‘Last Marketer Standing’

The Last Marketer Standing: Crafting Campaigns That Endure

Imagine your business as an uncut diamond. It has potential, but without the right approach, it remains hidden beneath a rough exterior. But just as a skilled jeweller carefully cuts and polishes a diamond to reveal its brilliance, a well-crafted marketing strategy can transform your business into a dazzling success.

Marketing is no exception. Still, there’s the million-dollar question: How do you cut through the noise and make your marketing efforts truly sparkle?

The Persistence Principle: Becoming the 1%

Let’s begin with these startling statistics:

• There are over 2 million podcasts in existence.
• Only 10% of these podcasts make it past three episodes.
• A staggering 99% don’t make it to 20 episodes.

What does this mean for you? 

To join the elite 1% of podcasters worldwide, all you need to do is publish 21 episodes. That’s it. No need for millions of listeners or celebrity guests – just the determination to keep going.

This principle extends far beyond podcasting. In marketing and business, outlasting your competitors can be a powerful strategy for success. It’s not always about being the most innovative or having the biggest budget. 

Sometimes, it’s simply about staying in the game when others have thrown in the towel.

The Multi-Faceted Approach: The Rule of Seven

Now, let’s add another facet to our diamond metaphor. Just as a diamond’s brilliance comes from its multiple cuts, your marketing strategy gains its power from multiple touchpoints. 

This is where the Rule of Seven comes into play.

Coined by Dr. Jeffrey Lant in the 1980s, this marketing principle suggests that it typically takes between 7 and 13 touch points to convert a prospect into a client. But here’s the catch – not all touchpoints are created equal.

From Cold Calls to Warm Engagements: The Marketing Spectrum

Imagine a spectrum of marketing activities, ranging from “ice cold” to “red hot.”

 At the coldest end, we have impersonal, easily scalable activities like mass emails or generic social media posts. These are the equivalent of tossing uncut diamonds into a crowd – easy to do, but unlikely to catch anyone’s eye.

As we move along the spectrum, we start to see activities that generate more warmth:

• A personalised email addressing a prospect’s specific pain points
• Valuable content like an instructional YouTube video or a comprehensive blog post
• Interactive webinars or podcasts
• In-person workshops or speaking engagements

These warmer activities are like the careful cuts a jeweller makes – each one reveals more of your business’s unique value and builds a stronger connection with your audience.

The Persistence Paradox: Balancing Act

Here’s where our two principles – persistence and strategic focus – come together to form what we call the Persistence Paradox:

• Easy to persist, low impact: Activities that are easiest to persist with (like regular social media posts) often have the lowest impact per interaction.
• High impact, hard to maintain: Activities that create deeper connections (like hosting events) require more effort and are harder to maintain consistently.

The key to success lies in finding the right balance. 

You need to persist with a mix of activities across the spectrum. The lower-impact activities keep your brand visible and contribute to the Rule of Seven, while the high-impact activities create deeper connections and drive conversions.

Crafting Your Brilliance: A Strategic Framework

So, how do you put this into practice? Here’s a framework to consider:

1. Maintain a baseline of scalable activities: Keep up with regular social media posts, send out your newsletter, and engage with your audience online. These are the basic cuts that give shape to your diamond.
2. Gradually increase high-impact activities: As your business grows, aim to incorporate more workshops, speaking engagements, or in-depth content pieces. These are your precision cuts that make your diamond sparkle.
3. Focus on cumulative impact: Remember, it’s not about any single activity, but the cumulative effect of your persistent efforts across the spectrum.
4. Embrace the grind: 21 podcasts aren’t easy, but they’re worth it. Your willingness to put in the effort where others won’t is what transforms your business from a rough stone to a polished gem.
5. Keep innovating: While persistence is key, don’t let it turn into stagnation. Continuously look for new, high-impact ways to reach your audience – think of it as discovering new ways to cut and polish your diamond.

The Last Marketer Standing: Your Secret Weapon

In a world obsessed with quick wins and overnight success, your secret weapon is surprisingly simple: don’t give up. Keep your Rule of Seven in mind, balance your activities across the marketing spectrum, and remember that sometimes, the key to being in the top 1% is simply showing up when others don’t.

Reflection Questions:

1. How can you balance persistent, scalable activities with high-impact engagements in your marketing strategy?
2. What’s one “warmer” marketing activity you could implement in the next month?
3. How can you use the Persistence Paradox to outlast your competition?

We’d love to hear your thoughts and strategies. Share your experiences with balancing persistence and impact in your marketing efforts. 

After all, the path to becoming the last marketer standing – and the most brilliant diamond in the market – is one we’re all walking together.

Jason Bagley Founder, Growth Experts

I'm a business builder, the founder of Growth Experts, sometimes public speaker, and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mostly though, I’m just a dad to Eva & Cruz and a husband to Karina.