When 3 Seconds Is All You Get, How Can Your Brand Make a Good Impression Online?

What can you do in three seconds?

Turns out – a lot.

And for brands trying to woo customers into a long term commitment, those three seconds can make or break the deal.

Think about it. Customers are bombarded with thousands of messages online everyday and they’re overwhelmed. So by the time they get to your message, they’re over it. Unless, what they see is appealing.

And there’s proof. It’s been reported that it takes two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand and just another 2.6 seconds for that viewer to retain that message – good or bad. Some studies even suggest that nearly half of web users make the decision to abandon your website if it fails to load in 3 seconds.

Who would have thought three seconds could be so important!

So what can you do?

1. Trade places with your audience.

Your brand message is your bread and butter and you should design it in such a way that viewers immediately see what they’re looking for and are pleased.

Tell you brand story in a way that highlights your abilities and plays to your audience. Always be clear and concise, educational not spammy. Your goal is to maximize value and minimize confusion.

Don’t be afraid to ask peers for feedback to make sure you’re hitting the mark.

2. Write good stuff.

Of course, content is huge. The words that fill the pages of your website, your blog, emails, and social network really do matter and how they are used is a major piece of a big puzzle.

Think brevity. Attention spans are short and viewers want you to get to the point. “Solve my problem!” they shout to the monitor, and when they have to dig through pages of non-essential information or click on hundreds of links to get there, they won’t bother.

3. Make it easy to engage. Be where your viewers are and want to be – on their mobile devices. Making sure your website and emails render correctly and have clearly visible social sharing widgets makes it easy for viewers to search for solutions on their mobile devices and share them when they’re found.

The take away is simple…

Don’t squander your three seconds. Make the very most of them by giving viewers what they want and need to feel good about your brand.