The 8-Second Challenge
- By Ofri Baram
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- 18 Sep, 2015
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The simple exercise your website will thank you for later.
The window of opportunity for marketers to engage their web visitors has shrunk drastically.
According to a 2015 study by Microsoft Corp., our attention spans have been whittled down to just eight seconds. The culprit? Our digital lifestyles. Thank emojis and thank Twitter for their 140 characters limitation.
Eight Seconds. Yes, that’s one second less than a goldfish. And we’re all in same fishbowl; the decrease was seen across all age groups and genders in the study. There was an upside though: our ability to multitask is increasing.
As marketers, what do we do with this information? What can we do in eight seconds, to draw our web visitors in? Here are some tips to help you pass the 8-second challenge:
- Don’t make them wait. Make sure you website loads quickly. 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
- Make your content easy. Easy to navigate. Easy to read. Easy to scan. Put the most important information upfront and outline your content with numbers or bullet points. Drill down your key message and say it outright and quickly. There is no need to make them wait for it.
- Keep it short. Too much content will distract readers from your key messaging, so split detailed content out into secondary pages for readers who are interested. Tell the reader what they need and want to know, and no more. A difficult, but important rule to follow.
- Utilise visual content. We process images 60,000 times faster than we do text. Use images that convey your key messaging and be strategic about where you place those images. Choose a place that will draw the customer’s eye as they move down the screen.
- Tell the reader what to do. If the purpose of your website is to convert visitors, you need to make the path clear. Present clear action items for the visitor who is ready to buy and for the visitor who is intrigued, but still not sure (an important, and often overlooked, segment).
Now it’s time to take the challenge. Set your stopwatch for eight seconds and type in your website URL. Does you messaging get through before the buzzer goes off? Is it compelling? Does it inspire action?
This simple exercise will most likely get you thinking about you website design, layout and key messaging. Hopefully, it will inspire you to make some strategic changes.
And for those of you that have made it through to the end of this blog post, give yourself a pat on the back!
Newcastle’s leading independent jewellers, Whitakers is one of the longest standing jewellery stores in the Hunter. For over 110 years, the Whitakers legacy remains strong and continues to thrive as a niche market, specialising in bridal, custom design and fine jewellery.
John Whitaker, fourth generation jeweller, is dedicated to providing a personalised service for his customers, showcasing exquisite quality and craftsmanship. His enthusiasm for people and passion for the retail experience has become a standout in the family business. Today John’s vision, purpose and passion are what you could describe in diamond terms as flawless. “I fell in love with jewellery, and being a part of my clients special occasions and moments”, Whitaker said. “The excitement I get from my clients is infectious”. For John, the jewellery trade is a combination of the love stories people share, the relationships he forms and the beautiful pieces he creates.
Founded in 1903, John’s great grandfather, Reginald Wilfred Whitaker, established the family business in Muswellbrook and Maitland with his three sons. After many years and expansions to new locations, the business was passed onto John Whitaker Snr who later, in 1965, opened the family jewellers at the new Kotara Fair. “My father knew how to market jewellery, he was the only jeweller in town at that time”. Training as a salesperson in 1987, Whitaker soon realised his passion for the jewellery industry. With a strong focus on maintaining the Whitakers legacy, John was encouraged by his father to enhance his skills to ensure he had the latest and most highly regarded jewellery industry training worldwide. Completing his studies at the Gemological Institute of America in California - the number one diamond grading school in the world - John was soon qualified as an expert in his field.
After his father’s retirement in 2006, John and his wife Leonie opened their Darby Street store in Newcastle. To this day, John has designed rings for over 1000 couples, providing them with the ultimate Whitaker experience, where consumer education is still a hallmark. Whilst technology and online automaticity has challenged the solid Whitakers legacy, it has created an avenue for Whitakers to reframe the niche brand through embracing the new online market. We have re-positioned Whitakers, qualifying them as specialists, not only through John’s education, but his craftsmanship, skill and of course experience. With a fresh and contemporary approach, we embraced and engaged the new market with an online and social strategy and fast became the diamond standard of Newcastle.
Some say a diamond is forever, well it’s clear at Whitakers, it truly is.
An exciting opportunity now exists for an Account Manager to join our team of hard-working creative minds. The role is based in our office in the midst of The Junction.
Reporting to the Account Director, the new Account Manager must be ready to work across a range of briefs and projects, delivering the best results for our clients.
We're looking for an individual who will work seamlessly with our creative team, someone with a strategic mindset and a strong understanding of all aspects of the development of a brand. You'll be outgoing and self-motivated, with a strong eye for detail and the ability to build long-lasting relationships with our highly valued clients. It goes without saying that you'll also have copywriting experience and beyond amazing communication skills.
Our ideal candidate will have:
- Knowledge and demonstrated experience of all agency functional areas; including print/digital/onscreen and visual production, traditional media, planning/research, database management and project management
- Contribute to the agency's growth in terms of new business and partnerships
- Strong organisation skills with attention to detail, resilience and determination to achieve desired results for clients
- Exceptional presentation skills to effectively build long term relationships with key customers
- Excellent communication and people skills
- The ability to contribute to a positive and engaging work culture and environment
If you think you have what it takes to become a member of the Wild and Free Media family we look forward to hearing from you soon!
