Attention Marketing + Online = Google decision making and content creation

Internet users are focused on content. That statement is more and more relevant with the rise of all kind of activities available on the web: instant messaging, Facebook-ing, content aggregator reading, Youtube-ing, Skype-ing, content sharing, emailing … users don’t read, they share. Meaning they don’t care anymore about content not aiming at sharing, and utlimately they do share more than actually read because they don’t know what to read. If companies want to get back the attention from the Internet users, who are a fast growing population, they have to set up strategies to be the content, and no more the advertising.

Brands have to learn online attention marketing strategies

The Attention Marketing has replaced the Interruption Marketing, like Seth Godin told us in his Purple Cow book. Practically, that means companies have to become content generator to get in the list of things that would be read by consumers. Adding to that fact people do love socializing using the Internet, companies now have to be able to produce content that can be shared out, content that generate enough interest for people to take 10 sec to click on a “share this” button or copy/ paste the link to send it in an email. Brands have then to become content producer.

Internet made by and for intelligently lazy people

But more than content producer, brand have to take into account people are lazy and want content already ready to be shared. That’s why Youtube and SlideShare, for example, have grown that fast. Click and go process. Which implies brands have to be up-to-date to catch up with technologies they don’t master and have no knowledge on, or even don’t know anything about them, that would be used by the so-called “influent people”. Labelled interesting human content filters in fact. Or if not willing to be subjected to those influencers, companies have to become those filters.

A strategy that becomes smart when we add to the Internet equation the Google decision making process, driving users to the 5 first results of any search made with that search engine (the others considered irrelevant by users). Companies able to be on the search results, and generally speaking on the content space isntead of advertising space, are the one who run the business, they’re the one people read, care, and trust. Doubts about it? Why Amazon has become the first Internet shopping center then? because they’ve come up with relevant content for the users and the Google search engine leveraging customers reviews.

Social media as the last piece of the Attention Marketing for the web

Generating content is fine, driving attention using people engagement in the content creation is better, being able to turn content into ready to be shared is web style and facilitate its promotion. Last item to keep in mind is to engage people to share with you, the brand, instead of sharing their thoughts with their friends, so that you can leverage the social media marketing.

Image from Tappening marketing campaign, via Rohit Bhargava’s blog

To read more on that topic:

• Social Media + Engagement = Matt Harding example of engagement with people
• Web 2.0 + Developers + Power users = Crowdsourcing as the next level challenge
• Review of the Internet news of the Day
• Web 2.0 + Best Practices = Connecting and creating value
• Word of Mouth + Strategy = engrave it in your delivery strategy