“Three” is the magic marketing number: Part 2/3
In last week’s blog, What is the Rule of Three in Marketing? I looked at the concept of the rule and Krugman’s (1984) three exposures model.
This week, it’s all about situations and examples in which the concept can be seen in practice.
Applying the ‘Rule of 3’ in marketing
There are examples of the ‘rule of three’ everywhere; it’s in famous phrases such as; ‘third time lucky,’ ‘the good, the bad and the ugly,’ and even, ‘the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ So, how can we apply this model to our own marketing campaigns and create those all-important three exposures?
Channels of digital communication
There are an inordinate number of channels of communication available, many of which are interlinked. By ensuring that you have relevant, up-to-date, consistent content in each location, the likelihood of engagement with potential customers is bound to increase. To name but a few, three touch-points that you could use are:
- Twitter; Where you can take advantage of persuasive copy to connect with potential clients or people who know the people you want to connect with. Here, your content could potentially be shared globally, linking back to your website.
- Your website; Where people can access your company collateral and promotional content. This is the place where potential customers come, or are lead to, where they are likely to engage with you.
- LinkedIn; A place to connect with those people who may well benefit from your content. And also, a place for those people who may have found you elsewhere to check you out and confirm that you are a reputable and professional source.
So, using the concept of the three exposures, what journey would a potential customer go on?
Traditional marketing techniques
The reach and frequency of a piece of advertising has been shown to directly influence buying behaviour. If a potential customer contacts you regarding a product or service that they are in the market for, they may tell you they have only seen it advertised once, in a magazine for example. However, the likelihood is that although unaware, that will not have been the first time they have seen it, but the second or third. Subconsciously, they may have been exposed to a piece of direct mail and heard a radio ad but due to the nature of the human memory, are only able to recall the third exposure.
Again, the customer journey from awareness to evaluation might look something like this:
Points of engagement
You can reach your target audience in so many ways that it can become overwhelming and may lead you to think, ‘do I really need to invest in direct mail, print and web advertising?’ What you must keep in mind is that when the consumer enters into the ‘need state,’ you must be there to grab their attention, so yes, have confidence that your efforts are not in vain. The place and time that someone experiences exposure one and becomes curious could be anywhere. And looking forward, exposure two and three could be totally different again. What combination would you use to drive traffic to your website?:
So Remember
What is vital to take into consideration is that people have selective attention. Someone may have been exposed to a piece of marketing 23 times, or 50 times over two weeks or two months, but until they are in the ‘need state’, they will not truly ‘see’ the communication. It was always there; that piece of direct mail or web banner, but it was not always relevant. It is only when we move into the market for a product or service that we then experience the three exposures required for us to be drawn through the sales funnel. By the time someone gets in touch with you, you can be pretty sure they’ve seen something at least three times.
You may be investing in a high frequency of marketing material, but reporting only one as the most effective – the last one that people happen to see before getting in touch. Don’t assume that it isn’t worth it to invest in your reach and the rate of your frequency. Remember, you need to be there and ready for when your potential customer is ready to ‘see’ you.
By Laura Champion | Assistant Clear Thinker | Clear Thought Consulting Ltd | www.clear-thought.co.uk
If this article is of interest to you, you may also like to view:
- Blog: Three is the magic marketing number. PART 1
- 10 Minute Tips: Social media and the sales funnel
- Blog: One piece of content, twenty ways to use it
- Blog: What’s more important to marketing success – science or creativity?
Clear Thought Consulting works with small businesses, equipping them with the marketing strategies, suppliers, skills and set-up that they need to become bigger businesses. We do this by planning and delivering 12-month marketing transformation programmes – supporting a small business through a step-by-step process to making marketing pay. We firmly believe that when you can’t out-spend your competition, you have to out-think them.
Published on 14 July 2010
