Fishfood for thought: How memorable marketing techniques can keep sales golden

By now it’s become something of a joke: Humans today apparently have a lesser attention span than a goldfish.

Thanks to our need to digitally multitask, our ability to focus on a task without being distracted has dropped from 12 to 8 seconds, according to a Microsoft report released last year (for the record, a goldfish can pay attention for 9 seconds). Researchers theorize the human brain has adapted that way over time so it can absorb more information simultaneously in response to its availability via mobile and the internet.

With that in mind, businesses might want to spend their marketing dollar on quick and easy techniques that really sink into their customers’ minds. Some methods to consider:

– Social media marketing. Because so many consumers visit social media sites daily, marketers are staying top of mind via compelling posts and tweets that optimize calls to action.

– Vanity phone numbers. Research shows consumers are 75 percent more likely to remember vanity 1-800 numbers than numeric toll-free numbers, which are too abstract to remember long term. And we’re 58 percent more likely to retain vanity numbers than URLs. Neuroscientists explain our brains convert short-term memories to long term when we link them to something we already recognize. In Dial800 case studies, vanity numbers have accordingly led to 25 percent sales increases.

– Pay-per-call campaigns. This methodology merges the popularity of mobile with the memorability of vanity phone numbers in online ads offering clear calls to action. ROI is maximized because the advertiser is only charged when the consumer responds by clicking to call or calling directly. And these days PPC campaigns utilizing incoming calls offer some of the highest conversion rates in the marketing spectrum. Analysts estimate a phone call is worth five to 10 times more revenue than a completed online form.

– Memorable logos. When they succinctly incorporate a brand’s benefits, logos can encourage positive associations, customer commitment and ultimately revenues, says recent research by MIT Sloan Management Review. That’s partly because the human brain responds differently to visual images than text, allowing it to absorb connotations about your company in one glance. As such, an effective logo should define your key attributes in an understandable and memorable way.

– Matching web domains. Once you’ve created a strong social media presence dominated by a vanity toll-free number and logo, a complementary web domain name can help seal the memorability factor.

– Musical jingles. Think about how memorable music can be incorporated into your ad campaign to help customers think of you at optimal times. A survey in the Journal of Advertising Research indicates 83 percent of people remember a product after hearing a 10-second musical cue, compared to 62 percent of those given a verbal cue.

Given the frenzied pace of the messages faced each minute by today’s consumer, marketers need to be more strategic than ever when it comes to staying at the top of customers’ minds. Think about how best to keep their attention when planning your next ad campaign.

Now, did you remember to feed your fish?

Let Custom Toll Free help you strategize your next vanity phone number and call-tracking campaign.