize instantly, even out of the corner of our eye. But the best brands go beyond just a great logo. They are creating entire visual ecosystems scientifically designed to be remembered.

8.25 seconds isn’t nearly enough time to tell a story, but it is enough time to convey an emotion. Brands identify which emotions they want their audience to feel, set up micro-triggers and then deploy their little Easter eggs across all communication touch points so you feel the same whether you interact through the app, a social media ad, or in-store.

Luckily, this is a science you can implement whether you’re a multi-billion dollar company or one just getting started.

Here are our top 4 tips for capturing attention:

1. Generate Curiosity

Humans are naturally curious creatures. It’s why mysteries are so compelling! Our brains need information, and when we can’t find it, we obsess over it. Embrace the “less is more” philosophy and leave seeds of curiosity.

However, you must remember one very important caveat to curiosity-driven headlines: this is not the same as clickbait!

Clickbait refers to the gap between headline and article content. This viral tactic might get you some views, but it won’t serve you in the long-run. No one wants to be drawn in just for the article to underdeliver on its promise. Not only is it dissatisfying, it erodes customer trust.

Your marketing headlines need to be surprising, unexpected, juicy and memorable. But above all else, they need to be true.

2. Use Contrarian Positioning

Imagine a salesperson hands you a flyer, and says: “Do not go to the new restaurant up the block. The patio is covered in greenery and it has a full view of the coastline. All I could smell during lunch was fresh flowers and sea breeze!” For most of us, that probably sounds like a lovely place to spend an afternoon. To have someone warn you against such a nice atmosphere is sure to make an impression.

Humans have a natural tendency to defend our current ways of thinking. When someone presents something contrary to what you believe, your brain goes into hyperdrive trying to understand why anyone would disagree. One thing leads to another and suddenly you’re calling to make a reservation.

In short, you’re hooked.

3. Deploy Movement Psychology

Human eyes naturally move in patterns made up of short and long movements. Leveraging these movements can make your videos and graphics instantly more captivating because your eyes want to follow these patterns.

Those ultra-satisfying paint mixing videos? That’s long movement in action.

Ever been distracted by a blinking logo? You guessed it. That’s a short movement.

4. Leverage Social Proof

There are a lot of choices to make in life and there simply isn’t enough time to thoroughly research each and every decision. So, we take shortcuts. Most notably, we listen to the opinions of people we trust.

Advertising has been using social proof for years in the form of testimonials and celebrity endorsements. One person’s honest opinion, even if that person is a total stranger, is worth 100 catchy headlines.

The key to leveraging social proof is to make the connection instant. You don’t have the luxury of hoping someone will stumble across your Google reviews. Your potential customers need to know this is a business they can trust, and they need to know it fast.

OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS!

In today’s constantly changing world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed (and a little downtrodden) when trying to keep up. It’s true that advertising today looks vastly different from it did 30 years ago. It even looks different than it did last year!

The good news is that the principles haven’t changed. Our minds work the same as they always have, just with a much smaller window of attention. You already have all the tools you need to compete in today’s market. All you have to do is learn how to use these old tools in new ways.

Pssst: Enjoy this article? Download our handy one-page guide!

We get it. As a business owner, you want to spend your time running your business, not chasing advertising trends. Fuzzy Duck specializes in sharing your message in fun, engaging ways that speak to the consumers of today. Let us be your creative marketing partner, so you can spend more time doing what you love.