Marketing’s not magic. It’s not even that complicated. But it does require a little patience and a lot of reminding. Enter: the Rule of 7.
Here’s the gist—people need to see your brand (or hear from you, or get gently nudged by your existence) at least seven times before they’ll do anything about it. Buy, click, reply, whatever. Until then? You’re background noise. Static. That guy who waved once at a party and then disappeared forever.
So… Why 7?
It’s not a sacred number. It’s just enough. Enough to build trust. Enough to not be forgotten in the endless scroll. Enough to feel familiar without being annoying. You’re not trying to be that pushy car dealership. You’re trying to be the friendly barista who remembers their order.
Alright, How Do You Actually Do This?
1. Be Everywhere (But Not in a Creepy Way)
Socials. Email. Ads. Podcast plugs. Bathroom stall posters if you’re feeling bold. The idea is to show up in more than one place so people start connecting the dots. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen them around…”
2. Make Content Like You’re a Real Human
Not a robot. Not a jargon generator. Just… a person who knows stuff. Blog posts, short videos, helpful tips, a meme that slaps. Keep showing up with value, not just “buy now” energy.
3. Emails That Don’t Suck
Set up a sequence. A welcome series that doesn’t feel like a hostage situation. Educational stuff, success stories, the occasional “Hey, just checking in.” You don’t have to hard sell. You just have to stay on the radar.
4. Influencers: Use Their Street Cred
Partner with folks your audience already listens to. If someone they trust casually mentions you more than once, you’re halfway there.
5. Don’t Sleep on Offline
Billboards still exist. Postcards still land in mailboxes. Mix the online noise with a little IRL presence. It’s all part of the same echo chamber, if you play it right.
Yes, This Works for B2B Too
Especially B2B. Those buying cycles are long enough to grow a beard. You need to keep showing up while your prospect’s boss “thinks about it” for six months. Stay top-of-mind, not bottom-of-inbox.
And If You’re a Researcher?
Same thing. Don’t just drop a PowerPoint and ghost. Repeat the insight. Embed it in a Slack thread. Remind them in meetings. Whisper it in the elevator. (Okay maybe not that last one.)
TL;DR People don’t act on the first impression. Or the second. But around the seventh time? That’s when stuff starts to happen. So show up. Then show up again. And again. Until they finally go, “Oh yeah, I know them.”
That’s the Rule of 7. Not rocket science. Just a little persistence dressed as strategy.
Sources
B2B Inbound Marketers. (2025, March 24). Rule of 7 Marketing Examples That Actually Work. Retrieved from https://www.inboundmarketer.co/rule-of-7-marketing-examples-that-actually-work/
Brameld, Stuart. (2024, April 25). What is the rule of 7? Retrieved from https://growthmethod.com/what-is-the-rule-of-7/
Chiurazzi, Bonnie. The rule of seven for researchers: Making insights stick. Retrieved from https://www.quirks.com/articles/the-rule-of-seven-for-researchers-making-insights-stick
Digital Storyteller. (2024, March 14). What is the Rule of 7 in Marketing? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-rule-7-marketing-digitalstoryteller-otacf
Hedger, Jonathan. (nd). The marketing rule of 7, and why it’s still relevant in B2B. Retrieved from https://www.b2bmarketing.net/the-marketing-rule-of-7-and-why-its-still-relevant-in-b2b/
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