A recent study shows that the average human attention span has rapidly declined over the past decade. While in 2001 people could stay focused for 12 seconds, marketers now only have eight seconds to grab their audience's attention. Fortunately, we are now in a position to take advantage of recent technology advancements, which offer a variety of fresh ways to catch the eyes of consumers. Another study states that humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, which is astonishing! Here are our top 3 ways of grabbing your audience's attention in that time and ensuring that they digest the information you want.

Twitter

If you're a twitter user, you've probably noticed that Twitter has been getting more of a visual focus recently. It announced in March 2014 that it allow its users to share up to four photos per tweet as well as tag up to 10 other users in a single photo. We seized the opportunity to be early adopters of the feature and trialled it recently as a visual way of communicating our new strapline, opting for four strong images reflecting our brand colours, showing our key message and including an accompanying powerful quote. Within a few hours, we'd received lots of engagement. Our twitter network were sharing and interacting telling us they thought it was great. A definite success.

Instagram

We all know how powerful an image can be for connecting with people. The internet is saturated with photographs, so why not consider posting a short video snapshot on your Instagram account instead? The visual aspect attracts the eye, while the motion keeps the attention span engaged. If done well, this will drive traffic to your website and YouTube account, igniting interesting in your products and services!

Youtube 3 Second Intros

Youtube has recently added a brand new feature for content creators, allowing them to add a 3-second intro to all their videos. The intro will automatically start on videos on their channel. To set it up, you'll need to upload the 3-second introductory video as an unlisted video, and then select "add a channel branding intro" on your channel's InVideo programming page. Then you can choose which videos the intro will appear on. This provides a good opportunity to build your brand awareness and make your videos instantly recognisable to your audiences, portraying a consistent message. It can be applied to videos old and new and can be changed if required - we think it's a great idea and something worth paying attention to!

"Great, consuming content is all about using a 'mix' of styles, platforms and methods to put your messages across; it shouldn't be limited to just one. It's all about keeping people interested and engaged, with each method offering a strength of its own. The trick is the combination of written text and multimedia visual content. The eight second challenge of grabbing attention is manageable if you offer fresh and exciting formats" - Lloyd Morgan, Managing Director of Rockadove.

What are your top tips for consuming your audiences within eight seconds? Would you use any of the tips mentioned above?