The largest brands in the world all have one thing in common: attention. More specifically, the attention of the masses. Attention builds brands. Attention creates opportunity and leverage. Brands become household names because they are known. To gain attention, brands must stay consistent with their marketing and branding efforts and continually differentiate themselves from their competition through content, strategy and service.
The biggest brands in the world focus their efforts on getting as much attention to their brands as they can. They constantly invest in their brands through marketing and advertising efforts in order to continuously remain relevant in the modern day. Today’s ability to market online and on social media has caused smart brands to invest marketing dollars where consumers have transitioned their attention.
The commodity of gaining attention is a process that requires time, consistency, creativity, strategy, research and execution. You must find where the attention you want is and create a strategy to gain it. Years ago, that meant brands fighting for attention through print ads, TV and radio commercials. But now there are fewer barriers to entry by marketing on social media platforms, which is where most consumers spend a lot of their time anyway.
Every business needs consistent attention and new eyes on it because the more known it becomes, the greater its chance of generating leads and sales.
Attention — especially when paired with an amazing product or service — can generate more opportunity, leverage, influence and longevity for a business and brand. It will require, however, devising a strategy that will connect with the consumer at a deeper level. When done right, this can eventually create brand loyalty. And if consumers enjoy what you’re providing, it’s more likely they are going to continue the attention momentum for you by spreading it via word of mouth.
Attention is its own stock market and has volatile trends, reflecting on where marketing dollars need to be spent. However, attention has moved to social media and is where businesses and brands need to focus on marketing and advertising strategies to gain market share.
Social media allows businesses and brands to know where the attention is and helps you do market research on what will capture your target audience’s attention. Social media enables brands to attract new clients quicker and more efficiently than ever before because it gives them access to figure out consumer behavior within a given industry. You can find out what type of content consumers want from you with only a few clicks of a button, allowing you to utilize polls and other forms of data-collecting tools.
Here’s how attention helps create opportunity, leverage, influence and longevity:
Opportunity
With newfound attention, opportunity begins to present itself. Investors, consumers, brands and businesses all want to get involved with businesses that have attention. It opens your business up to the possibility of collaborations, sales, fans, investment money, partnerships, etc. The more attention you have, the more opportunity you will see.
Leverage
Having attention creates leverage in your industry. If you’re well known in your industry, you have the ability to be a trendsetter and capitalize on opportunities before others can.
Influence
When a brand has attention, it can more easily gain influence in its industry, causing disruption. This requires competitors to pivot, and while they are strategizing to keep up, you are now a step ahead. Influence can also be used to persuade the consumer to buy or vote.
Longevity
I believe this is the most important element of what attention can do for a business and brand. Attention can keep a business and brand relevant, which, in return, can result in longevity. Consumers nowadays will move on to something else if they feel as though you are not keeping up with the times. Therefore, the longer you sustain positive attention, the longer your company will generate revenue.
Attention is obtainable through unique marketing and advertising strategies on social media. Not every business may want attention, but in order to grow, every business needs it. Attention will keep your pipeline full, referrals coming in, leads coming to you and sales generated. Businesses cannot expect attention to come to them; they need to actively work on acquiring it. But once they do, attention creates opportunity, influence, leverage and longevity. Attention is an asset.
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Author: Tony Pec, CommunityVoice