{"id":4699,"date":"2015-07-23T14:15:54","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T14:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepowertoprovoke.com\/the-blog\/?p=4699"},"modified":"2015-07-23T14:15:54","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T14:15:54","slug":"continuous-partial-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/2015\/07\/continuous-partial-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"Continuous Partial Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"continuous<\/a><\/h2>\n

Post-Multitasking’s Impact on Marketing<\/h2>\n

Multitasking is not a new phenomenon. As marketers, we want to believe that our message is so strong, so engaging that people will stop what they are doing and give their undivided attention to us. But the reality of the digital world is that people are continually looking for the next thing they are going to read, watch, listen to, before they have even completed what they are currently consuming. This kind of digital multitasking is having an impact on the effect of our marketing. Our thumb is perpetually in motion, while our minds are suffering from continuous partial attention. Thinking about continuous scrolling pages, the never-ending stream of content, there is a constant desire of being unfulfilled, that we may be missing out on something or the next thing that will fulfill our needs is right around the corner.<\/p>\n

Enter the term \u201cContinuous Partial Attention\u201d, coined by Linda Stone<\/a> in 1998, and it is one of the most important things to understand as a modern marketer. In his 2005 book Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter, author Steven Berlin Johnson says \u201cit usually involves skimming the surface of the incoming data, picking out the relevant details, and moving on to the next stream\u2026That lets you cast a wider net, but it also runs the risk of keeping you from really studying the fish.\u201d A decade later, and that quote is all the more relevant.<\/p>\n

Stone also says, \u201cIn a 24\/7, always-on world, continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-stimulation and to a sense of being unfulfilled. We are so accessible, we\u2019re inaccessible.\u201d We have the means to reach people with hyper-targeted precision of who they are, where they are, what they do, where they work, what their interests are, and more. But they are so inundated with options competing for their attention that getting through the different layers of filters the brain has put in place is the ultimate challenge.<\/p>\n

According to The Next Web<\/a>, Facebook recently experimented with floating videos, so users were able to keep scrolling through their feed while the video was fixed in the corner on their screen. The idea came directly from users who expressed the desire for this functionality. The more intuitive an experience is within the context of our actual behavior, the greater the chance it will be discovered. Imagine a TV spot that communicated one small thing, even if it -was being fast-forwarded through.<\/p>\n

Adapting Marketing Efforts for Continuous Partial Attention<\/h2>\n

Knowing our users are often in this state of multitasking, how does that impact what we do with our marketing? There are several considerations that should be addressed:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Be realistic about how people are consuming your message and adapt your content for those scenarios. Understand that the medium you may be utilizing may lend itself to more cases of partial attention. Someone browsing a social feed is in a much different state of mind than someone actively seeking out information through search.<\/li>\n
  2. Be bold. If someone\u2019s first instinct is to start scrolling, and skim through information, what is going to capture attention? Think bold graphics, short copy, and a clear call-to-action.<\/li>\n
  3. Don\u2019t sacrifice clarity for cleverness. \u00a0People don’t want to work hard to try and figure out what you are trying to tell them.<\/li>\n
  4. Start short and earn more. The audience doesn\u2019t owe you their attention so you always need to give them a reason to engage deeper.<\/li>\n
  5. Keep the message focused. Concentrate on the one thing you want to get across.<\/li>\n
  6. Have the answers to \u201cSo What?\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d and make sure they are paid off quickly.<\/li>\n
  7. If what you are trying to communicate is a complex idea, there needs to be enough of a frequency of the message to be able to get someone to start to be cognizant of it. Also, sequenced messaging can help introduce new ideas to those that now have general awareness of what you\u2019ve previously communicated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We certainly strive to rise above Continuous Partial Attention and capture people\u2019s attention with our messages. But we don\u2019t often have a captive audience that thinks our message is as important as we do. We can, however, take a step back and make sure we\u2019re grounded in the reality of the setting of how our message is being consumed, to be as effective as possible with how we execute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Post-Multitasking’s Impact on Marketing Multitasking is not a new phenomenon. As marketers, we want to believe that our message is so strong, so engaging that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,47,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consumer-behavior","category-digital-marketing","category-social-media","post-grid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n