The answer is simple: Frequency
Frequency is the key to getting your business to stick in people’s minds. When marketing a successful small business there are quite a few elements you need to consider and keep in mind as you are planning out your strategy. These include: messaging, reach, buyer personas, creativity, relevancy and frequency.
Without frequency, you can put lots of time, energy and resources into an amazing, creative message that reaches thousands of people, but not get the results you are looking for.
Why? Because you are not putting your amazing message in front of the same people frequently enough. How do you do that?
The quick and easy formula is this:
Reach the same people with the same message 3 times a week for 52 weeks a year. Then it will be in their long term memory. No matter how relevant or irrelevant the message is, a message will successfully get stored in long term memory and become top of mind with this formula.
Why do so many campaigns fail?
It’s not because they weren’t creative. It’s not because they didn’t communicate well. It’s not because they didn’t have a catchy jingle to sing.
It is because they don’t understand the rules of effective frequency or they fail to follow them. A costly mistake; they quit too early. At 1-2 months, many businesses think they should see results from their marketing efforts. You may see some results, but to be successful at marketing your small business you need to stick with it. There are brands who stuck with the same slogan for years and they are the slogans we remember!
Check out these videos of Maxwell House Coffee from the 1950s compared to the 1980s:
Good to the Last drop- coffee that smells and tastes good. Hmmm...let's see which messages Maxwell House stuck with after 30 years:
SO what can we take away from the importance of effective frequency and consistency?
RESIST boredom and the urge to jump to something new. When you get bored because you are tired of hearing your message over and over, you want to move on to the next new thing. But your audience isn’t bored yet. They haven’t heard your message enough times to get bored.
Your challenge today:
Take a few minutes to relook at your marketing plan. Do you have a consistent message with an effective frequency? Are your advertising efforts jumping around too much or are you sticking with a plan of frequency long term?
You may not be able to answer all the questions in one day, but start today by asking the right questions. Take a good look at frequency because it touches all aspects of marketing a successful small business.
Here at Half a Bubble Out, we have experience with traditional and online advertising as well as proven strategies for messaging and marketing a successful small business. If you are interested in a free business assessment, contact us today and we would love to help you build or refine your strategies. We’re a Passion & Provision company that offers business consulting and we are ready to help you get started today.