How to woo Goldfish and Others | Business Social Media

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In a recent post I asked, How do you get the Attention of a Goldfish? According to the BBC, the nature of web browsing has reduced our once 20 minute attention span to that of just 9 seconds, the same as goldfish.

I’ve been wondering ever since writing the post, why anybody would want to know what the attention span of a goldfish is and how the heck they actually determined this.

Since this is really another topic all together, perhaps it’s best left there, unless of course you have some warped goldfish fetish or the whole idea appeals to your creative genius, in which case feel free to express your contribution in the comments section.

Goldfish anybody??

So if this is true I wanted to know what we could do to get the attention of others in as short a time as 9 seconds when using social media.

The post led to some lively discussion so I want to share some of the comments that were made.  If you didn’t read the original post you may want to do this first.

Who Needs Goldfish Anyway?

Oliver Tausend said:

“I don’t want goldfish as customers and business partners, that’s why I don’t target them. I want people as customers and business partners who have a longer attention span. The question is also: Are goldfish able to commit to a cause and to focus ? Or do their commitments and focuses change as well every 9 seconds ? Then it’s not a commitment or a focus.”

Adrienne was in agreement, saying:

“I certainly don’t want people in my business that have that little of an attention span. I want people who engage, share, ask questions and are out there as well.”

Good points raised . A lot depends on who you are looking for. If you are building a network marketing Internet type business then ultimately you’re looking for business partners who are in it for the long term, since this is the only way you’ll ever be truly successful in acquiring residual income which is really what this type of business is all about.

So does this mean affiliate marketers for instance are more goldfish seekers than network marketers?

It all comes down to understanding that if you want to connect effectively with people then….

Don’t try and Grab the Attention of Everyone

This was the core of Dr Bob Clarke’s comment:

“To be successful and stand out, you must decide what small fraction of the Internet community you want to sway, and then write or talk specifically for them.

Second, do your homework. Don’t assume you know anything about your target market. Ask questions and listen carefully. Once you have an idea of what they need and want, and what their trigger points are, then you can write headlines directly to those needs.”

So to summarize so far –

Before you even think about how to attract attention you must know why you want their attention. Then you’ll know what kind of person you’re looking for so you can create the right message.

Once you know whether you want the attention of goldfish or others you’re ready to create messages to achieve your goal. Here are some additional ideas from other readers about how to connect with your target audience more effectively.

Show up

“One way to start being more fascinating, these days, is to keep showing up. There are enough fly-by-night, viral campaigns but those who endure and are reliably “there” will WIN people’s attention.” Jon Alford

Enchant and Engage:

[I capture people's attention by] “….writing posts that draw them out, cause them to reflect, cause them to expand their thinking, to dream bigger, to know it’s safe to dream again.” Janet Calaway

Be Controversial:

I have a few controversial topics that I want to write about because I believe that these would be more compelling and engaging to readers. Justin Mazza

Move People to Action:

“Making an impression by moving people into action wherever you show up is a wonderful way to grab people’s attention.” Ryan Biddulph

Build Relationships as a Priority:

“I think once the relationship is built with a gold fish then the 9 seconds doesn’t become a problem anymore.” Chelsea Thomas

Be Yourself

“Be like Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj… ok, be yourself’ Gabriella – The Stepford Wife

“…it’s more important for me to be authentic. I think that doing so, it will help me stand out’. Diana Simon

Be Funny

“I would say, “be engaging.” In short, “be witty.” I think the rules of face-to-face communication can also be applied in the social blogosphere.” Elmar Sandyck

Be Everywhere

“I see the same faces sharing either as a guest poster or a commenter and this technique I should say is a brilliant way of getting noticed.” Darin

Many agreed with my starter suggestions in the post to ‘be big’ and make people feel something and just as many commented on the title of that post so creating catchy headlines will definitely also attract attention.

Thank you to everybody who left a comment on that first post.

If you’d like to have more of your say then I’ll meet you in the comments section here too.

Please share this post with your followers on your social networks because they may want to join in the discussion. Thank you.

Be Happy!

Image: By E.B. & E.C. Kellogg (Firm) (Library of Congress[1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons