How Much Time Do You Have To Get Your Marketing Message Across?

Are you a TV flipper? That is, how long does it take for you to watch something before you decide to turn the channel? When I’ve watched TV, I found that I changed the channels so quickly (probably about half a second) that others have commented that there’s no way I could possibly know enough about the show to make the decision of moving on.

But most of us are like that, true? When you’re going through your mail or you see a billboard on the road or you’re reading a newspaper. We’ve been trained to sort through information very quickly.

Your prospects and customers are similar. I’d say that it’s pretty universal that you as a marketer have a moment, just a moment, to make a strong impression and get enough attention for them to read further. And I’d say a moment can be anywhere from a half a second to about 3 seconds. That’s not very long. 

Whatever kind of communication you’re extending should be passed through a set of questions—

Is my headline clear, succinct and to the point?
Is it obviously compelling?
Will the message be remembered?

If no to any of these then you might want to rethink the message.

Comments

[Peter O'Connell]

Boy have you got THAT right!

The attention span people offer ANYTHING (personal, professional, community) is shorter and shorter because in our lives we are expected to achieve more during the day. Add to that the deluge of messages we get hit with and you had better have a pretty creative, succinct and salient message for your audience ready BEFORE you sign an ad contract with ANY media outlet.

For the years that I have been writing TV and radio commercial copy for my clients, I try and impart that message. Yet, sometimes even THAT message doesn't get through!

Well, at least I know I tried! :))

[Stephanie Cox]

The problem is there are too many messages!
Marketing can no longer be done with mass media alone to be effective for th very reasons you mentioned in your post.

[AnnaMaria Turano]

The key is to understand how much time and energy your audience wants to devote to "shopping" - listening to your marketing messages, seeking out information, getting friends' or family members' opinions, etc. Depending on the situation (who is buying, who they are buying for, what they are buying, and when they are buying), a person might have limited time to hear your message and need the key benefits communicated ASAP... or they might be willing to spend a lot of time "shopping". Think of the average grocery store vs. Whole Foods and you'll see how the same consumer wants to rush thru their regular store but most likely enjoys a more leisurely pace in Whole Foods!

As marketers, we must understand this dynamic and align our marketing resources to those sources of information which capture most of the time & attention of our target.