Marketing has made huge advancements in the past couple of years. Simply with Telco base station triangulation, we can broadcast SMS or MMS messages to pools of targeted consumers walking around Vivo City any time of the day we desire. Just think about how powerful this marketing method is for f&b businesses. It’s insanely effective to catch the right crowds while they are at the right places.
But the thing is, all these improvements have 1 very simple thing in common but manifests in various forms. Plainly put…the improvements thus far only make it easier for us to zoom in onto target groups of people who are at a predisposition to use certain products or services.
So if we are running a cosmetics business, we are able to broadcast messages ONLY to women of a particular age range and income level. Because promoting cosmetics to this white-collared female crowd makes the most sense, after all they make up a majority of cosmetic users.
This improvement makes the job easier for business owners and marketers to appeal to the correct crowds. And furthermore, recipients get to receive offers in proximity to their interests.
But let’s be honest here…
Something that hasn’t been improved upon is how quickly consumers respond to offers broadcasted to them. No amount or good writing or graphic design can stimulate an instant buying decision.
And there’s a very simple logic behind this…
You see, technology may have enabled us to home in onto money-in-hand customers, but no matter how targeted we can get, consumer behavior remains the same. We chase trends, go for the latest fashion, queue up for milk tea, and even hairstyles find their way into commonplace.
And how do these trends happen? You might ask.
The answer lies in effective frequency. Implement any amount of improvement you like to any marketing method, and it still eventually boils down to effective frequency.
Thomas Smith, in his book “Successful Advertising,” makes the following reflection on effective frequency:
The 1st time people look at ad, they don’t see it.
The 2nd time, they don’t notice it.
The 3rd time, they are aware that it is there.
The 4th time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it before.
The 5th time, they actually read the ad.
The 6th time, they thumb their nose at it.
The 7th time, they get a little irritated with it.
The 8th time, they think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
The 9th time, they wonder if they’re missing out on something.
The 10th time, they ask their friends or neighbours if they’ve tried it.
The 11th time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
The 12th time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The 13th time, they start to feel the product has value.
The 14th time, they start to feel like they’ve wanted a product like this for a long time.
The 15th time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
The 16th time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The 17th time, they make a commitment to buy the product.
The 18th time, they curse their poverty because they can’t buy this terrific product.
The 19th time, they count their money very carefully.
The 20th time prospects see the ad, they buy what it is offering.
And you know what? Mr. Smith penned this savvy little insight back in 1885. That was more than a hundred years ago, during 1885, Karl Benz just produced the first automobile. It was a mighty long time ago, and consumer behavior have not changed much.
So know this: If you broadcasted an SMS or MMS once, and expect overwhelming responses to your Ad, think again. History has demonstrated time again that only through repetitions, are we able to build a following of loyal customers who return again and again.
And if there’s anything that seasoned marketers agree upon, it’s that messages can only become more effective when repeated. And psychologically, repeated statements become more and more believable too.
So the next time you send an offer through SMS, MMS or Email and not get a good amount of responses, remember not to give up, and to keep at it till you achieve effective frequency.
Remember, Repetition makes reputation and reputation makes customers.