Think quick: what brand of chips, soda, or pain reliever do you reach for? Chances are that you’re like the vast majority of people when it comes to walking through the grocery store aisles to pick these products and others. You purchase the same brand of product, over and over each week. That’s the result of the frequency technique!
For the most part, we tend to buy the brands because of three reasons: we know them, we like them, and we trust them. By using the frequency technique, your brand can start becoming what everyone is buying. In fact, this frequency technique is what big-budget companies rely on!
Building Trust
Take Pepsi, for example, who runs hundreds millions of dollars’ worth of commercials each year. They don’t do this because they think you are running out of Pepsi and need a reminder to buy some at that moment. No, they do it so you build a sense of trust and frequent awareness of their product. That way, the next time you are at the store and you see a Pepsi bottle alongside a generic brand of soda, you will be more likely to opt for theirs.
You see, the likelihood is far greater that you will reach for that bottle of Pepsi because you are familiar with the product name, even if it is costs more than the generic brand. And let’s face it, the product has to cost more, in order to pay for all those ads! The only thing that would stop you from grabbing the bottle of Pepsi is if you have decided you don’t like it (the third piece of the pie), or you couldn’t scrape up the extra change off the floorboard.
Making It Personal
The frequency technique can be used in our personal lives, as well, on a smaller and more affordable scale. Think about it – you see someone in town for the first time and you have reservations and curiosity. But if you start seeing them every day – say, when you are dropping your kids off at school, for example – then you begin feeling more comfortable with them as time goes on. You never need to even talk to them; just by seeing them frequently, you start to feel that you “know” and “trust” them. Soon, you are much more likely to go out of your way to introduce yourself to them.
This is how all relationships get started, really. We start out not knowing each other and then, after seeing each other time and again, we become comfortable, we feel as if we know each other, and we even begin to trust one another. While this is automatic in your personal life, the golden opportunity here is for you to use it in your business.
Networking Frequency
Using the frequency technique to promote your business is easier than you may realize! Instead of randomly networking, or placing ads here and there, try focusing all of your efforts on the same group of target customers. For example, put all of your efforts into going to just one networking group for months, or even years. What will happen is that, as time goes on, you will become known and trusted, and more people will end up buying from you.
Likewise, if you decided to run an ad, make it a long-term commitment, so that the presence is there long enough for people to get to know and trust you. In time, you will reap the rewards!
The Long Run
The goal, whether you opt for advertising, networking, or any of a number of other marketing strategies, is to be a constant presence within only a few select areas. The returns, both through prospects and customers, will tremendously surpass any “mass marketing” efforts you tried in the past. And, knowing this, you may never look at commercials in the same way again!
