There is an old saying, the best way to get someone’s attention is to stop giving yours.
Why is that?
Think back to the relationships in your life; most of you have experienced that feeling of emptiness after an argument, breakup or worse – the no-call-back after a few dates.
There is nothing that draws on a person’s curiosity more than the unknown; and when you aren’t sure what someone you care about is thinking, that unknown space seems to consume your entire being. You start thinking about all the possibilities, and your imagination runs wild with curiosity.
Curiosity.
What if I leave just one more voicemail, will she pick up? What if she is just really busy? What if maybe I just need to shower him with love? Most likely, none of these “possibilities” are true, but what if?
Now, let me be clear, I’m not suggesting that neglecting customers will attract them to your brand – definitely not. I am however, suggesting that you can spark curiosity through thought-provoking questions, stories that your audience can relate to, testimonials of people that have had success with your brand, and anything else that can perk up their imagination while drawing them closer to your brand.
It works in relationships when one party stops paying attention to the other; What if I leave just one more voicemail?
It works in scary movies when the victim is tip-toeing through an empty house looking for the bad guy; Gee, I wonder if the bad guy around the corner?
And it works in marketing when you give your audience a platform to engage their imagination; what if….
What if I get those shoes, will I run faster?
What if I buy those golf clubs, will I hit the ball further? Straighter?
What if I purchase that concealer, will I look younger?
These are all common responses to traditional TV, print, and radio advertisements, which show celebrities or actors who look faster, stronger, and younger – but what about social media? How does social media peak curiosity?
In the most powerful way possible, that’s how.
In fact that is precisely why social media is so huge. Not only does the storifying nature of social media excite curiosity more than any other platform – but it immediately satisfies that curiosity by letting followers take a peek inside another person’s life and learn from them through information sharing.
People used to wonder what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else shoes. Now social media allows them to come pretty close by following them and engaging with their stories.
This rapid, recurring cycle of curiosity-sparking and information-sharing makes social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter rather, addicting (we will be the first to admit, we have a problem).
So whether you’re crafting a tweet or a TV commercial, give your audience content that will peak their curiosity and excite their imagination. They will follow you until they satisfy that curiosity.
If you’re really good, you’ll do this over and over, effectively keeping the audience’s attention – just like a good horror movie.
