Psychologists tell us that three of the parameters to help people retain information are Frequency, Intensity, and Duration.
So how can you apply these rules to make your marketing more memorable? Let’s take a look at each of them in turn.
Frequency: Marketing is remembered when multiple impressions are received. No we do not want to overwhelm members and prospects with repeated communications. However, in some key membership areas, I find that frequency is often lacking. For example, most organizations do not send out sufficient membership renewal notices. Surveys still show that many members have not renewed because they “forgot”. Here is another area. In an effort to limit email some organizations have moved to a single “combined” promotional email communication each month. But if email was achieving a 5% click through rate with a frequency of twice a week, it is unlikely that a 40% click through on a once a month communication will be achieved.
Intensity: In marketing, intensity relates to how effectively the promotion taps into a prospect’s emotions. A remarkably high number of buying decisions are made based on emotions and justified with reason. I wrote about using emotional drivers in a recent post. To enhance the intensity of your marketing first understand the wants and needs of your audience, then use stories and appeals to emotions -- like avoiding discomfort or embarrassment or gaining personal prestige or influence – to lock your message into the memory of your prospects.
Duration: In challenging economic times, one of the first budgets to be cut may be marketing. But research shows that organizations who keep marketing going over the long haul – taking advantage of duration -- build recognition and market share.
Here is one piece of research that I came across. An article from the journal Strategy and Leadership reported on a study of over 4,000 companies “the research showed that cutting marketing during a recession leads to reduced profitability in recovery, while increasing it leads to a 300% faster market share gain during better times.”[1] Keep this in mind as you look at your budgets.
How is your marketing doing in the areas of frequency, intensity, and duration? Feel free to share your insights.
So how can you apply these rules to make your marketing more memorable? Let’s take a look at each of them in turn.
Frequency: Marketing is remembered when multiple impressions are received. No we do not want to overwhelm members and prospects with repeated communications. However, in some key membership areas, I find that frequency is often lacking. For example, most organizations do not send out sufficient membership renewal notices. Surveys still show that many members have not renewed because they “forgot”. Here is another area. In an effort to limit email some organizations have moved to a single “combined” promotional email communication each month. But if email was achieving a 5% click through rate with a frequency of twice a week, it is unlikely that a 40% click through on a once a month communication will be achieved.
Intensity: In marketing, intensity relates to how effectively the promotion taps into a prospect’s emotions. A remarkably high number of buying decisions are made based on emotions and justified with reason. I wrote about using emotional drivers in a recent post. To enhance the intensity of your marketing first understand the wants and needs of your audience, then use stories and appeals to emotions -- like avoiding discomfort or embarrassment or gaining personal prestige or influence – to lock your message into the memory of your prospects.
Duration: In challenging economic times, one of the first budgets to be cut may be marketing. But research shows that organizations who keep marketing going over the long haul – taking advantage of duration -- build recognition and market share.
Here is one piece of research that I came across. An article from the journal Strategy and Leadership reported on a study of over 4,000 companies “the research showed that cutting marketing during a recession leads to reduced profitability in recovery, while increasing it leads to a 300% faster market share gain during better times.”[1] Keep this in mind as you look at your budgets.
How is your marketing doing in the areas of frequency, intensity, and duration? Feel free to share your insights.
[1] http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-columnists/2008/09/06/don-t-use-the-downturn-as-an-excuse-to-cut-marketing-91466-21684915/
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