How to Unleash the Exponential Power of Attention to Boost Your Social Media Strategy

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

There's no denying that content is an incredible tool for growth, but entrepreneurs often spend a lot of time and resources creating social media content that gets started on crickets. Even when your content is performing well, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of how you're contributing to your bottom line.

In today's digital age, it's important to view social media as a path rather than a fast track to monetization. As with tax investments, the payouts generated by content creation are not always immediate. Performance is variable and nearly impossible to predict.

While most investors are looking for a clear return on investment (money now, for more money later), creating content can be a much slower process and it can be more difficult to identify what you get in return for your efforts. Traditional benchmarks for measuring ROI don't translate well to digital marketing strategies. Instead, I encourage entrepreneurs to use ROAC, which stands for Return on Attention Created.

Related: The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating and Publishing Great Content

Attention is the currency of the social media age. When you create content, what you receive in return for your creative efforts is more than just clicks or heart emojis. The real currency is your audience's attention. This attention is a powerful (and often overlooked) resource that pays long-standing dividends for your business. When people pay attention to your business content and interact with your online presence, they are much more likely to buy your products and tell their friends about your business.

So how do you leverage the power of attention for your brand? Follow these three simple steps to unlock the power of ROAC for yourself:

Instead of prioritizing only quantifiable goals, it's important to set aside creative energy to invest in actions that aren't scalable, like investing in creating consistent content. The best way to understand ROAC is to realize that the value generated by attention is multifaceted. For example, when your audience interacts with your content, it leads to new connections, better market perception, and other intangible benefits.

Content attracts attention over time. The more you create, the more you invest to generate new streams of opportunities. Your content will continue to attract new eyeballs, which over time will only get worse. Your new content will create more demand for your old content, and the cycle repeats itself.

Short films and video content on social media can drive traffic consistently (based on social media algorithms) for up to 90 days, which means the content you post today may not reach critical mass in terms of views until next quarter. videos and blogs drive traffic for years because people find your content useful and relevant to finding answers to the questions they're looking for.

Popular YouTube creators like Mr. Beast understand the exponential power of social media. After earning millions on his popular videos, he reinvests most of his income into creating content to make more videos. Why? It unleashes the exponential power of ROAC by investing in creativity. Each new video comes with new subscribers, increasing the creative reach of her brand. He doesn't stop after hitting tens of millions of views, he continues to reinvest his money into his content because he knows attention is commonplace, and t...