What is brand fatigue?

Marketing is a tricky process. Experts say that a new prospect, on average, hears about/comes into contact with your brand five to seven times before they make a purchase.

Assuming you practise your marketing methods to see which engage people the most, and the filtering you need to do to ensure you reach your perfect customers and not just random strangers, you may end up with a lot of content out there before the magic five to seven ‘touches’ even get going.

This comes with its own risk: brand fatigue. The result of consumers, ideal or otherwise, seeing your brand so much that it actually begins to turn them off.

If I try and think of brands I’m sick of hearing of/from, I can rattle off at least five without much thought. I won’t mention them, because this is likely to be different for everyone.

Brand fatigue begins with boredom—this is where consumers may still be interested in what you have to offer, they’re just not engaged by the marketing messages and content you’re putting out. The next step is actual annoyance, where they’ve gone past feeling bored about you to the point that they may act on their frustration and opt out of any contact with your company, or actively badmouth your brand.

At this time of year, of course, we’re bombarded by messages from all sorts of brands…food and drink, gifts, homeware and furniture, etc., etc. Christmas trade is significant even when there isn’t a pandemic on, which can see some retailers earn nearly half their entire annual income in just over a month. However, the pressure to have a fruitful festive period, when it comes to revenue, can see businesses ramp up their marketing. Given how competitive it is to be seen and heard at this time of year, some brands may go all out with their advertising…to the point that they may forget the customers on the receiving end of their efforts.

Five to seven mentions could turn into fifty to seventy mentions. Does that sound like a good idea to you? Is that likely to drive customers to your door, or drive customers away in droves?

Rather than fire content into the ether like a machine gun, which could result in your brand reputation being shot down, think strategically about everything you post—whether this is a video, a social media post, an article or advert. Shouting at your customers, saying “Buy my product, buy my product” is never going to work as well as simply talking to those who have a real need for what you offer.

Think about who needs to see/hear what you have to say. It’s unlikely to be ‘everyone’.

Why do these people need to buy from you, what will they gain? How will it benefit them—what changes will it bring them/how will it impact their daily lives? Why couldn’t they get the same item/service elsewhere, what’s so special about you/yours? What will they need to know about the product/service to finalise their buying decision? How serious are they likely to be about buying the product/service now?

Where do these magical people hang out? And at what time of day? Do they respond to the type of content you put out—and how…with more questions or objections? What’s their budget—is this an investment or a casual purchase for them? What are their expectations of the product or service you’re promoting, and how can you demonstrate that you can not only meet them but exceed them?

Do they appreciate humour? Will they only be concerned with the facts/specifications of the product? How will they use it—will it be something they sell on when they’re finished with it, i.e. will they expect the item to hold its value?

This is just a soupçon of the questions you could and should answer in your marketing content. The more specific your product/service, the further you should drill down on its benefits, who it appeals to and why.

Addressing what could be pertinent queries, enticing customers with simple but effective benefits, and portraying an understanding of the issues your customers may face if they don’t purchase from you equal targeted, conscientious and powerful messages that few of your ideal customers would need to hear before they act. If you do this, you may close the sale in fewer than five messages. Or it may still take the allotted average of seven mentions. It shouldn’t need fifty attempts to convince someone who is looking for what you offer to buy from you. If it does, you’re doing it wrong.

If you’d like help to make your marketing more strategic, contact us on 07983 575934, or email info@novusmarketingsolutions.co.uk.