The Rule of Seven is one of the oldest concepts in marketing.

It goes all the way back to the 1930s when movie studio execs discovered that a certain amount of promotion was needed to get someone to see one of their movies. The rule states that a prospect needs to “hear” an advertiser’s message 7 times before they’ll take action.

While the concept is a classic, changes in society and technology require us to understand the Rule of Seven differently in the modern world.

In the age of digital advertising, your message probably needs to be absorbed MORE than 7 times to be heard above the noise of everyone’s inboxes, newsfeeds, and phone screens.

Today, we’re going to translate this idea into the video marketing realm.

If you’ve created a video that explains your business, your new product or an important announcement — you want your audience to really hear and absorb the message of your video.

Let’s map out a plan to get that video in front of your prospect at least 7 times.

HERE ARE 7 WAYS TO START:

1. Put your video above the fold on your website

A recent Google study showed that ads appearing above the fold had a 73% visibility, whereas those below it had just 44%. (via AB Tasty)

On our Video Editing Service page, our video mix is featured front and center above the fold and there’s no need to scroll down to see it.

2. Write a blog post around it.

Of course, this is a great way to reach your regular readers but new readers will often poke around other posts when they stumble across a blog they like, so featuring your video on your blog will increase the chances that someone sees it, no matter when they come across your website.

For the text aspect of the post, explain what this video is all about, why you made it and ask for feedback in the comments to spark engagement.

3. Email it to your list

• Video in an email leads to a 200-300% increase in click-through rate. (via HubSpot)

• Using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19% and reduces unsubscribe instances by 26%. (via HubSpot)

The above reasons should be more than enough to convince you to email your new video to your email list!

HOT TIP: See Tip #1 from our last blog post for info about how to easily share video links in an email using an image or a .GIF.

4. Cut multiple versions of your video in different formats and share it on ALL of your social channels

If you’re a regular EditMate blog reader, you’ve heard us say this many times before… but it’s important to repeat!

Your audience is hanging out in all different places online, so you want to share your video everywhere and format it correctly for each channel: i.e. Square and under 60 seconds on Instagram, Rectangular and under 15 seconds on Instagram Story, with captions and relevant call-to-actions, etc.

HOT TIP: Here’s our 2019 Guide to Social Media Video Specs so you know how to format for each channel.

5. Empower your employees and brand ambassadors to share the video on their social channels.

Doing this can boost your organic reach exponentially!

Make it simple for your employees and brand ambassadors by providing them with everything they need to easily share:
– Video URL or page link
– Custom video thumbnails (if needed)
– post text copy (and provide 3-4 different options so they can select one that best suits their personal network)

HOT TIP: Track and analyze where the most traffic is coming from by supplying customized links through BITLY.

6. Build hype by cutting teaser versions and sharing them every day until you release the full video.

Show off previews and mini-clips to create a bit of a buzz.

This sort of thing is great for Instagram Stories which is made for ephemeral content.

HOT TIP: Design teasers for your Instagram Stories using these tips.

7. Provide a behind the scenes peek of how you created your video.

Your community will love to get a candid look into your creative process and what goes into building a brand.

• Did you hire a film crew? Take photos of the shoot and share on an Instagram “carousel post” with a sneak peek of your finished video.

• Did you shoot it yourself? Share tips about the gear you used in a detailed blog or Facebook post and share a preview of your complete video

When designing a marketing plan around a new video (or really, any kind of content!) keeping the Rule of Seven in mind will help you to execute a plan that ensures you get your audiences attention… and they take action. 

Think about the biggest brands out there today.

They’re everywhere.

And by following the Rule of Seven, your business can be too.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might also enjoy 3 Types of Videos Your Brand Needs (and How to Make ‘Em!)