The dwindling attention span of human beings and how to market to them?

The biggest discussion in today’s marketing landscape is the dwindling attention span of human beings and how to market to them.

The biggest discussion in today’s advertising landscape is the dwindling attention span of human beings and how to market to them. Articles in 2022 suggest that the attention span of human beings has reduced to 8 seconds and is likely to reduce further. There are several reasons for this, including the constant bombardment of content that we face every day, be it the 100+ emails, an infinite number of notifications on our phone and, of course, social media, offering everything from two minute breakfast reels to cats doing silly things. Honestly, it’s no surprise that we’re always distracted and find it nearly impossible to pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds. Scientists reckon we have a shorter attention span than goldfish!

I have personally fought this fight and have tried to figure out how to improve my attention span and beat this system designed to give us instant gratification. I first tried to figure out if there was anything that I already do that requires my full attention. A couple of activities come to mind, during which I am completely immersed, interests that help me clear my roving mind, and activities during which I usually do not think about anything else.

The first is doing any physical activity, be it a workout, or playing football. When I'm on the football pitch, I have no time to think about anything else at all. I have to focus on the game being played out in front of me and be constantly aware of my immediate surroundings. It’s a constant process involving decision-making in split seconds, the constant awareness of where my opponents are, where the ball is, where my teammates are, how to maximise the chances of my team scoring a goal, and how to ensure that the opponent does not. With so many things happening, my mind is focused on one simple outcome, winning the football match. It’s no surprise that I have no time to get distracted.

The second thing, which is probably more relevant to this discussion, is reading. This could be reading an article online, a book, or any long-form content of things that piques my interest, like football, politics, photography, non-fiction/sci-fi novels, etc.

Most of the content I consume is expectedly through the phone (Yes, I’m one of those who read on the kindle app on my phone. I agree that the smell of a new/old book is great and it is a different experience reading a hard copy of a book, but I like the kindle app too. Don’t @ me). What I realised is that if the content is interesting, and grabs my attention, I could spend anywhere from minutes to hours on it, without being distracted at all. The more I seek out such content, the less distracted I get. I have managed to read more books this year than ever before, while apparently, the attention span of human beings has reduced to an average of 8 seconds, the lowest it’s ever been.

So, being a brand in this day and age, how can we ensure that the content we put out not only grabs the attention of our target audience but also ensures that they spend the desired amount of time on it?

Here are a few things I think can help:

1.Keep it simple: Say what you want to say, in the most authentic, relatable way. There’s no need to show off your oxford vocabulary on social media. If people don’t understand what you’re saying in one go, chances are they’ll move on to content that they understand or relate to.

2.Get to the point: Say what you want to say quickly, don’t use 3 paragraphs to say something that you can say in one or less. People don’t appreciate something that is a waste of their time.

3.Tell a story: Every brand has a story, a reason for being, and a problem it’s solving. The key point here is to tell that story, be it of the founders sitting in garages during the early years of the brand, or the brand's impact on its consumers. Everyone loves a story. The reason I am not distracted while reading a novel is because I am invested in the characters and their story. It’s because I relate to some of them and identify bits of myself in them. The power of telling a good story and utilising this power is a sure-shot way of ensuring that your consumers are engaged with the content you put out.

4.Encourage two-way communication: Let the person reading the content be more involved. Ask them for their opinions, and use features on social media like polls, quizzes, or anything else that helps the consumer participate. Make them feel like their opinion is important, as a brand, ensure that their opinions are taken seriously. This will not only help ensure that your audience is more invested in the brand, but also gives the brand important information about itself, and points to work on if any.

5.Care about what your audience cares about, and talk about your CSR: As a brand, it’s important to care for what your audience cares about. Research has shown that especially Gen Z feels very strongly about certain causes, be it the climate change, sustainable clothing or women empowerment. Their decision-making is influenced by what brands do to help make the world a better place and how aware they are of important world events. If your brand has an active CSR wing, talk about it. Amplify what you’re doing through blog posts, social media posts, and other channels. Your audience will appreciate it and it will leave a lasting impression on them, surely influencing their decision-making in the future. And hey, if it's a cause that they care about, they’re sure to spend more than 8 seconds paying attention to what you’re talking about.

Yes, it is definitely going to get more challenging to ensure that you get the attention of your target audience. I believe that If brands and content creators keep these 5 points in mind, the result will be a piece of content that is targeted at their audience, catering to their interests, ensuring that they are engaged. If you manage to encourage two-way communication and talk about things that your audience cares about, the chances are that they will be more invested in your brand, and will come back for more.