The average reader does not consume content in the same way today as they did even as little as 5 years ago. Books are read on tablets, we can listen to a radio station thousands of miles away through the internet, and Twitter offers breaking news in just 140 characters.
So how can you grab and keep your reader’s attention to tell your brand’s story?
Years ago it was not uncommon to see mat releases over 1,000 words in length. Today, 500 to 700 words are plenty to tell your story while article marketing. The modern consumer’s attention span is short, so be concise! Use a bulleted list. The reader’s eyes are drawn through the bullets, making it easy to give tips or a list of options.
Does your message include detailed information or statistics from a study? It should. Consider using an infographic. Infographics are informative without overloading the reader with too much copy. The charts or graphs included in an infographic make statistics easy to digest. Best of all, infographics are easy for the reader to share on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.
Photos are a great way to draw readers in. We’ve all sat and paged through a magazine, looking at the pictures and captions without ever really reading an article. When listicles first came on the scene, it seemed to be a trendy way to get the reader to click on a headline. Today, we find it’s a great way to tell a story. High quality photos and engaging copy draw you in. Listicles can be easily read on a cell phone even in a short time frame while you’re multi-tasking – commuting on the bus or waiting at the doctor’s office.
As technology offers the reader new ways to access content, communicators using article marketing as a tactic will need to keep their reader’s habits in mind. Bottom line? Considering your target and how they will absorb your content is the best way to make sure you’re communicating effectively.
