What’s the magic touch? How many marketing touches do you really need?

It used to be that you needed 6-7 marketing touches for your prospect to become top of mind. There’s not much current research on this, but a Google search now will return answers of anywhere from 7 to 23. There really is no magic number; it’s about converting those touches into trust. Getting someone to trust you with the information you provide them. It will require multiple touches, for sure, but it’s not important how many. It’s important what kind.

Every organization needs to have a strategic approach to touching potential customers. It should be an integrated strategy that includes multiple marketing avenues. Those avenues may include things like social media, blogging, workshops, conferences, networking, press releases, direct mail, email, and more. But throwing messages out there in these avenues won’t do the trick. You have to have a strategy.

Strategic marketing is about meeting your customers where they are. They have a problem; you have a solution. You build trust through your message and through your actions. They hear or see what other customers are saying about you. Trust. They read an article about how you solved the same problem for another company. More trust. They read your case studies and blog posts where you tell them tips to take to solve their problem. Even more trust. Then, when the timing is right for them, when the need is greatest, you make the final connection.  You seal the deal and then you continue building the relationship by solving their problem and providing exceptional customer service. They become a testimonial and the circle continues.

So it isn’t a science how many marketing touches you need, but it is a science to make those touches count. Content, consistency, multiple avenues, and exceptional customer service. These all build trust and are the magic combination that will convert your touches into a better bottom line.

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff.