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Do You Still Need to Be Above the Fold in a Digital World?
In this episode, Mark Mathis talks about why the term “above the fold” still has relevancy in today’s digital orientation.
Featuring:
Mark Mathis
Mark Mathis is Chief Creative and Strategy Officer. Transcription:
Mark Mathis: This is the One-Minute Marketer. I'm Mark Mathis, Creative Director at Amperage Marketing and Fundraising. And I've been thinking, do you still need to be above the fold in a digital world?
Recognize that sound? That's a newspaper. There was a time when having a story above the fold of a newspaper was considered the best placement. It is reserved for the top story of the day or stories of the day. Newspapers still exists. But does the term "above the fold" still have relevancy in today's digital orientation?
Well, in my thinking, it does and it will forever. To me above the fold means the space where people are actually paying the most attention. That means above the fold is the first 10 minutes of an hour-long meeting, the first lines of a letter, the headline or first paragraph of a brochure, the top two pages of a home screen on your website, the first few minutes of a speech, the first 300 words of a long blog -- that's why my blogs are only 300 words -- the first page of a Google, Amazon, or YouTube search; the first five slides of a PowerPoint, the first seconds of a two-minute video.
You must show great respect to anything above the fold. You should put the majority of your attentional development time and effort in above the fold work and review. The rest has a rapidly diminishing attention quotient. Research shows people are lazy and live in a world where even scrolling takes extra effort and concentration. Truly, these are first-world issues, but issues nonetheless.
Effort and concentration seem to be in short supply these days. Confusion and frustration seem to rule the day. So don't waste your above the fold moment. It's a precious, fleeting jewel that requires careful attention and a lot of time to develop.
This is the One-Minute Marketer. My special thanks to audio engineer, Bill Klaproth. If you like this marketing thinking and strategy, reach out to us at AmperageMarketing.com. We'll move the needle for you. Thank you so much.
Mark Mathis: This is the One-Minute Marketer. I'm Mark Mathis, Creative Director at Amperage Marketing and Fundraising. And I've been thinking, do you still need to be above the fold in a digital world?
Recognize that sound? That's a newspaper. There was a time when having a story above the fold of a newspaper was considered the best placement. It is reserved for the top story of the day or stories of the day. Newspapers still exists. But does the term "above the fold" still have relevancy in today's digital orientation?
Well, in my thinking, it does and it will forever. To me above the fold means the space where people are actually paying the most attention. That means above the fold is the first 10 minutes of an hour-long meeting, the first lines of a letter, the headline or first paragraph of a brochure, the top two pages of a home screen on your website, the first few minutes of a speech, the first 300 words of a long blog -- that's why my blogs are only 300 words -- the first page of a Google, Amazon, or YouTube search; the first five slides of a PowerPoint, the first seconds of a two-minute video.
You must show great respect to anything above the fold. You should put the majority of your attentional development time and effort in above the fold work and review. The rest has a rapidly diminishing attention quotient. Research shows people are lazy and live in a world where even scrolling takes extra effort and concentration. Truly, these are first-world issues, but issues nonetheless.
Effort and concentration seem to be in short supply these days. Confusion and frustration seem to rule the day. So don't waste your above the fold moment. It's a precious, fleeting jewel that requires careful attention and a lot of time to develop.
This is the One-Minute Marketer. My special thanks to audio engineer, Bill Klaproth. If you like this marketing thinking and strategy, reach out to us at AmperageMarketing.com. We'll move the needle for you. Thank you so much.