As a small business owner, you’re doing the marketing dance. You’re posting, emailing, and ad-spending… But those leads? They seem to be way fewer and further between than you expected.
We’re going to let you in on one of the content marketing industry’s best-kept secrets: the 7-11-4 rule.
WTF is the 7-11-4 Rule?
The 7-11-4 Rule is essentially Google’s hack for telling you what it takes to convert someone into a paying client or customer. You may have heard, “It takes X number of touchpoints for someone to buy from you,” and that’s what this is — updated data on what a conversion actually takes.
So here’s the breakdown:
- 7: The number of hours of content someone needs to consume
- 11: The number of touchpoints you need with a potential client/customer
- 4: The number of platforms you need to engage with your leads on
Now here’s the part that’s gonna make you groan. That ^^ is, on average, what it takes to convert one customer or client in today’s market.
Everyone collectively groan.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s discuss what this means for your content strategy and why it’s not as defeating as it sounds.
7 Hours
Yup, seven hours. That’s how much someone needs to consume from your brand, on average, before they’ll buy. Quite honestly? That sounds like a lot. A ridiculous amount of content. But let’s put it into perspective.
Content isn’t just your short social media captions or stories. Content is also:
- Podcast interviews
- YouTube videos
- Summit or conference presentations
- Guest expert interviews or appearances
- Reels and TikToks
- Blogs
- Emails
- Website copy
- Lead magnet content
- … and more
This also isn’t meant to be consumed in a day, or even a week. It can take months for someone to consume this kind of content. But that’s why it’s important for you to stay consistent with your content — you never know who is getting close to their seven hours.
11 Touchpoints
Imagine meeting someone new. You don’t spill your deepest secrets at hello, right? (OK maybe. It depends on how many cocktails.) In most cases, though, it takes a few chats to build trust and easy convos, right? That’s your eleven touchpoints.
We’ve talked about building your know, like, and trust factor before – and this is where that happens. The more potential clients see you, the more they’re into what you’re offering. We’re talking about those eleven golden chances to make an impression. But this goes beyond them consuming content. It’s about engagement.
Your upcoming client could leave a social media comment, reply to an email, or even retweet a post. They might have to email customer service or decide to schedule a discovery call. It could be a comment on a YouTube video!
No matter what the touchpoint is, it’s a chance for your ideal client/customer to see how you engage with them — it’s an extension of your brand. If done well, each touchpoint is a step closer to a “Let’s do this!” from your client.
4 Platforms
When we say “You have to be on four platforms to book clients or attract customers,” that’s usually where people start to bring out the pitchforks. But platforms aren’t just social media platforms. Platforms are anywhere you show up — online or IRL!
Maybe it’s Instagram, Facebook, your email list, and your blog. Or perhaps LinkedIn, YouTube, a monthly guest appearance inside someone’s mastermind, and newsletters. Maybe it’s a monthly business meetup, Substack, YouTube, and your blog. Mix and match, choose your own adventure, whatever you wanna call it.
But make sure you choose platforms that align with your personal style and your audience’s preferences. Your seven hours and eleven touchpoints are spread out among these platforms, so don’t worry about creating seven hours of content on each one.
Making the 7-11-4 Rule Work for You
This isn’t about blindly following a formula. If you’ve been here a while, you know we harp on that.
Instead, we’re sharing the 7-11-4 Rule so you can make it yours. But don’t just jump into the content hours! Start by mapping out those four platforms and thinking about your touchpoints. Where can you naturally interact with potential clients? Where are you naturally connecting with them?
From there, you can create a content strategy that aligns with your audience and your style! Finally, you can think about how you’ll fill those seven hours of content. What can you talk about this month (and on which platform) that will hook people in enough to consume more? What unique, valuable insights can you offer? Don’t just add length to videos, blogs, or other content; really think about how you can get people to consume more content by really speaking to them.
Not sure what you should be talking about in your content, which platforms you should be on, or how to increase the odds of a touchpoint with your audience?
We can help. Our Strategy Intensives dive deep into the content, platforms, and engagement you need to attract your ideal customer or client — and convert them. Book your Strategy Intensive here for just $997.
