We get so much information by email, social media, blogs and websites that very little actually sticks. We're consumers and we scan and skip online - there simply isn't time to do anything more in depth - until we find the specific thing we're looking for.
Our brains are becoming wired differently. Instead of reading and digesting, our eyes race down the text looking for specific words. So, if I'm looking for 'widgets' and I'm faced with a page of writing on screen my brain and eyes will be programmed to skip over anything that doesn't say 'widgets'.
It's a bit like being in a room full of people all chatting away - if someone says your name on the other side of the room your brain will register that. You won't hear the conversation, just that very familiar sound of your name. It will stand out from all the other conversations going on around you. It's the way our brains work and it's useful when you're searching for something specific - but from the other side of the coin, it means that people are not reading your message the way you'd like them to.
So how do you get people's attention long enough to get them to engage?
The first step is to be very clear about who your message is for. The more specific you can be about your ideal audience, the better you'll be able to create the content they want to read.
So, step two is about knowing what is important to your ideal audience. What are they keen to find out? What are they really interested in? What gets them excited? What problems are they experiencing that you can solve?
Step three is to know where these people 'hang out'. Which social media do they use? Which forums are they active in? What do they already read?
Step four is to put together your plan - what do you want to achieve? What tools can you use to succeed? It will include the answers to all the questions in the first three steps and then creating the content that will fit the profile you've created and then delivering it.
Using social media, blogs and other online tools is more than simply a means of connecting with a large network, it's about being visible - not just today, but every day, consistently and congruently. If you deliver high value content regularly you'll not only be visible, but people will actively look for your posts.
