47 seconds of attention – and then what? Why real estate marketing today needs more than a good reel

47 seconds – this number is currently often used as a symbol for declining attention spans in the digital age. It’s frequently interpreted simply as “attention span.” However, research by Gloria Mark at the University of California, Irvine, doesn’t examine how long people can generally concentrate, but rather how long they typically remain engaged in digital screen activity before shifting their attention elsewhere.

The trend reveals a significant shift: While earlier studies showed that people spent an average of about 2.5 minutes on digital activities, this period has become considerably shorter in more recent measurements. The crucial insight, however, is not that people are unwilling to invest time. Rather, they are deciding more quickly which content is relevant to them.

This is precisely the challenge for modern marketing: Attention must not only be captured, but also earned.

Because people continue to dedicate their time to relevant content. If content offers genuine added value, users will still engage with it longer, explore it more deeply, and consciously invest their attention.

This development is particularly interesting for the real estate industry. A property cannot be explained or sold in a few seconds. The crucial question, therefore, is: How can an initial moment of interest be transformed into an in-depth engagement with a property?

A successful reel has fulfilled its first task: The prospective buyer has decided that this property is relevant enough to explore further.

Now the next phase of the customer journey begins.

The user might land on a real estate agent’s website, a landing page for a new construction project, or a real estate portal. There, they expect to find the standard information found in a property listing: key data, floor plan, description, location information, and photos.

Even in this phase, it’s crucial to maintain their attention. As users become more selective about the content they spend their time on, simply providing information is no longer sufficient. A property listing must help answer the most important question:

What could my life be like in this property?

Photos play a central role here. They are often the first emotional touchpoint after the property details and significantly influence whether a prospective buyer delves deeper into the property.

Research on digital attention reveals a key insight: people continue to invest time in relevant content. The challenge isn’t simply keeping people on a page longer, but rather providing them with content that offers genuine added value.

This is precisely why digital twins are so effective at this point in the customer journey.

Because the prospects who arrive here have already pre-qualified. They’ve seen a Reel, engaged with the information in the property listing, and viewed images or visualizations. They’re no longer just looking for any property—they’re exploring a specific one.

A digital twin offers precisely the added value that further deepens this engagement: it transforms information into an experience.

A Reel answers only one question:

“Should I take a closer look at this property?”

A digital twin, on the other hand, answers:

“Can I imagine living here?”

Through interactive exploration, prospects can freely discover spaces, better assess proportions, and experience different perspectives. The ability to virtually integrate their own furniture into the property is particularly relevant.

This fundamentally changes the role of the prospective buyer. They no longer just look at a property from the outside, but begin to design their own future home within it.

The findings of the 47-second research don’t mean that properties need to be presented more concisely. Rather, they demonstrate that every single touchpoint must deliver clear added value.

Successful real estate marketing, therefore, doesn’t stem from a single format, but from the interplay of various digital experiences.

Reels and short videos generate attention and encourage potential buyers to engage more deeply with a property.

AI visualizations help to reveal a property’s potential and expand the imagination.

Finally, digital twins create the interaction that transforms interest into a personal connection.

Because attention is captured in seconds.

Trust is built through relevant experiences.

And purchasing decisions evolve throughout the entire customer journey.