“Intelligence Explosion”, “Post-scarcity”, “Technological Singularity” — for someone who is a little familiar with at least several of these concepts, attention management is a major framework to consider. A Wikipedia article about attention management refers to studies of productivity at the workplace, with productivity being higher on days with bad weather.
Attention management in the business-to-business context
Attention management in the B2B context — where profits (or underinvestment) can quickly take on significant proportions — clearly benefits from Attention as a Service providers like us at 5,000 Cities.
We can give you multiple examples of challenges faced over the years while getting
- angel investor group and corporate accelerator managers,
- business consultancy owners
- or numerous startup founders — all, with clearly manifested intrinsic motivation
to forget about everything but the current strategic growth activity, even their own existence on the path to something bigger than the sum of individual stakeholders.
Social interaction overload as a factor in business matchmaking
Working with B2B clients in the innovation seeding realm should in most cases incorporate a mutually agreed — often patient — analysis of their attention-related or context switching practices, the practices they have in place to cope with social interaction / information overload.
This one is from a recent SCORE mentor presentation:
Identify 50-100 funds, investors who are a good fit. Aim to connect with potential investors 6-18 months in advance of a raise.
How does one avoid social interaction overload in the course of those 18 months?.. And (when you think of it) that thing — if it gets traction — has little chance of stopping at Month 20.
Attention as a service is broader than influencer or cross-marketing
Attention as a Service (3As) is really about understanding how one can strategically capture attention in this crowded digital world. It’s about getting people excited about your business development and networking services, and not just for a moment, but in a way that keeps them coming back for more.
Think of it as a way for your B2B customers to get inside the minds of their customers and business partners. Our 3As solution uses broadly available technology to figure out what people 5,000 Cities clients should prioritize interacting with, what makes our clients tick themselves — and then crafts experiences around that.
It’s less about traditional B2B cross-marketing and more about becoming a part of people’s lives in a way that feels natural and even fun.
In the B2B world, Attention as a Service is about reaching the right B2B leads at the right time with the right information. It’s like having a community that deeply understands your target audience, knows when they spend their time online in search of breakthrough engagement — and crafts content and experiences that speak directly to their needs and challenges.
Startup investors and innovation ecosystem managers are a savvy audience
Attention as a Service for B2B in the startup matchmaking context is less about flashy campaigns and more about providing real value that helps potential customers solve problems. It’s about building trust and positioning your business as a thought leader in the local or international innovation ecosystems.
Innovation lifestyle management and global access as part of 5,000 Cities’ B2B attention management
What a leading lifestyle management group, Quintessentially, does in luxury lifestyle definitely has elements of what 5,000 Cities includes into our Attention as a Service for startup ecosystem stakeholders. Folks over at Quintessentially, with their network of 35+ offices around the world, capture attention and curate experiences, but their focus is on a very specific, high-end clientele.
As our cities get populated by more startup founders (targeting savvier audiences and generally more innovative markets), 5,000 Cities’ broader 3As solution looks at attention across all kinds of startups and innovation ecosystem audiences, not just the unicorn-y few.
