The Marketing Rule of 7 came about in the 1930’s and was widely used by the film making industry. It is thought to be one of the oldest marketing strategies in existence; a person needs to hear or receive your message seven times before they are receptive to it.
Whilst in the 30’s this was probably highly effective, considering the marketing platforms available at the time, however these days we have an inexhaustible choice of marketing platforms at our disposal.
The introduction of multiple channels on television and radio, followed by satellite tv and digital radio was only the tip of the iceberg.
Social media consists of countless marketing platforms, from the well-known ‘social sites’ such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, the business connection sites such as LinkedIn, Bark and Meetup, sports based social sites, shopping and auction sites, gaming sites and so on and so on… There are literally thousands of places your marketing message could appear nowadays, and that’s online only.
With the introduction of social media, your marketing message is likely to be diluted hundreds of times by other businesses and advertisers. This coupled with how our brains now take in information thanks to a fast-moving digital world means you’re already on the back foot when it comes to that person receiving your message. Have you thought about how many times an ad, email, post or leaflet reached you before you took action?
How can you get your marketing message heard?
Have you heard of the Marketing Mix? Otherwise known as the P’s of marketing, there are anywhere between 4 and 20+ P’s; Product, Positioning, Personality, Price etc. To ensure your message is heard you need to examine where your business fits into this mix.
Social media has absolutely blown the Rule of 7 out of the water, but it’s not all about social. To ensure a consistent and well-rounded marketing message is heard by your audience, you need to be considering all the other marketing opportunities, such as printed material and physical presence on your shop front, vehicles and website.
But when it does come down to social media, you need a watertight strategy.
Determine what success looks like to you
Make sure your website landing pages are ready to convert your social traffic
Know your audience and where they hang out on social
Schedule themed topics to talk about in blogs and posts
Budget for targeted paid-for advertising and most importantly
The right portion of curated, created and engaging content.
Remember, social media is about building relationships with your audience, there’s a time and place for sales, but it will inevitably take longer and way more than seven touch points to get a response…
Get help with your marketing strategy from our helpful stuff page, and read more about the marketing mix in Lucy’s next blog, ‘The 20 P’s of a comprehensive marketing strategy.’ Or, call us to ask about a marketing consultancy day on 01993 224522, when we can take your business through the 20 P’s of marketing.