Say it again. And again. Then repeat.

Say it again. And again.

One of the most common things that business owners say to me is, I don't want to bombard people or I don't want to be too salesy.

Ironically these comments usually come from people who are as far from aggressive sales people as you can possibly imagine. And when I ask how often they post on social media or send out mailings, the answer is never (absolutely never) enough to qualify as even regular communication!

Do you know how many times you have to say something to make an impact or be memorable?

It used to be around 3-5 times. Now it’s between 10-15. The same message, perhaps expressed in a variety of ways, and using different channels – email, social media, word of mouth etc, but also repeated. And repeated. Again and again.

When you start to feel like you’ve overdoing it, you’re just getting started.

Earlier this year I ran some marketing workshops. A few years ago I would have sent out an email a few weeks’ in advance, and then again about a week before the event. We’re so busy, tired, overwhelmed, we really do need to hear the same thing multiple times.

I’ve done some experiments and found that I’ll get about 40% of bookings a few weeks’ in advance, then there’s a steady trickle accounting for about 30% of all bookings. The week before any event I now send out an extra email, which results in about 25% more bookings.

I normally hesitate to send yet another email but force myself to do so, a day or two before the event. That’s when the remaining 5% book, and I get a flurry of emails thanking me for the reminder or telling me it’s the first time they’ve heard about it! The day before, or even on the day itself, I’ll get a couple more very last-minute bookings.

I have good systems that let me see who has opened emails, how many I’ve sent, when etc, and can also check website stats, and social media. The people who ‘have only just heard about it’ have usually been sent 5+ emails, been following me on social media etc. But there’s nothing wrong with that. We all need reminders.

So when you think you’ve said something, when you think you’re repeating yourself, when you’re scared of bombarding or being too salesy – carry on, and do it again and again.

The people who worry about over-doing it are never the ones who do – I promise!