Don't Stop Marketing Too Soon!

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by Lisa Bryan

There's a basic marketing principle called the Law of Seven. This means that, generally, a prospect has to see your business name "at least" seven times before they act on your marketing message. I've seen this law as high as Law of 29, but that's depressing, so let's go with the most common, which is seven!

Think about your own responses to advertising, and I think you'll agree that it definitely takes more than one or two sightings of a business name for you to actually decide to research it more. For instance...ever noticed that you see someone's URL in the signature line of their e-mail messages every day, but one day, it just clicks, and you visit their site. Then, you decide to ask for prices or more information? How about seeing an ad in the paper several times per week? After a few times, you make a mental note to visit the store. One day when you're headed out shopping, you decide to stop in.

The lesson here: it doesn't happen overnight! Repeat your advertising message often--even after you get sick of it, your spouse gets sick of it, and your Aunt Zelda is tired of it. Your prospects aren't bored with it; it's just starting to register in their heads! Frequency is the key!

So, if you're buying an ad in a publication, buy the largest size you can afford to run frequently. In general, several smaller ones are more effective than one huge one.

Don't change your basic marketing message on a whim--keep it consistent and keep trying for those magic seven contacts. And keep those sigs on your e-mails...it will pay off!