In today's article we're going to discuss neuromarketing
which is a rather new concept in business. We're going to know a punch of facts
about our brain and how it responds to various stimuli; then we will know how
to use these facts to forge a winning marketing strategy.
Take a minute or two to read these information
and by the end of this article you will be able to blend this knowledge into
your routine marketing operations.
1) Our average attention span is eight seconds, less
than that of a goldfish.
2) 17% of page views last less than four
seconds.
3) Only 4% of page views last more
than 10 minutes.
4) Only 28% of an average webpage of 593 are
actually read.
The influx of social media platforms, the rise
in smart device usage, and the spread of wireless internet and mobile data have
all contributed to the way we as a species absorb, retain, and are stimulated
by information.
Our attention spans are decreasing because of
the way our community is evolving. Think of what this means for us marketers,
our work depends on whether or not people read, view or engage with our
content.
But don't be alarmed. Here are three facts about
how our brains learn to help make your marketing content stick.
1)
50% of our brain's capacity goes towards vision.
Visuals play an enormous factor in how
people engage with content because it's such a big part of how we process
information. Image clarity, proportionate image size-to-monitor ratio, and
appealing website or mobile design aesthetics are essentials to consider when
creating and optimizing your content.
Just look at how the more visual social media
platforms are performing: Pinterest, for instance, is the leading
ecommerce site at 41% in comparison to Facebook's 37%. Pinterest's
success is owed to its successful combination of an image-rich platform with
eCommerce. There are over four billion views generated on YouTube every
single day, and their mobile revenue is up over 100%.
o What marketers can do?
Duplicate these success stories by providing good-quality
visuals that will enhance your core messaging. Remember, it's not just including
pictures in blog posts – it's creating engaging infographics, posting
short, spunky videos, and developing graphs when you have the data in your content.
2)
General concepts are easier to remember than details.
When introducing a new product or service to
your audience, it's never good practice to bombard your audience with technical
information up front.
Our brains grasp the big picture of what we're
learning better than the details. That's why best practices for presentations
include summarizing your points instead of having a huge block of explanatory
text. It's also why great teachers always start with a general overview of a
subject before diving into specifics.
o What marketers can do?
Every time you create content for an audience,
always remind yourself to not get too lost in explaining too many details for
top- and middle-of-funnel audiences. There are always opportunities for your
prospects to learn more: reading on for deeper level content, contacting you,
and so on. But even those prospects that do want to ask about detailed
information won't do so if you start out by flooding them with
over-complicated, poorly-organized information.
3)
Variations in patterns and outliers make people pay more attention.
Humans have always stuck to a style of learning
called "block practice," in which you repeat the same subject or
task in one block of activity. Block practice is the traditional way of
learning in schools; it's how we perceived the "correct" way of
learning to be.
However, block practice is not nearly as
effective as it could be. It results in quick burnouts and an aversion to
return to that subject. Instead, in a study performed by UCLA Psychologist
Bob Bjork, a practice called "interleaved" learning is shown to result
in better information retention and recollection.
A very clear example of interleaved learning is
practicing one type of math problem and then immediately switching to another
type. This style of learning challenges your brain to think harder about what
you learned and stimulates better information retention.
o What marketers can do?
Continually sending the same message even if it's
in a different format will not only cause your audience to ignore your
collateral, but will also make them associate your content with things they
don't want to read.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel every time.
Ask around to see which pieces of collateral performed the best in the past six
or twelve months, draw one or two takeaways from it, and spin old pieces
in a new angle for new readers.
If your audience is used to one style coming
from your business, they'll be sure to notice a deviation in patterns. I'm not
suggesting a major brand facelift, but if you usually churn out white
papers and research reports, consider lighter pieces like infographics and blog
posts.
Half the battle of marketing lies in understanding human psychology and
how our brains work. Once you understand that, overcoming the attention-span
hurdle will be made that much easier and your marketing efforts will help you
to surpass your competitors.
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