In the 1970s, Louise Lasser starred in a satirical soap opera, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. The name was repeated because Producer Norman Lear and the show’s writers believed that dialog in a soap opera was always said twice.Â
Satire notwithstanding, that’s not much of a stretch.
It’s not because soap operas have a lot of time to fill and a set of storylines where not much happens. It’s because repetition is an effective way to build tension.
It’s the same in marketing a product or service. You want to create or recognize tension, and build it, so you can get readers or listeners to buy your product or service to relieve that tension.
So we repeat our marketing messages by running multiple ads or writing multiple articles or doing a series of presentations that deal with the same issues.
Some say it takes seven impressions to get someone to buy. The first time, they don’t notice it. The second time, they may notice it but not really listen. The third time, they listen but may not believe. And so on, until they are persuaded to take the next step.
Accurate or not, there’s value in repeating your message.
If you’re writing a blog post or article, it’s okay if you’ve written about the same subject before. Somebody will be hearing it for the first time; others, are on their fifth or sixth time and need to hear it again.
Besides, you may present the same message but you will probably write it in a different way. Different lead, different examples or stories, different call to action.
So don’t fear repetition, embrace it, embrace it.
Here’s the formula for marketing legal services
