According to a study of 18-45-year-olds conducted by The Associated Press, the average human attention span in 2012 was eight seconds. The average attention span of a goldfish is nine.
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Hard to believe?
Not when you consider the changes in communication styles. We now tweet within our 140 character limit without a thought. We quickly ‘like’ Facebook posts because we don’t have time to comment. Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr let us communicate with images.
The growth of video
We’ve seen the launch of Vine, which Twitter users are sharing at a rate that has doubled in recent months. They have a six second limit. When branded, they are four times more likely to be shared.
Instagram videos are a little longer at 15 seconds. They’re already gaining popularity at an astonishing rate. Within the first 24 hours after launch users posted more than five million Instagram video clips. Among them were branded videos from advertisers like Burberry, Gap, and Jeep.
So where does this leave the small business owner wanting to be relevant in the way they communicate their marketing message.
The rule of thumb is to consider the context.
If your customer is on Twitter, they’re thinking in terms of speed. The speed at which they can post relevant information, share a time sensitive tweet, reply to a direct message, and so on.
The same goes for Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Because users are expecting to see images, they’re going to have a shorter attention span. Since it takes only seconds to look at a photograph, inserting a block of text can throw the user off balance.
So go back to your Small Business Marketing Plan. Look at your target market, where they’re to be found and what social media they prefer. And then tailor your content to the platform and the relevant audience.
Tell us more…
Have you started using Vine or Instagram Video? How have you changed your marketing strategies to suit the new platforms?
About Chrissy Crust
Chrissy Crust is a small business consultant, coach, facilitator and mentor. She is on a mission to help small business owners and start- ups plan for success. Join Chrissy on Facebook Twitter and LinkedIn for more small business tips and resources.
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