Attention is all you need!

Is grabbing attention really a secret-weapon?(It's a weapon, but not a secret one!)

Everyone is talking about Google’s Notebook LM, so I tried it and here is what I got!

It’s wonderful!

Hey there!

Before you start thinking I’m diving into a technical discussion about AI or something like “Transformers”, about the paper published in 2017, let me stop you right there!

Today, I’m talking about something much more practical and close to home—attention. But not the kind you give when your kids(I am one of them) are asking for that fifteenth snack of the day (though that’s important too).

Attention-Seekers

Attention which is like a spotlight in your mind that helps you focus on what's important. Just like a camera lens, it helps us zoom in on one detail at a time, making it easier to understand and engage with what we’re experiencing!

The idea of grabbing attention came in my mind recently, like I am the one who hates to be the center of attention. I simply don’t feel myself comfortable with that.

There is another type which is attention-seeking, we call such people attention seekers, or some people who like to be the center of attention(extroverts).You can say that you hate getting or grabbing attention, but the reality is that you need it for your business to run, for your product to sell. Your product needs attention.

Recently, in my college lecture room, my friend walked out and asked me to upload her assignment in PDF form to the student portal. I wasn't aware of the course code, so I couldn't help her. I placed her phone on her chair. When she returned, she stood in front of me while I was sitting and asked if I had uploaded her assignment.

She gave me a sly smile, teasing me to respond. I laughed and explained that I didn't know the course code, but she kept repeating, "You didn't." I responded with "Course code," and she continued to smile and say, "You didn’t."

I kept repeating "course code" every time she said, "You didn’t."

Then, things escalated. Our voices got louder, especially mine, and the whole class of around 60-70 students was looking at me(Is she mad?). I felt like the center of attention( something I am not comfortable with).

But that’s okay, such things can happen when you are high on life and I am. I didn’t hate it this time, instead I just smiled at all of them looking at me and later, I laughed with my friends.

Getting attention of those 60-70 students at once was really easy.

That gave me an idea of attention, but you can’t grab attention on social media by simple shouting loudly. It will be like shouting in void. No one will listen to you, why will they listen to you?, If you simply shout out that you have a product to sell?

So, In today’s digital world, getting someone’s attention can make or break a sale, a pitch, or even a small business idea. Whether you're a someone managing your own side hustle, running a small business, or just trying to get your point across in a meeting, attention is the secret ingredient you need to focus on.

Nineties was an era of long-form content, but in today’s fast-paced world, thing are getting trickier. It’s an era of short-form content.

People’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter.

Think about it. With endless ads, messages, and notifications, people’s attention spans are getting shorter. You can’t just say, "I have a great product," and expect someone to listen.

You need to grab their attention(it depends that how long your attention-span can be), and hold on to it. In sales and marketing, that attention is like gold.

You have a few seconds to make someone stop and think, “Hey, this is worth my time.”

Imagine a kid wanting to show you the latest trick they’ve learned on the trampoline? They’ll jump, scream, or do whatever it takes until they have your eyes on them.

That’s exactly how businesses need to behave when it comes to customers. Not jumping around, of course, but doing something that makes people look your way.

Grabbing attention is targeting your customer’s pain point. As Alex Hormozi says in his book $100M offers:

“The pain is the pitch. If you can articulate the pain a prospect is feeling accurately, they will almost always buy what you are offering. A prospect must have a painful problem for us to solve and charge money for our solution.”

So you can grab the attention by offering a solution to someone’s pain points.

So, in short!

Become an attention-seeker or make such content which has the ability to seek attention.

Grabbing Your Customers Attention!

You might have the best product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it, it won’t go anywhere. This is where marketing comes in. Whether through content, ads, or promotions, your message needs to stand out from the noise.

It’s like being at a crowded family BBQ—if you want to be heard, you have to speak up and say something that makes everyone stop talking and listen.

Start by knowing your audience. What are they looking for? What makes them stop scrolling on their phone? Build your marketing around that, and don’t be afraid to get creative.

Remember, the goal is to make people stop what they’re doing and pay attention to you(your product).

Everything will happen after grabbing attention, whether it is generating sales or getting reads for your articles. If someone is clicking on a link of your product, this simply means that they are interested, but this does not means that they are going to buy your product.

Many of the visitors just see your product(window-shopping) and leave your site. It can be like that only 2% of visitors bought your product. This is something called sales funnel( So you need to remember that everything starts with grabbing attention).

Getting Viral!

That’s why people want to get viral, they consider being viral as a dream, a dream which will just change their lives. It’s more because of the over-night success associated with being getting viral, getting viral on tiktok, IG or YouTube. It happens sometimes, there are such stories we hear, that someone’s video just got viral and he/she is now on the peak of success. But such cases are rare and they don’t even guarantee your long-term financial security or life-long success.

So, stop relating success with getting viral!

“It's very easy to make a viral video, but longevity and consistency, that's hard.”

Michelle Phan

So, stop thinking about getting viral, instead build long-term engagement,relationships or loyalty. And focusing on virality may distract you from building lasting relationships with their audience.

Wrapping it Up!

To wrap it up, attention is what separates businesses that succeed from those that get lost in the shuffle. Whether you're trying to sell, market, or just communicate effectively, getting and holding attention is the key to making it happen.

So, it all blow down to three things!

• Be Authentic

• Be Valuable

• Be Consistent

That’s how you can break through the noise, and build something truly valuable and special!

And your attention is precious, be aware of where you are putting it!

So, that’s it!

Until next time, keep dreaming big!

Sending all the good vibes from my corner of internet to yours!

Goodbye guys!