|
When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule I
always start with is The Rule of 7.
I learned about The Rule of 7 from one of my good
friends who once ran for political office. In his
campaign, he made certain that his name appeared seven
times in all of his radio spots.
Why? Because that's generally the number of times
required before a name "magically" sticks in the mind
of a prospect. The Rule of 7 is often used in radio and
television advertising. But this isn't an isolated
occurrence-the number seven seems to be a bit magical
in other areas, like prospecting and linguistics.
Do you know the average number of times experts say
you need to make contact with a prospect before they will
be ready to commit?
Seven.
Can you guess how many times linguists say a person
must use a word before it becomes a true part of their
vocabulary?
That's right-seven.
This "magic" is the reason I try to repeat my client's
product name or business name seven times in the sales
letters I write for them.
The truth is, we're not really talking about magic,
here. It's really about generating recognition for a
name or a concept. It's about embedding something in a
prospect's subconscious mind. It's about branding. I use
The Rule of 7 to write sales letters, but the idea can be
applied to other areas of marketing, too.
Every person and every thing has an identity-and
branding is about more than just a logo. A brand identity
is about who you are, what you offer and the benefits of
choosing you over the competition. The name you choose
to operate under-whether your personal name, your business
name, your product name, or your website address-is a
link to all of that information. Repetition, which is what
makes The Rule of 7 work, strengthens the recognition and
recollection of your brand.
Now, all the "experts" may come back later and say
that "seven" isn't the right number after all. It's nine.
Or it's five. Or it's eight-point-three. But it doesn't
really matter, does it? Seven works well as a general rule.
(Besides, it is a lucky number.)
Of course, I know that fulfilling The Rule of 7 is no
guarantee a prospect will accept an offer. But I know using
the rule increases the chance that a prospect will see my
name or the name of one of my websites and think, "Oh, yeah,
I remember Seductive Sales Letters" or "I remember Matthew
Cobb." Recognition and recollection-that's what The Rule of 7
is all about.
One word of warning, though. Just because seven times is
good doesn't mean that seventy times is even better. Repeating
the same name over and over again can grow annoying and cause
prospects to quit reading. And then, you may not even be able
to fulfill The Rule of 1.
**********************************************************
Matthew Cobb is an independent copywriter/consultant who
operates Seductive Sales Letters. Send him a message at
contact@cobbwriting.com or visit his sales letter site at
http://www.seductivesalesletters.com
and sign up for the official monthly publication,
The Seductive Sales Letter Clinic.
***********************************************************
|
|
