Frequency in Reverse

The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished. --George Bernard Shaw

The chief benefit of local store marketing over advertising is that you can achieve a high message frequency for less money. The problem with local store marketing is that most people think that just because they have visited a local school, or done a good deed for a church, or handed out samples at a community event, people will remember who they are and what they do. They think they have communicated, but they haven't.

"Everybody knows we're here, they're just not coming in." That probably sounds familiar to most of you, but it's not accurate in most cases. People don't know you're there. They may have heard of you, but just aren't sure what you do or where you are.

It takes nine or more messages for people to remember your name, connect your company to a need that they have ("I'm in the mood for Chinese"), and be willing to break existing habits in order to give you a try. Couple that with this fact: Americans are bombarded with nearly 2,000 messages per day, most of which never sink in. Just because you said it doesn't mean they heard it, and just because you wrote it doesn't mean they read it.

Local store marketing is ideally suited for the task of telling customers something again and again because its tactics are low cost and easy to implement. There's also a higher degree of personal interaction, guaranteeing that your message gets through the clutter and makes an impression. But human nature is what it is and most people, maybe even you, have a hard time with names. In light of that, written below is the best "Best Practice" we know of to get your message out there. It's the most creative idea, the most influential type of marketing, and the most outside the box thought throughout the industry.

Are you ready?

Be consistent and persistent. Deliver your message to your audience and then deliver it again. And then again. And then another time for good measure. Mix it up a bit, use a selection of media (email, bounce-backs, advertising, samples, events), give customers time (a couple of weeks) to digest and respond to your message or call to action, but be sure to say your message again and again. Even if you're tired of your message, they're likely just registering it for the first time.

Creative ideas make local store marketing fun, they even increase your chances of getting your message through sooner. But "out of the box" ideas are no substitute for good old fashioned persistence.