Attention spans are short. Why are so many intelligence products long?
And what marketing trends can teach us about reaching - and keeping - our consumers.
It’s 2023. The average human attention span right now is around 8 seconds.
That’s less than a goldfish.
There are lots of other stats out there about our wayward and dwindling attention spans - none of them particularly encouraging. Multitasking at work means we typically concentrate on one screen for less than a minute, and 80% of us feel like we’re constantly in a state of “information overload” at our desks.
Traditional intelligence reporting often takes the form of an academic-like paper, sometimes spanning multiple text-heavy pages exploring complex topics like terrorism, operational threats, and executive risk. There is absolutely a time and a place for that.
But given all we know about dwindling attention spans and general info overwhelm at work - how might we evolve intelligence production to meet our stakeholders in the sweet spot between decision and distraction?
Here’s one approach to consider.
We often talk about the end-users of intelligence as “consumers” or “customers.” Maybe today’s marketing and PR trends - focused on helping companies reach customers with attention spans shorter than goldfish - could inject new ideas about how to engage our own. After digging around industry press, thought leadership pieces, and marketing blogs, I found a few themes to consider.
Keep it short. Keep it simple. This should come as no surprise, but one of the top pieces of advice for earning customer attention is to produce “snackable content” - crisp, clear messaging, and not too much of it. As one marketing professional noted, “When people can immediately tell what your value proposition is, it will hold their attention longer.” And another, “Write compelling copy: Impactful copy speaks directly to the target audience and offers them a solution to some of their persisting pain points.”
Personalize. Personalize. Personalize. Good intelligence analysis should always have a clear “so what?” tailored to the consumer. But one marketing tip is to personalize the content vehicle to the needs and consumption preferences of the end user as well. Maybe your CEO prefers to listen to long form reports, but your security lead wants three bullet points and visuals. Not all teams have the bandwidth to diversify and personalize content like this at scale, but starting the conversation with key stakeholders could help inform current output.
Focus on storytelling: People love a good story. Whether it’s a heartwarming Super Bowl commercial about puppies or a piece assessing the risk to a company’s critical infrastructure, engaging someone with a solid storyline will help maintain their attention. As professional intelligence analyst Zachary Tyson Brown said in a piece for War on the Rocks, “The analyst’s challenge, then, is to tell the story of reality in a coherent manner that decision-makers understand and internalize.”
Don’t forget to produce for mobile. Smartphones will account for 35% of all media consumption in 2023. While this stat is compelling for marketers trying to target you for ads, it’s also an important reminder for intelligence teams to ensure their products are mobile friendly. Not everyone will be engaging with assessments at a laptop or desktop - very often, intelligence customers will be absorbing your insights on the go. Make it easier for them by ensuring your product is easy to read on a mobile device.
Co-marketing, aka collaboration. In the marketing world, co-marketing refers to using influencers or partnering with other brands helps companies tap into new audiences and re-engage existing ones. We can do this too - we just call it collaboration. What other internal or external teams might you tap into for expertise or collaboration on your product, and how might that help your analysis reach new audiences while grabbing the attention of existing ones?
Try different content vehicles. This is the fun part, and a trend marketing calls “integrated media.” What kinds of content vehicles help deliver your message best? And which engage your consumers the most? Try one, or try them all! Here are a few ideas from my marketing research:
Video. The C-suite is evolving to include more millennials, who prefer to engage with video content when learning or needing to make a decision. And one of the key marketing strategies for 2023 according to Forbes contributor Henry DeVries is integrating video with written content.
Infographics and photos. Infographics can make information easier to absorb, and people are 65% more likely to remember content if it has some kind of picture.
Podcasts. This year, 55% of people have listened to a podcast. I have a few intelligence-related ones on my list - do you?
Narration. One of the biggest trends in publishing this year is audio narration of readable content. There’s even an AI tool to help writers create audio of their text…because of course there is.
Literally anything else. This point is not supported by any marketing research, just a zany personal plug for making intelligence products as engaging as possible so our profession continues to 1) have impact with decision-makers and 2) stays fresh and in line with how people are consuming content these days. Bonus points if it includes memes. Extra bonus points if it rhymes.