MARKETING SAVVY
ONCE... OR EVEN THREE TIMES ... IS NOT ENOUGH
The old advertising standard used to be that someone seeing your advertisement three times would start to take notice and possibly action. But not anymore!
Why? We, as potential customers, business and consumer alike, are bombarded with marketing messages all the time, everywhere, in expanding ways. It used to be that the media choices focused on radio, TV, newspaper, magazines and billboards. The advertising world metric was "3"; an ad must be seen at least three times in each media choice to break through the clutter and be noticed.
MEDIA CHOICES ARE EXPANDING EXPONENTIALLY
But media is exploding - email, web sites, cell phone and PDA, even the floor of your grocery story is a new medium. There are ads on buildings, ads on taxi cabs and grocery carts and even the body of your favorite sports star.
IT TAKES SEVEN TIMES TO BREAK THROUGH THE CLUTTER
With all this competition for the mind of your target audience, the new metric is *7* impressions. A prospective customer must see your message on average 7 times for it to stand out from all the other messages they see each day. That’s right, 7 times. The first time or two, it may not be noticed. By the 4th, 5th , 6th or 7th time, the human brain starts realizing its been seeing a lot about this product or company!
INVEST IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, INVEST IN GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT
Given the challenge of getting your message to your target audiences, it's amazing that companies are willing to commit enormous resources including people, capital and time to develop a product or service, but don't commit the marketing resources to break through the clutter and reach their target markets. To generate revenues, you must get your message out. This is not the place to cut back!
When companies decide they can get by with only one direct mailing with no follow-up activities or a one-time ad, they are lost in the noise. They are not getting their unique benefits noticed. Your message must be seen again and again to stand out and compel your targets to take the action you want—generating leads and sales.
ACTION STEPS TO TAKE NOW:
1) Document your current marketing efforts
Identify what activities you are doing.
2) Analyze them
Are you doing one-shot activities or following through and consistently touching your target audience with your messages and benefits?
3) Evaluate them
Highlight those "one shot" tactics and determine whether you can either expand them or if they should be put away for the time being. For example, if you did a one-time ad and feel it's an effective way to reach a target audience, identify places to run it again. Increase the number of impressions to your prospects. If you did a direct mail, mail to the audience again with a new offer. Just because they don’t answer the first time, does not mean they are not interested. Remember, the average is 7 times to make an impact.
4) Evaluate your budget
Are you spending too little, just enough or too much? Search on the Internet for data on marketing spend rates in your industry to see where you stand. Or talk to your peers.
5) Compare them
Review the marketing efforts of your competitors. How are they reaching the same people and companies you're trying to reach? See if you can find out what's working and not working for them.
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