Stop. You’re losing customers every 7 seconds when you miss this.

Gone in 7 seconds — an everyday business tragedy. Use this framework to keep and win them instead.

When everything is a New York Times Best Seller.

Or as seen on Forbes, GQ, and Fast Company.

Or voted the number one skincare product of 2021.

How do you trust it? How do you know it’s credible enough to hand your credit card details over?

Savvy consumers don’t have time as it is, and they certainly are in the negative when it comes to bullshit.

In fact, they can sniff out malice faster than the time it takes them to move their cursor over to the X button.

In a game of waning attention spans, brands only have 7 seconds or less to hook a customer in, for another 7, maybe more, if you’re really good.

7 seconds. Not a long time unless you’re in the middle of a plank position.

7 seconds — to build curiosity, connection, and confidence.

And since we love a good acronym, let’s call it, CCC. Or 3C. It’s a work in progress.

So how do you use those three Cs and turn them into one C — your Customer?

Let’s explore them a little further.

Curiosity (~0 to 3 seconds)

The written word is like a magical, mystical power. One, that if written correctly, can not only arouse curiosity but create connection, hitting two C’s in one single, powerful blow.

Your first and fastest way to capture attention is with a killer one-liner. One that hits the reader square between the eyes; that’s bold, deep, and challenging enough to trigger an internal “hm!” reaction; and one which sparks the beginning of a fruitful and almost seductive relationship with the reader.

An example of winning copywriting.

Connection (~0 to 7 seconds)

We are visual creatures. Our emotions and feelings are triggered the fastest by imagery and aesthetics, more than any other form of information or mode of communication.

Your imagery and overall design should work harmoniously and in conjunction with your epic copy to create an unbreakable connection.

Your imagery and styling in particular should show the viewer that: a) you get them; b) they get you; and c) that when both of you come together, life’s problems, even for a brief moment, will all be solved.

Smart: they already know you’d see the image first, and you will follow the baby’s eyes to go on to read the text.

Confidence (~4 seconds)

All of the above work in tandem to generate confidence. Confidence in your product, confidence in delivering your product to them (also known as service), and confidence in your brand’s ability to be one the customer would like to represent.

Confidence, which is meant to grow by the second they read the first line, witness the imagery, and develop a liking to your sense of brand style.

How confidence is lost, is by crappy design and user experience, unappealing or unrelatable photos, spruiking “as featured in” without actual links to the articles, and excessive “selling” of the product (in the form of lengthy product benefits and too many “buy now” buttons).

The #1 way to build confidence is by letting people sing your praises. These are also known as reviews. Real reviews from real people, with real quotes, real star ratings, and real photos of the consumer using your product in a real-life scenario.

In an era where reviews can be manufactured or created in seconds, images of the actual product in a stranger’s home don’t lie and cut you a ticket straight to your customers' station of confidence.

This company shows how customers have used their furniture in real life.

With all of the above, you help your potential customers to:

• understand what you do;
• challenge them to think or feel intensely or differently about a problem;
• visualize a version of the solution;
• visualize the solution with the help of other happy customers and;
• deliver substantial evidence of its effectiveness and the inherent desire to get in on the action.

All of that, in just 7 seconds.

That’s the potato baby. The rest is just, gravy.

One for the road: use the CCC method — curiosity, connection and confidence — to win your audience and lay all the ground-work to turn them into customers, in 7 seconds.

“to market is to make love: passionately, purposefully and with intense pleasure. to connect at the most human level with consistency, dedication and flair, for a chance to manifest a relationship of pure romance, one unrivaled and unmatched for, and by, most.” — johnny bhalla