Frequency is key for lasting relationships. Think of a relationship that you value in your life. When did you meet this person? How long have you known them? How did they become an important figure in your life? In general, you’ll meet someone and the relationship grows based on how much time you spend with them.
I met two remarkable individuals at a fundraising event for a local charity we both supported. It was assigned seating and in hindsight a defining moment in my life. We easily sparked up a conversation and I liked this couple. I also learned they’re married and own a successful small business together. Over the next few years I would run into them at various events around town. We got to know each other well enough to ask how life was going and carry on more than just a small talk kind of conversation. At one of these encounters I learned they had an open position at their company. I learned not only do they have a business that thrives, but also somewhere it seemed people enjoyed going to every day. It’s what they call having passion and provision in a company. The type of frequency we’re talking about for a successful small business is the amount of moments you have with people through marketing. It’s not about how many times an ad runs that counts, it’s getting the same person to see or hear your message enough.
How often is often enough?
Memories don’t get built in the brain without frequency. Neuroscience tells us that when the brain sleeps it essentially cleans house and gets rid of unnecessary clutter. If it comes across something it has seen frequently enough it will “keep” it. It takes 3 to 4 months of consistently hearing a message for the brain to realize what it keeps hearing is important. Frequency in marketing is how often you’re telling people who you are. If a small business wants to begin building relationships with people its message needs to have a frequency of being heard by a single person 3 times a week, 52 weeks year. This will achieve three things:
- Tells people who you are and your message
- Keep you top of mind
- Keep your business in their long term memory
If someone asks you, “Where’s a good place to meet a friend for lunch that has tasty soup?” then what you recommend to them will be the restaurants that are top of mind for you and in your long term memory. If a business has been frequently telling you who they are and they have great homemade soup for the cold weather months ahead how fast you recall a business means it’s top of mind.
If it’s in your long term memory you will be able to easily name a few businesses right way. It’s important to note that you don’t have to actually “like” something for it to be top of mind or in your long term memory. You may not like the soup at Denny’s, but it’s one of the first three restaurants you mention to your friend because it has done a good job with frequency in marketing.
Why is frequency so important in marketing?
Remember the couple I mentioned above who had a job opening? I applied and I got the job. I had enough frequent interactions with them and developed a relationship with them over time that kept them at least in my long term memory – and myself in theirs! Now I see these two nearly every day and they are like family.
People don’t necessarily care about your company or brand, so if you don’t tell them often enough in ways that are relevant, you won’t have a very successful small business. One of the major reasons people fail at marketing is because they don’t understand the power of frequency and how it touches on every other aspect of marketing such as reach, relevance, and your message.
If you’re going to be successful at marketing you need frequency. If you introduce your message to someone, no matter how much they care about it, you will reach them if you tell them your message often enough. You’re building relationship with them and that’s going to change the way their brain thinks about your business.
To learn more about building relationships in your business using the power of frequency, contact us at Half a Bubble Out. We’re a passion and provision company offering business consulting, marketing, and advertising to help you tell your story.
