If you have kids, you know that frequency works.
If you are a manager, you know that saying a message one time does not work with employees.
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There is an inherent value to frequency. Parenting, managing, selling, marketing are not one-shot propositions. Sometimes one ad works, sometimes people win the lottery and sometimes you catch a big fish — but usually the one time has a lot of one times piled up against it.
The logic goes like this: “Frequency breeds familiarity, and familiarity breed trust.” We like to buy from people we trust and from trusted brands.
So what about in the digital world? Well, there is the well-agreed-to rule of seven, but who knows if that is correct. I’d say with all the clutter, the frequency number should be 10 to 20 times.
Where my thinking differs from most is that I believe the buy should be level for the entire year. That way you make sure you supply the reach frequency to the right audience when they are ready to buy into your message, not when you are trying to sell.
Front-loading campaigns works in TV and traditional advertising, but in digital the front load is really a front, learning load. Because you can optimize a digital campaign throughout the year, it make sense to keep running and measuring your frequency with your audience.
Most like to spend time talking about what people need to hear; the smart marketer asks, “How many times do they need to hear it?”
