I Only Have A Few Seconds – The Impact of Technology to Your Business

By Tricia Covert

It’s no surprise – we’re living in a mobile revolution. Take a look around at a restaurant, concert, park or basically anywhere; people are online all the time. A major shift has taken place in our society in the way we receive, accept and search for information – and in how much time we allot for it. How does this shift impact you when marketing your business?

Although technology has been around for decades, online activity has skyrocketed recently, specifically throughout 2011 and 2012. The number of websites created during 2011 and 2012 grew by an astonishing100%. A large portion of data on the internet was developed during the two year time span and on the rise exponentially ever since. The high use of mobile devices giving us easy access to the internet is a common reason reported for the drastic spike. Today, a lot happens online and it’s only going to increase.

What Is Happening Now?

Many of us in the United States are online throughout the day in various ways: smartphone, tablet and desktop. Therefore, gaining online attention has become a priority for many businesses in our current climate. To be competitive, creating an immediate impact to capture your audience’s attention can be key to your online success.

Over the years, the attention span of the average person has declined. It’s now only a matter of seconds. The following statistics reveal some average times a person may give you online before they move on:

• Website homepage: 8 seconds
• Connect to a website: less than 5 seconds
• Online newsletter: less than a minute

This need for speed may explain the recent popularity of photos, infographics and video. In fact, Cisco, a data-driven technology company, projects nearly 69% of online traffic will be video by 2018. Video is expected to increase 14-fold from 2013 to 2018.

What does all of this mean for professionals in the housing industry? I recently learned real estate is one of the oldest professions in existence. Traditional tactics that may not work in other industries, such as door-to-door marketing and direct mail campaigns, can still be effective in this industry. However, society has changed and developing a strong online presence should not be overlooked; especially since real estate serves multi-generations relying heavily on networking and personal connections.

If you feel your business has a strong online presence, keeping on top of the stats and trends is a great way to stay competitive. If you don’t yet have a strong online presence, make this year the time that you do – after all, your prospects are waiting and they only have seconds to spare.

Tricia Covert recently joined the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business as Marketing Manager. She has an extensive background in marketing in various industries. Prior to coming to our school, Tricia spent the past year in the technology industry where she worked directly with technology research firms reviewing upcoming projections and trends.

Sources: Pew Research, Nielson, Internet World Stats, IDC