Persistence Pays

One of the most common marketing problems I run into is this:

Organizations drop programs before they have a chance to work. 

An ad or two will run. One mailer gets sent. Response is underwhelming, so the plug gets pulled. And the organization goes off saying something like “We tried that, and it didn’t work."

AARGH!!

TRUE STORY:

An organization started a new ad series. Response the first month was lackluster. (Okay, it was bad!) The next two months weren’t much better; but we stuck with it and response started to pick up in the fourth month.

What was going on? Two things: repetition and timing.

• REPETITION: The audience needed to be exposed to the message several times before it sunk in.
• TIMING: For most products and services you don't know when someone will be ready to buy, so you need to be out there consistently.

Current wisdom is that it can take up to nine (yes, 9!) repetitions of a message for your audience to “get it.” Of course, you need to be reaching the right audience with a message that means something to them.

It’s a lot to think about, but help is out there. If you don’t have marketing expertise in your organization, hire a marketing communications specialist to help you. Even if you have a marketing department, an outside perspective can be invaluable.

My advice?  

Be persistent! Stick with it! Take a long-term perspective! Don’t give up!

Ya Gotta Be Seen to Sell

“To know, know, know you is to love, love, love you” go the lyrics of an old song.

There’s no such guarantee in business, but there’s one truth you can count on:   If prospects don’t know about your product or service, it’s hard to sell anything.

The opportunity to sell begins with awareness – being known. How do you build awareness? By being visible.

TRUE STORY:
A company introduced a revolutionary air filtration system but initial interest was nil. Then feature articles, magazine ads, a product-specific web site and demonstrations at trade shows got the word out about the new product.  

The result?  More inquiries about the product... and more sales.

The moral?  Ya gotta be seen to sell.

There are plenty of ways to get visible, like:

• Advertising (print, broadcast, web)
• Publicity (releases, articles, interviews)
• Mailings (surface mail, email)
• Events (trade shows, expos, seminars, open houses) 

The best mix depends on your audience, message, and budget.

Remember what your mother told you -- Why Repetition Works

What message from Mom (or Dad) sticks with you? Is it “Always wear clean underwear”? How about “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”? Or “Clean your plate.”?  These bits of advice stick with us for one big reason – REPETITION. You and I heard these messages again…and again…and again.

That’s the marketing communications lesson for the day. If you want your audience to absorb your message, repeat it. And I don’t mean two or three times, either. Current wisdom says it can take nine or more repetitions for a message to sink in.

Wondering why it takes such an effort to make an impact? Consider these facts.

• Your target audience is inundated with messages. It takes an effort to break through the clutter. Repetition and an intriguing presentation increases your odds of being noticed.
• Prospects buy when they’re ready. You need to be out there consistently to capture the prospect’s attention when he or she’s in the purchasing mood.
• We retain only about 10% of the information we’re exposed to each day. Repetition increases the chance your message will be part of that lucky 10%.

So repeat, repeat, repeat your core message. But you don’t have to use the same vehicle over and over. The most successful marketing communications programs use a variety of techniques to deliver a message: social media, online presence, publicity, direct mail, advertising, events, literature and more.

Mixing it up lets prospects get the same message in a variety of forms. And it can make repetition more affordable.

Tell Them About It

Lately I've been going on and on about branding.  WHY?  Because promoting a consistent brand image and message can be a shortcut into the mind of the buyer.  Translation:  good branding can boost sales.

But branding doesn't work if you keep it a secret.  Remember PROMOTION?  Promotion is about telling the world -- or rather the corner that cares -- about your product.

So if you hear stuff like this:

• “We told them about it, but they didn’t come.”
• “We advertised, but got no good leads.”
• “We tried that once, and it didn’t work.”

Yell "FOR SHAME!  FOR SHAME!" (Or something stronger.)  Where ever this stuff is coming from, there are big problems to watch out for.  Consider these thoughts:

1. First, ya gotta follow basic communications practices. Foremost among these is repetition. Tell your audience and then repeat, repeat, repeat your message for it to get through. Once is definitely not enough!

It’s not that anyone’s stupid or slow. People have a lot going on in their lives so you have to work hard to get through. It can take up to 9(!) repetitions for a message to sink in.

2. You can boost the effectiveness of repetition by using lots of different ways to deliver your message. Think about how you can send it out. Social media, public relations, mailings, advertising, newsletters, trade shows and websites might work.  The more, the merrier.   Do as much as you can afford.

3. If you’re doing the above and STILL not getting a response, you may need to take a step or two back to make sure your message is meaningful to the audience. Some marketing campaigns produce disappointing results because they promote what the company wants to say not what the audience wants to hear.

'Course if you did the brand POSITIONING legwork up front, this won't be a problem.