If you’re normal, it seems like that’s about all we can hope for – a second. Consider: One edition of LifeHacker begins with, “Most people who click on this article won't finish reading it.” Sad, but true? Very possibly.
We recently heard a corporate recruiter talk about the 6-second resume. That’s all the time he said he spends on average reviewing someone’s resume. Granted, if he thinks that there is something there worthwhile, he may set it aside for later, but for that initial pass… you had better impress him in six seconds – or less – or risk ending up in File 13.
The same is true for most marketing materials – especially digital content. When you post something online – whether it’s a website, e-newsletter, blog, etc. – you had better get to the point. Quickly. Or, you’re going to lose your audience.
There has been a fair amount of research devoted to this subject. One study found that, in cyberspace, you’ve got seven seconds to grab someone’s attention. Another says that website visitors rarely stay more than 15 seconds. The most current data we found says that if you get more than 10 seconds, you’re doing pretty well.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that if someone stays on your website for as long as 20-30 seconds, they’re likely to stay for quite a while longer – maybe even two or three minutes.
There’s more good and bad news. In this information age, your digital data is mostly available through Google Analytics or some other measuring tool. (There are many. Google Analytics may be the biggest, but it’s not the only one out there.) With a click or two, you can learn so much – including how long visitors are staying with you. The same holds true for most blast email services.
Armed with this information, you are prepared to make any number of decisions about your website, emails, enewsletters, blogs, etc. – anything and anywhere you’re sharing content. Of course, you need to be able to interpret the data that’s so readily available.
But that’s another story for another day. Whenever you have another second.
But that’s another story for another day. Whenever you have another second.