Repetition in marketing is important. Once again, repetition of your marketing message more than once is critical for your marketing to work. (See what I did there?)
Why is repetition necessary? First, let’s start with the reality that there’s a lot of messaging going on in the world. By some estimates, people see from 6,000 to 10,000 messages a day.
Many marketers write blogs and articles about what it takes to “break through” the clutter. And there are varying “rules of thumb” about how many times people need to see a message before it has any impact, ranging from 3 – 6 or 7 – 20 times. The bottom line is: people need to see a message more than once for it to sink in.
How to repeat without boring or offending. Once you understand that repetition works, it’s important to consider how it’s repeated. The only thing worse than seeing a boring ad or message once is being bombarded with it, over and over again.
Often, the best way to repeat a message is through a range of media: as a blog, as a social post, within an email, etc. The best way to repeat a message so that it jumps out of the “clutter” is to have it educational, amusing, entertaining, or informational.
When someone experiences your message, over and over again, it should feel as though they’re being tickled by the bubbles you see in the image above, not bombarded by darts.
This is why retargeting works, too. If you search for something online and then click through the search results, to go to a site, your activity may be tagged for retargeting. This is why, if you click through to see one or two sites (based on your search), and then leave a website, you’ll often see the site’s offerings pop up again and again as an ad as you browse again.
For example, when my mother wanted to buy a new couch, we searched online so she could find the style she liked and know the best store to visit. I warned her that, once we started browsing, she’d be seeing couches for a long time online. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. But it was worth it, for her to find what she wanted.
Who uses retargeting? Ecommerce sites use remarketing because if someone is at the stage where they want to buy something, it makes sense to “retarget” them after the first visit to a website, so the site stays top-of-mind. Visitors may be at the point where they are ready to spend money and that’s the best time to advertise to someone: when they’re at that final stage, eager to purchase. Retargeting ensures that your name/brand, products or services are in the running as they are making their final purchasing decision.
Is your product or service something that people will research and then want to purchase? If so, retargeting may be a great way to ensure that your message is repeated, over and over again, for a prospective buyer. It’s worth trying – and it can be tested (put that into your marketing budget.)
Using Google Analytics, we can see if retargeting boosts your Google campaign results by getting more people to your website who are legitimate/prospective buyers.
Are you repeating your message enough so that it has a chance to break through the clutter? And are you retargeting people who are searching for what you offer? If not, reach out and let’s talk.
