Content Marketing and the 7 - 11 - 4 Rule
The 7-11-4 Rule in Content Marketing
Nobody knows how content marketing works better than Google. The billion dollar company that connects the world to content watches how it works, click by click. They know!!
They revealed some time ago a golden nugget that every business owner can implement in their marketing TODAY. Its called the 7-11-4 Rule.
The 7-11-4 rule is a marketing principle suggesting that potential customers need to engage with a brand for approximately 7 hours across 11 touchpoints in 4 different locations before making a purchase decision.
Breaking Down the 7-11-4 Rule:
7 hours: This represents the total amount of time a potential customer spends consuming content related to your brand. This could include blog posts, videos, social media, podcasts, and more.
11 touchpoints: These are the various interactions a customer has with your brand. It can be through your website, email, social media, advertising, or even in-person experiences.
4 locations: This refers to the different platforms or channels where your content is distributed. It could be your website, social media platforms, email, and physical locations.
Why Does it Matter?
The 7-11-4 rule highlights the importance of consistent and multi-channel content marketing. It emphasizes the need to build trust and familiarity with your audience over time. By providing valuable content across different platforms, you increase the likelihood of capturing your target audience's attention and converting them into customers.
To effectively implement the 7-11-4 rule, consider:
Creating a variety of content formats: Blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, webinars, etc.
Distributing content across multiple channels: Website, social media, email, paid advertising, etc.
Analyzing customer behavior: Track how customers interact with your content to optimize your strategy.
Measuring ROI: Evaluate the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts and make necessary adjustments.
By following these guidelines, you can increase your chances of building a strong brand presence and driving conversions.
Would you like to delve deeper into any specific aspect of the 7-11-4 rule or how to apply it to your business?
Here is how you can use the Rainmaker Reputation AI CRM to deploy the 7-11-4 rule in your business.
First, let's also understand some important content consuming behavioral data that will help you get your content consumed more.
The Social Poster in the Rainmaker Reputation AI CRM can post video to Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and even Google Business Profiles.
This means if you use the most powerful content format, video, to push out your content, you can use our Social Poster tool, with built in AI to help you craft the written copy of your posts, the video you make today can be posted to all of the above channels in one workflow. Easily and efficiently.
You can schedule posts months ahead for added convenience.
So we recommend using Vertical format videos because they are most engaging and clickable formats at the moment on all platforms, to super charge your content marketing with the 7 - 11 - 4 rule.
And of course, get your Review scores in shape with our ReputationGenius cards to make sure that when the moment of truth comes with a stranger, and they take the extra step to scope out your online reputation, you have a review score of 4.7 or higher to compel that stranger to start a conversation with you.
The 7-11-4 rule suggests that 11 touchpoints are needed for customer engagement before a customer makes a purchasing decision. Touchpoints are interactions a customer has with a brand. Examples of touchpoints include interactions on a company website, via email, on social media, through advertising, and through in-person experiences.
Multi-channel content marketing is very impactful for customer acquisition because it takes an average of 7 hours of engagement across 11 touchpoints on 4 different platforms for a potential customer to convert. This principle is called the 7-11-4 rule, and Google, with its insights into user behavior, supports this principle. Reaching customers across a variety of platforms for a significant amount of time is essential to driving conversions. One way to achieve this is to create a diverse range of content, including blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, and webinars. This content should then be distributed across various channels, such as a company website, social media, email, and paid advertising. To ensure that the content is reaching the right audience in the right way, businesses should analyze customer behavior and track how customers interact with their content. Finally, measuring the return on investment (ROI) is crucial to understanding what is working and making necessary adjustments to the strategy.
One company that can help with the implementation of the 7-11-4 rule is Rainmaker Reputation AI. They offer CRM solutions with a Social Poster tool that allows businesses to post video content to multiple platforms, including YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and Google Business Profiles. The tool also has built-in AI that can help craft the written copy for posts and schedule posts months in advance. Rainmaker Reputation AI suggests using vertical format videos because they are currently the most engaging and clickable format on all platforms.
Content Marketing and the 7-11-4 Rule Study Guide
Glossary of Key Terms
Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Touchpoint: Any interaction a customer has with your brand, whether online or offline. This includes website visits, social media engagement, email interactions, advertising exposures, in-store experiences, and more.
Conversion: The desired action you want your audience to take, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or contacting your sales team.
Multi-Channel Marketing: A marketing strategy that utilizes multiple channels to reach target audiences. It involves coordinating marketing messages across different platforms to create a seamless and consistent brand experience for customers.
ROI (Return on Investment): A metric used to measure the profitability of an investment. In the context of content marketing, ROI measures the return generated from the time, effort, and resources invested in creating and distributing content.
Short-Answer Quiz
What is the core principle behind the 7-11-4 Rule in content marketing?
Explain the significance of "7 hours" in the 7-11-4 Rule. What types of content contribute to this duration?
Describe the concept of "touchpoints" in the context of this rule. Provide three distinct examples of touchpoints.
Why is it crucial to have content distributed across "4 locations," as emphasized by the rule?
How does the 7-11-4 Rule underscore the importance of building trust and familiarity with your target audience?
Beyond creating diverse content formats, what is another critical aspect of effectively implementing the 7-11-4 Rule?
How can analyzing customer behavior contribute to optimizing your content marketing strategy?
What is the role of measuring ROI in evaluating the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts?
According to the source, what is the recommended video format for maximizing engagement and click-through rates?
How does having a high review score contribute to the effectiveness of the 7-11-4 Rule?
Short-Answer Quiz Answer Key
The 7-11-4 Rule suggests that potential customers need significant exposure to a brand before making a purchase decision, requiring approximately 7 hours of engagement across 11 touchpoints and 4 different locations.
"7 hours" represents the estimated total time a potential customer spends consuming brand-related content. This includes various formats like blog posts, videos, social media posts, podcasts, webinars, and more.
Touchpoints are any interactions a customer has with your brand. Examples include visiting your website, clicking on an online advertisement, engaging with a social media post, opening an email newsletter, or having a conversation with a sales representative.
Distributing content across multiple locations (platforms or channels) maximizes reach and visibility, increasing the chances of capturing the target audience's attention in different contexts.
By consistently providing valuable content across various touchpoints and locations, brands can establish themselves as reliable sources of information, build credibility, and nurture relationships with potential customers over time.
Besides content diversity, distributing content across multiple channels like websites, social media platforms, email marketing, and paid advertising is essential for reaching a wider audience.
Analyzing metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and conversion rates provides insights into what content resonates with your audience and helps refine your strategy for better results.
Measuring ROI helps assess the effectiveness of content marketing campaigns by comparing the investment made against the returns generated, allowing for data-driven adjustments and optimization.
The source recommends using vertical format videos as they are currently the most engaging and clickable format across various platforms.
A high review score reinforces brand credibility and trustworthiness, making potential customers more likely to engage with the brand and consider making a purchase.
Essay Questions
Analyze the relationship between the 7-11-4 Rule and the concept of the "buyer's journey." How can content marketing be strategically employed at different stages of the buyer's journey to guide potential customers towards conversion?
Discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing the 7-11-4 Rule in today's digital landscape, considering the ever-evolving media consumption habits and the increasing competition for attention online.
Evaluate the role of data analytics and customer insights in effectively applying the 7-11-4 Rule. How can brands leverage data to tailor their content, optimize distribution channels, and measure the impact of their efforts?
Discuss the ethical considerations of the 7-11-4 Rule, particularly regarding potential customer fatigue and information overload. How can brands strike a balance between providing valuable content and respecting their audience's time and attention?
Looking beyond the quantitative aspects of the 7-11-4 Rule, explore the qualitative factors that influence the effectiveness of content marketing. How do elements like storytelling, emotional connection, and brand authenticity contribute to building trust and driving conversions?
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