Hi Reader,
In the crowded, fast-paced world of modern marketing, one principle has stood the test of time: "The Rule of 7". This concept suggests that a potential client needs at least seven meaningful interactions or “touch points” with a brand before they are ready to make a purchase or take a significant action.
The number seven is not arbitrary. George Miller’s 1956 paper “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two,” argued that the average human working memory can hold 7 ± 2 items at a time. Hence repetition helps messages move from short-term to long-term memory, by staying within our limited "information bandwidth".
"The Rule of 7" can be traced back to the 1930s, when Hollywood movie studios discovered that a potential moviegoer needed to see an advertisement for a film at least seven times before deciding to buy a ticket. This insight was born from the need to stand out in a competitive entertainment landscape, and it quickly became a foundational marketing principle.
While the concept originated in Hollywood, marketing expert, Dr. Jeffrey Lant, is widely credited with formalizing this for broader sales and marketing use. He emphasized "cognitive bias" - that people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. This approach was especially relevant in an era when companies controlled most of the information flow to consumers. Which raises the question, while this rule was conceived in the pre-digital era ..
Is this still relevant Today?
With the explosion of digital channels and the sheer volume of information competing for attention, some experts argue that even more touch points may be needed today. But we decided to implement this for a SaaS client of ours. We ran a seven-week campaign that includes emails, social media posts, digital ads, webinars, case studies, and customer testimonials. By the end of the campaign, prospects had encountered the brand multiple times across different channels & the results say it all.
After 7 weeks, the number of demos increasing by a staggering 238%!
Leveraging it for your Personal Branding
The Rule of 7 isn’t limited to just our B2B & B2C clients. We apply it extensively even for our personal branding clients - basically any area where building relationships and trust over time is essential. The simplest way to leverage this principle is:
- Diversify Content Type: The first thing we do is mix it up. Try different formats: image posts, videos, polls, podcasts & even LinkedIn Live for the ambitious ones!
- Diversify Channels: After Elon Musk bought Twitter, he changed the algorithm and people with 100k+ followers dropped to triple digits. So you need to be on AT LEAST 2 social media channels (I'm even on Quora with over a million views!) If you're into videos, you've got to be on YouTube.
- Maintain Consistency: Ensure your messaging is cohesive across all platforms and you need to post at least 2-3x a week.
- Newsletters: With the advent of AI, you've got understand the concept of "Rent vs Own". You rent space on all social media channels, but you own the interaction with the client through newsletters. The same concept sellers on Amazon give heavier discounts when you buy directly through the seller's website (D2C).
- Be Persistent, Not Pushy: Space out interactions thoughtfully to avoid overwhelming prospects, but don’t give up after just a few touches.
In a world where attention is scarce and trust is hard-won, repeated, meaningful engagement is the key to conversion. Until next week, here are our...
