By Talia Armato-Helle, Trade Marketing Specialist, In-Store POP

According to the marketing principle the “Rule of 7,” you need to put an ad in front of people at least 7 times before they will take an action.

Prerelease is just around the corner (January 19 to 20), with Ravnica Weekend coming on February 16 to 17.

And thanks to our free-to-download resources, you’ve got lots of low-to-no-cost options to implement the Rule of 7 in your marketing plans.

Use these tips to help ensure the greatest impact:

Customize the Message for the Channel

As you aim for seven impressions, make sure your message fits the channel.

Social media is a fast-paced environment meant to give a snapshot; images and minimal text work best.

Printed materials do your legwork with more detailed information.

Leverage emails or notifications as reminders to drive the message home.

And always end your marketing copy with a call to action: what you want your customer to do right now, whether it be to preorder, preregister, or come to your store.

Optimize the Timing

Provide players with enough notice about your events so that they can plan ahead, but not so much that they won’t remember.

Starting your advertising about three to four weeks out is a good rule of thumb. (For Ravnica Weekend, that means starting right around Prerelease.)

Follow-up reminders help ensure maximum awareness.

As the event gets closer, repeat when it’s happening and why players would want to go. Set up a Facebook page with reminders that will automatically go out to anyone who’s marked themselves as interested or going to the event.

Highlight Popular Guilds

Knowing what your audience wants is the key to hooking them and keeping them engaged.

If you’re using the guild sign-up sheet for Prerelease, you’re already getting a good idea of what the most popular guild will be.

Plan your advertising to focus on those favorite guilds.

There are Facebook images and web banners for all five guilds that you can use to highlight your community’s preference on your website and social media.

Double Down on What’s Most Effective

We’ve surveyed players and learned that of all our printed materials, posters are the most effective. And they do the most good when they are visible to all customers who walk in your door.

But don’t limit yourself to your own store. Print out as many as you need and hang them in places potential players frequent—colleges, movie theaters, community centers, coffee shops.

Based on our surveys, we also know that across the WPN, most players learned about events first through a store employee.

Make sure that every customer interaction ends with an invitation to your event.

Consider the types of questions you get about the event and use that to focus in on what players are most excited about.

Then put it to paper and send it home with them after they make a purchase or even if they are browsing the store

Toss in a bag stuffer, highlighting any specials you planned for Ravnica Weekend. Remember Guild Kits will be available and are a great way for players to continue collect their favorite cards.

Or print out some extra Ravnica Weekend invitations for your employees to have on hand so they can give people a reminder after they talk to them about the event.

Measure Results to Improve

Your marketing campaign doesn’t end with the event—if you want to get the most for your efforts, you must measure the impact and consider how to improve.

I regularly do surveys to keep adapting my projects—and you should too! It doesn’t have to be fancy. Try polling your players—either through social media, with a simple feedback form after the event, or even just face-to-face.

Get Started Now

Prerelease is coming up next weekend and Ravnica Weekend is a little more than a month away.

Start planning how to make the rule of 7 work for you by customizing your marketing content today!