In today’s cluttered media landscape, it is crucial that your content, not only captures the attention of your intended audience, but sustains it also. To gain the upper hand over your competitors, your content must be clear, concise, and creative. Longwinded, dense, and unoriginal content will quickly deter consumers who are exposed to a treasure trove of information on a daily basis.
According to a 2015 report from Chartbeat, 55% of all page views get less than 15 seconds of attention. Many businesses are often concerned with the level of online traffic that their web pages receive, however, more importantly, content must be compelling enough to prevent visitors from leaving your page before consuming the material.
Here’s what to do to cut through:
Be clear: In order to produce clear content, you must know your audience and apply a writing style which best conveys your message to them. It’s important not to use unnecessarily verbose or formal language. Simple is always best - it avoids confusion or misinterpretation.
Be concise: The Nielson Norman Group conducted research which suggests that readers apply the ‘F’ approach. In their eye-tacking study, they found that users first read in a horizontal movement, usually across the upper part of the content, before shifting down the page and moving horizontally a second time. Finally, readers scan the left side of the remaining content. When producing content, it’s important to get to the point as early as possible. Where relevant, adopting the ‘inverted pyramid’ approach, that is, putting the most important information first, would ensure that readers consume the most relevant content first, if or before they leave your page.
Be Creative: Most importantly, creative and original content will set you apart form your competition. Following and observing the latest trends is important, but setting the trends is even better. Just like any good investment, the rewards will certainly strengthen your brand. It’s worth taking the risk - everybody remembers the trend setters, whilst most trend followers are forgotten. Thinking outside the box and creating new, entertaining, or inspiring, and most of all, memorable content elevates the consumer’s perception of your brand.
The crowd is large, and the competition is thick, so cutting through it will make your brand stick!