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Are You Making This Fatal Marketing Mistake? The Proven Formula Big Brands Use to Fix It
July 2025
Read time: 5 minutes, 15 seconds
L ast month, we discussed why your prospects might choose competitors over your business even when you’re clearly better. We explored the powerful 7-11-4 strategy, which uses psychology to build trust, familiarity, and preference. Understanding the concept is critical, but this month we’ll get tactical and look at how small businesses can realistically implement this strategy. YOUR ANCHOR CONTENT: THE STARTING POINT Begin by creating one substantial, high-quality piece of content
addressing real issues or pains your prospects face. Your goal isn’t direct selling; it’s about positioning yourself as a trusted advisor. In a newsletter and on social channels, most selling should come in the form of testimonials and customer success stories. Direct offers are typically done via QR codes and links to landing pages, phone calls, emails, etc. EFFORTLESSLY MULTIPLY
YOUR CONTENT Once you have your anchor piece(s), multiply its impact by repurposing it into different formats and sharing
monthly. One of the easiest ways to do this is by writing (or having ghostwritten) one
to two long-form pieces of content that you’re going to use in your physical or email newsletter. This content needs to be
it across multiple channels. Here’s a wide array of practical places to distribute your content: • Your Blog (SEO): Long-tail discovery; builds organic traffic through in-depth articles answering early-stage questions. • Email Newsletter: Directly share full or partial versions of your content with your subscribers. • Emails: Send brief teasers highlighting key points, linking back to the full content. • LinkedIn Articles: Adapt your content slightly and publish as an article on LinkedIn. • Social Media Clips: Create short-form videos focusing on 1–3 key points for Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook Stories, LinkedIn, and YouTube Shorts.
a mix of personal, insightful, and educational (but not necessarily about your products and services),
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• Visual Quotes: Share eye-catching graphics featuring impactful quotes or statistics from your content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. • Carousel Posts: Convert 2–5 key insights into interactive slideshows on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram. • Downloadable Checklists: Offer summarized key insights in easy-to-follow checklists or cheat sheets. • Infographics: Visually represent key points using easy design tools like Canva. • Podcast/Audio: Low-competition channel that adds intimacy with a weekly/monthly 20-minute
podcast discussing what’s going on in your community or topics from your newsletter.
Ultimately, the power of the 7-11-4 strategy lies in its ability to cultivate meaningful, lasting relationships.
• Direct Mail Campaigns: Send product catalogs, reminder letters, thank-you cards, birthday cards, and targeted offers with unique URLs for tracking. • Pinterest Posts: Highly visual content can perform exceptionally well on Pinterest, making it ideal for infographics, step-by-step guides, and checklist graphics. Pinterest’s search-friendly nature also helps extend the lifespan of your content, continuously attracting new visitors. Creating a content plan that targets all five stages of awareness combined with the 7-11-4 strategy will be a game-changer for your business’s lead generation, sales, retention, referrals, and upsells. Together, they provide a proven, systematized marketing framework that allows you to buy back your time to spend more of it with the people you love and doing the things you enjoy. Pictured left to right are Kellen (13), Jeremiah (16), Lex (14), and Shaun. ”This picture was taken during Jeremiah’s birthday trip to Cabo in mid-July.”
• Live Events/Webinars: Great for building community; expand on your core content or host an “Ask me anything” session inviting Q&A. Repurpose this content as well. • Direct Mail Newsletter: The core content is perfect for your cover article and perhaps a secondary article in your newsletter. • Long-form Video/Webinar: Drive engagement with a 30-minute webinar and explainer videos (e.g., “What to expect at your first appointment”). • Paid Search/Display Retargeting: Keeps your brand visible when prospects research; remarketing ads direct visitors to content that moves prospects through the funnel with CTAs like “download our checklist.” • SMS: High open rate, good for reminders, sending funny memes, or invites to events.
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Stage 2: Problem-aware Content: Articles or short videos articulating common problems someone recognizes but hasn’t yet identified the cause (e.g., “Do you wake up with jaw pain?”). Explain why the problem matters and reflect their pain, showing solutions exist before pitching. Stage 3: Solution-aware Content: Educational materials showing various solutions (e.g., implants versus bridges, litigation versus mediation) without directly pushing your service. Explain pros and cons to help prospects evaluate options. Stage 4: Product-aware Content: Demonstrate your unique approach, case studies, testimonials, pricing, and benefits. Industry pieces and service pages fit here. Stage 5: Most-aware Content: Prospects at this stage know about your products or services and are evaluating options. Content here should reinforce your credibility and clearly demonstrate why you are the preferred choice through trust-building social proof — reviews, testimonials, behind-the-scenes insights, and community involvement stories — to humanize your business and solidify their decision. CROSS-PROMOTE EVERYTHING Each content piece should cross-promote other content. Promote related pieces on your social channels, blog, podcast, etc. In some cases, you’ll want to promote the original full anchor content (e.g., digital newsletter or blog post), creating interconnected touchpoints. Other content may promote your email newsletter, social channels/posts, podcasts, or lead magnets. • Monthly Cycle: Produce one core piece of content, repurpose it into 15–20 formats, and spread those across 6–8 channels over 4–6 weeks. Mix pain-aware, solution-aware, and product-aware messaging.
• Slide Deck: Create a presentation for webinars or LinkedIn Slides. • Republish on Third-Party Blogs: Contribute the article to niche sites or your local chamber of commerce website. • Automated Letters: Trigger a postcard or letter when a website visitor downloads a resource (programmatic direct mail). Personalized mail pieces increase response rates by 135%. MEET PROSPECTS WHERE THEY ARE One of the most common mistakes business owners make is creating content solely for those ready to buy immediately, focusing only on promotional pitches and direct offers. Stop doing this. Engage with people at different stages of the buying journey. World-famous copywriter Eugene Schwartz created the five stages of awareness: Unaware, Problem (pain) aware, Solution aware, Product aware, and Most aware. These stages describe how prospects evolve from not knowing they have a problem to being ready to buy. Schwartz successfully used this framework to sell tens of billions of dollars in goods and services. Stage 1: Unaware Content: People at this stage don’t even realize they have a problem or opportunity yet. Content here should gently educate, entertain, or pique curiosity to subtly bring issues or opportunities to their attention, without directly referencing your products or solutions. Your aim is simply to spark awareness and interest, paving the way for deeper engagement down the line.
Your goal isn’t direct selling; it’s about positioning yourself as a trusted advisor.
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• Layer Channels: Start with free/owned channels (email, blog,
social, video). Add paid remarketing to stay visible and
mailers to cut through digital noise. Brands
using three or more channels see 250% higher engagement. • Track and Adjust: Use analytics to measure time spent, touchpoints, and conversions.
Iterate based on which channels and formats drive engagement and bookings.
Ultimately, the power of the 7-11-4 strategy lies in its ability to cultivate meaningful, lasting relationships. By consistently delivering valuable content tailored to your audience’s needs at each stage of their journey, you not only build trust but also position your business as the obvious choice. Commit to this systematic approach, and watch as your business transforms from just another option to the preferred solution.
• Commit for 12 Months: Relationship-building compounds. Typically, in the first three months, you’ll start seeing increased engagement metrics like higher open and click-through rates. By months 4–6, anticipate more direct interactions, such as inquiries or consultations. After nine months, tangible results like increased conversion rates and stronger referral numbers should become evident.
–Shaun
One of the most common mistakes business owners make is creating content solely for those ready to buy immediately, focusing only on promotional pitches and direct offers.
Multichannel campaigns are 37% more effective than single-channel campaigns. This isn’t a short-term strategy; implemented consistently and correctly, you’ll see results accelerate in months 4–9 as familiarity grows. Expect positive impacts on new leads, customer acquisition cost (CAC), conversion times, referrals, and your close rate. Rotating through these content types helps you reach suspects (potential leads), prospects regardless of their stage, and existing customers.
Need help creating content for your 7-11-4 strategy? Do you have questions about how to move your prospects through the 5 Stages of Awareness? Call 208.297.5700 or visit NewsletterPro.com/schedule to schedule a call with a Pro today.
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