Will Your Message Catch the Attention of a Goldfish?

Are you wondering what a goldfish has to do with marketing? According to the most recent data collected on attention spans from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a goldfish actually pays better attention than humans! The average transient attention span, or short-term response to a stimulus, of a human being has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013, whereas a goldfish holds attention for 9 seconds.

You have 8 seconds to catch the attention of your audience.How can you do that? Create a compelling infographic that follows these 5 tips for success:

1. Focus your message. People often think you can pack an infographic full of data points and visuals to communicate as much as possible. What often happens instead is information overload and abandonment of the infographic before even hitting the 8 seconds you have to catch the attention of the average adult.

2. Determine what your readers care about. It’s time to do your research and identify what is most frequently asked about within your topic. What elements come up most often in conversations with clients, prospects or candidates? To find this out, we suggest conducting a brief, down and dirty survey of your team. What questions have they continuously encountered over the last month? What have they had to explain multiple times to their clients or candidates? Usually this due diligence up front results in creation of content that not only catches attention, but also provides value.

3. Tell a story. Once you have your focus and know what your readers want to hear, make it easy for them to digest the content. Be sure the content is set up in a way that allows a natural flow from one content point to the next – some call this a “connect-the-dots strategy.” Without a strategy, readers tend to wander around your infographic and do not feel fulfilled with the information presented – and if this happens, chances are they didn’t absorb the message either.

4. Use “stand-out” visuals. Instead of relying on pie charts and bar graphs to convey all of your data, use eye-catching visuals. It’s not that you can’t use charts and graphs; just don’t make them the only visual you use. In fact, when infographics were first taking hold, Smashing Magazine shared advice that stuck: “Find your best ‘takeaway’ data. Create a stunning visualization. Make that the centerpiece of your design.” Here’s an example where the infographic was targeting upcoming or recent college graduates in software testing and being used at college career fairs. To appeal to that audience, the designer chose a colorful as the focus of the message.

5. Gain credibility. When citing statistics or interesting data points, be sure to credit the sources. You can do that within the infographic itself by linking to a source or citing references outside of the infographic itself. While citing sources isn’t always the most exciting component of an infographic, it will validate the information you are sharing and bring credibility to your piece.

According to my watch, most adults would move on to the next thing after the first paragraph of this blog. So, if you are still reading, then you are definitely on your way to capturing the attention of your audience through your next infographic. Need help with ideas or the execution of your next infographic? I’m happy to discuss how these tips would apply to your efforts. Contact me here.