Eye-Tracking and First Impressions - Ministry and Business Marketing, Media and Strategy Blog

Funky cool Matrix time. Enjoy this article on the use of eye-tracking research to help publishers design websites and magazine covers. In a nutshell, they want to know what we look at first and how long our eyeballs stay put on particular ads and articles. Of course, the implications for media design (web, print and otherwise) could be huge.

Even if you're not planning on hiring eye-trackers and installing retinal scans at every entrance, you should apply the concept of eyeball tracking to your ministry or binistry (business that's your God-given ministry). Don't just think in terms of first impressions. Think about the message sent by the images on your website, your logo, your print materials and even your office space.

As I mentioned in my recent article on website quick tips, your online home should be eyeball-friendly with beautiful pictures that tell your story and easily navigable site design. Don't clutter your website with everything you're doing. Let your visitors know what's important through bigger pics, central placement of key stories, and attractive headline fonts that point the way.

As biblical ministries, you should also prominently feature at least a link to your doctrinal statement and values, as well as core programs. Unless you don't know what you believe, what you're about, and why people should care.

For businesses, first impressions on your website are equally mission-critical. Where are retinas tracking on your home page? If you build homes, are pristine pics of available models displayed front-and-center? If you sell insurance, do you prominently feature photos and testimonials from the folks you've helped rebuild after the storm?

The same rule of first impressions applies to your physical building and staff/volunteers. No, you don't have to spend all the money in the world to build the most opulent church or headquarters. Interested folks usually aren't hunting for perfection, but a welcoming environment to seek out what they need.

And no, for you ministries, you shouldn't go overboard with eye-tracking into "seeker sensitive" or Brian MacLaren "remove anything that offends/let's just have a conversation" crap. If God's knocks on the door of our hearts, we naturally run out the back. (see Romans 3 and Ephesians 2) Hence, your seeker sensitivities will prove worthless, in and of themselves. But in the context of God's move on our behalf, attention to impressions is valid, helpful and biblical. (see 1 Cor. 9:22)

One last thing...The authors of a brilliant new book called Made to Stick, discuss the curse of knowledge. That is, we often struggle to recall life before we knew what we now take for granted. Non-believers and non-clients don't know you and don't know what you're about. It's up to you, led by the Holy Spirit, to point their eyeballs to what matters. And yes, the Holy Spirit leads Christ-following people to the right ideas in both ministry and binistry.

Think about those retinas and act accordingly. I'll be watching Minority Report.