Your marketing response rate is directly proportional to how well you manage prospects’ attention and create market demand.

There’s a science in them that every marketer should know to succeed. Especially in the digital world.

And the first step towards good attention management is debunking the “myth” of short attention span.

The “myth” of short attention span

Consumer’s attention span isn’t getting shorter. They still watch hours-long Netflix series on Saturday nights. Short consumer attention span is a myth.

Consumers nowadays are just intolerant of s****y marketing tactics. You know, the ones that talk more than they should.

If you’re marketing your stuff, please keep in mind that people will skip your stuff once you start talking more than you should. It’s the last thing you would want for your business.

The reason for this behavior is simple yet often overlooked. Marketers and business owners pay the price for not respecting this rule.

“Consumers have more options and less time. Modern marketers should take “consumer’s choice” into careful consideration.”

The consumer’s ability to choose to ignore or listen to marketing makes attention an expensive currency in the digital world.

People still read, but not as long

Marketing copy makes or breaks your marketing. There’s no arguing about it. You’ll need to write a masterpiece if you want to go long-form.

Because people read, but not as long as they used to. There’s a new USP in every market and industry — time. It’s one of the few USPs most marketers neglected.

Drop the “people will read or engage if they are truly interested”. Yes, they will engage. But ask yourself if they’ll convert after getting confused by overwhelming information.

People read to find out information that’s important for their decision-making.

Nothing more. They’ll read more if they need more information. They’ll read less if they have what they need. Keep this in mind the next time you write your copy.

How to create demand effectively

To create product or service demand, you’ll need to understand how supply and demand works. It’s easy in theory but complicated to execute in real life.

Demand is created when prospects can’t find what you offer anywhere else. Period. Anyone can supply wherever there’s demand.

Since the entry barrier is low, anyone can do it. Anyone can start a business. But the challenge is market competition.

How do you differentiate yourself and stand out from the rest?

Truth to be told, there are hundreds and thousands of vendors supplying the same stuff. Competition is what kills most businesses in the first place.

And here’s where the science comes in. Demand equals perceived value and supply.

When dealing with fierce competition, you should enter the market with strong and powerful positioning.

Positioning your business is less about your features and benefits. But more about which areas you want your business to be known for in the market.

Nail down your positioning to get your prospects’ eyeballs effortlessly.

In the digital world, demand is mostly created through strategic distribution. You need to put your message in front of the right audience. Apart from positioning, where you market is crucial.

Overcoming short attention span like a pro

The most effective way to overcome this challenge is to make drastic changes to how you present your marketing message. Straightforward, detailed, and engaging.

These four tips will give you what you need as a modern-day marketer. Make them your marketing principles from today onwards.

• Embrace video marketing

Videos and animations make information digestible. They have the ability to hold attention and get the message across efficiently.

In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption, and 9 out of 10 viewers said that they wanted to see more videos from brands and businesses (according to invideo.io).

The market prefers videos. It’s wise to go with the market and not against it. Use videos in your marketing.

• Clear and concise copywriting

Copy converts by providing sufficient buying information to buyers. The way of persuading prospects into a sale has changed. It’s not copy dependant anymore.

Modern-day persuasion is all about creating demand and managing attention. Gone are the days when you write 80 pages of long-form copy to persuade prospects to buy.

It’s all about your marketing strategy. And your funnel. Find out your prospects’ level of awareness and where they are in their journey. Then, market appropriately.

• Adopt benefit-driven marketing

Consumers care about what the product or service can do for them. As consumer gets bombarded by thousands of ads per day, they pay the most attention to two things — pain and solution.

Once you got their attention by stating the pain and providing a solution, you can convert them into paying customers by selling the benefits. Because features tell and benefits sell.

It’s the universal language that gets prospects turned on no matter what they are buying. Be benefit-driven whenever you can.

• Brush up your CTA game

Consumers are not mind-readers. Never assume they know what to do. That’s the number one rule in call-to-actions.

You have to provide clear instructions on what they should do next. It’s more than a button that says buy now.

Go beyond the next three steps so they know what’ll happen if they press the button. They’ll start imagining themselves solving their problems with the purchase which is a great sign.

Doing this also lowers down the friction. With friction out of the way, they get what they want. And you, a sale.

Over to you

It’s time to put more emphasis on your strategies over tactics. Marketing has evolved from being a game of speed to a game of precision. Managing your prospects’ attention and creating irresistible demand is the key to marketing success.