With so much competing for our attention these days, we spend less and less time considering new input before we move on to the next. In fact, we might spend 5-10 seconds with a message before proceeding. So, what can you do to keep your audience’s eyes on your brand for longer?
Of course, for someone to be interested to stick with your message, the message has to be clear and resonate with them. (Check out this post on “Keeping Your Marketing Relevant to Your Customer if you want to know more). But, even then, how do you attract someone to stay with you after they have consumed your first message?
One way to orchestrate this is to create a path for their eyes to follow by introducing new information. For each piece of collateral, each blog post, each item in our store, our goal should be to tell a small story and then hint at the next one. Know the flow that you want to take your audience through. You can be the author of the story you want to take them through as you lead them from one piece of brand messaging to another.
I see a lot of wasted, stand-alone collateral out there. It may advertise an event for example – a big commitment for your reader – but it does not incentivize your audience to take a look at the next piece of information that will start to build the interest in the event. Sure you can put a “Like Us on Facebook” line on the flier. But wouldn’t it be more compelling to give a little teaser about what they will find when they get there – or some other incentive?
No matter what messaging you are working on for your business, always think about the path you want to lead your audience down. If they are seeing this particular message for the first time, what experience do you want them to have that will attract them to the next message and educate them about your brand? Whether you are planning the layout of a store, designing a new business card, or a web site, you can construct a path that will keep your audience bouncing between your messages.