What is the Google 7-11-4 Rule?

Dave Jackson
00:00:00.320 - 00:00:12.560
Did you know that the typical consumer consumes 7 hours of your content? Along with two other specifications that we'll get to in just a minute.

Announcer
00:00:12.880 - 00:00:45.580
Welcome to Podcast Website Tips, the ultimate guide for podcasters who want to level up their online presence with no coding required. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, this show gives you practical, actionable advice to build and optimize your podcast website.

We cover everything from design and content to SEO and monetization. Get ready to attract more listeners and take your website from good to great. Here's your host, Dave Jackson.

Dave Jackson
00:00:46.940 - 00:10:23.210
When I heard this, I was like, wait, what? I mean, I've been on the Internet a long time. I used to build websites with Microsoft front page. Yes, it's been a while.

And I was like, wait, where has this been? And in searching the Internet, it seemed like quite a mystery.

And most of the websites that I saw, they related it to a book called Winning the Zero Moment of Truth. And I never heard of this.

And while this particular rule is not exactly explained in the book, a lot of marketers have consumed the data in the book and they came up with the following. You ready for this? It's about hours, it's about touch points, and it's about platforms. And they call it the Google 7114 rule.

And it's a marketing framework designed to guide brands in building trust and converting prospects into customers. And the rule outlines the average level of engagement a potential customer needs before making a purchase decision.

And the first one is, I already mentioned it, seven hours. A prospect should spend at least seven hours engaging with your brand's content. Now, that engagement can spread across, you know, various formats.

It could be videos, it could be blog posts, it could be podcasts, it could be webinars, whatever it is. And it doesn't need to occur all at the same time.

The goal is to build familiarity and to build trust by providing, here's my favorite word, valuable in depth content over time. And sometimes that's not coming from AI. Just think about that. So there's seven. What's the 11? The 11 is touch points.

They prospect should encounter your brand in at least seven separate interactions.

And these touch points, they can include social media posts, emails, ads, blog articles, website visits, even, you know, an in person event that would count. And each interaction offers an opportunity to reinforce your brand's message and it's again, value.

So seven hours, 11 touch points, and then here's the kicker, four platforms. So this is when you see those brands that just seem to be everywhere.

Well, that's kind of why the interaction should occur across at least four different platforms or channels.

Now this again could be in your website, social media platforms, so whatever, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, email newsletters, and physical locations or events. The idea is, is to meet your audience wherever they are and demonstrate a consistent presence.

I remember once I had a new client and I said, where did you find me? And he said, where did I not find you? He goes, I went to a Facebook group and you were there.

He goes, I went to this one thing and then I did a Google search. And every time I turned around, there was the school of podcasting. And I was like, all right, that's good to hear. And so that's kind of it.

And so as much as as I am a fan of you can't be everywhere, it doesn't hurt to have multiple irons in the fire. And so keep that in mind. 7 hours, 11 touch points and 4 platforms. Now known again as the 7114 rule.

It's based on research into modern behavior, especially buyer behavior. And it shows that consumers rarely make purchasing decisions after a single exposure to a brand.

So if you're like, well, I'm getting people to the website, well, okay, but it might need more than that. Instead it says they conduct extensive research, compare options, and seek out multiple sources of information before taking action.

And since most of us are podcasters, I mean, how many times have you watched videos trying to figure out if I'm going to buy this microphone or that microphone, and then somebody introduces another microphone and you're like, oh wait, maybe I don't need a B. Maybe it's really BC and the next thing you know, you're down a rabbit hole.

We all do that kind of research by, you know, ensuring that your brand is present across multiple touch points and platforms, and by offering enough content to engage the prospects for at least seven hours, you significantly increase the likelihood of building trust. And I think that's the key right here, building that trust. And then that trust will ultimately drive to conversions.

And so if we're gonna like try to put this into action, here are some things for the 7114 rule. Create a variety of content.

So duh, if we're gonna be on multiple platforms, so now we're doing YouTube, now we're doing blogs, now we're doing podcasts, maybe we're doing webinars, maybe a newsletter. We're going to do that to try to accumulate those seven hours of engagement and then diversify your touch points.

So you could be using ads, you could be Doing emails, social media events, and all those to, to reach at least 11 interactions and then expand your presence across at least four platforms or channels. So if you're on Twitter beyond Blue sky, if you're on Blue sky, be on threads, if you're on threads. And that's the part where I get.

Because that again, kind of sounds like we're trying to be everywhere. So pick four and go there.

Because I know a lot of people, especially with social media, say pick one and usually like which one they're like the one you're on. Or you can do an audience survey and find out where your audience is.

But by having those four platforms or channels to ensure your brand is visible wherever your audience spends time, so that just every time they turn around, there they are again. And it's not just about frequency, it's about building meaningful, value driven relationships with your audience.

And again, this is over time and that is essential for both initial conversations and long term brand loyalty.

So again, seven hours, that's the total time spent with the content with the purpose being it builds familiarity, but more importantly, it really builds trust. And then you've got 11 touch points, that's the number of brand interactions and it reinforces your message and your presence.

And then four platforms, that's the number of different channels and it ensures visibility and credibility. So when people go, I don't know, I'm trying to get this thing sold.

Well, this whole 7114 rule might really help explain this because some podcasters struggle to sell products.

And when you have a loyal audience who has consumed more than seven hours of content and they've listened to more than, let's say 11 episodes, but they may be lacking on platforms. Maybe it's time to start a blog or an email store YouTube channel to boost your platforms.

And the beauty of podcasting is you can easily cut it up and repurpose it across many platforms. Again, just to kind of get that, oh, there they are again.

So another thing, rather than chop things into bits, because to me the whole like just throw it into some AI tool, to me that's kind of like ripping a page out of a book. Like, here, have page 22 and then you hope it resonates with the audience. Well, page 22 wasn't really meant to be a place to start.

I prefer to take the topic that page 22 is talking about and have already vetted that. I know my audience needs that and just easily recorded in different formats for different platforms.

And by doing that and following this 7114 rule, so 7, 11, 4.

Then you can strategically nurture leads through the modern buyer's journey and, and increase really the chances of turning those prospects into loyal customers. Hey, in addition to being the head of podcasting here at PodPage, I also run a website called the School of Podcasting.

I've been running it since 2005. And recently I interviewed Tracy Johnson.

He's an old radio vet and he's got a great book out called Mic Drop the Playbook for Unforgettable Guest Interviews. And I wanted to play you a quick clip about the triple threat filter when it comes to choosing your next podcast guest.

And in the book you talk about the triple threat filter because I guess step one is, you know, maybe get someone who can bring value. And so can you tell us a little bit about the triple threat filter?

Speaker C
00:10:24.090 - 00:12:18.910
Well, yeah, there's three threats to an interview. First of all is if you're talking to someone that nobody cares about and nobody knows.

And so the first threat is the more famous or well known a personality is, the better guess they will probably make because you've got built in familiarity.

If they're not at all familiar, it doesn't make them a bad guest, but it means that they're going to have to really be entertaining for it to pay off for your segment or for your podcast. So you're going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting on some of the other criteria.

So now it also doesn't mean that just because they're famous, they'll be a good guest because they could also be boring. So that's number one. So familiarity of the guest. The second criteria is, are they relevant? I might be familiar with them, but do I care?

So if I don't care about what they have to say or about who they are, then they don't fit the podcast, they don't fit your show. So I work with a lot of radio shows who will take a well known guest, but it doesn't fit the profile of their show or their audience target.

So it has to be relevant.

Or again, just like in being familiar and famous, if they're not relevant, then you've got to do a lot of heavy lifting in the other two categories to make them a good guest. And then the third criteria is, are they interesting? Are they entertaining? Can they tell a story?

Is there something unique about them that can make you sound better, that can make you more interesting? Because the goal isn't to make the guest famous, the goal is to leverage the guest's story to make you famous. So are they doing that?

Are they enhancing the value of your podcast and what you have to bring to your audience? Because that's the ultimate goal. Otherwise, why are they on?

Dave Jackson
00:12:19.250 - 00:14:54.510
And so I wanted to play that clip number one, just because I think it's valuable in really choosing who your next guest is. If you're using something like podmatch or Podcast Guest, there are a ton of those different kind of places to find guests.

But I also wanted to remind you that if you're using PodPage, one of the great things about PodPage is how it handles guests. You can send them a guest intake form. They put that information, and so you have to worry about typos because they did it.

They upload their image, all that stuff.

Then when the episode is imported, you can simply either a manually add it to the episode, or if you're on the Elite plan, it will automatically add it for you. You go in and say, oh, this is for, you know, episode 327.

And so when 327 gets imported, automatically adds the guest to the episode and it will email them, which is really cool. And it actually makes a page on your website for the guest.

Now, where this really comes in handy is let's say you're interviewing somebody who's not super Internet savvy, but they're really knowledgeable. Well, when people actually Google this person, they may find your website because you've made a page about that guest on your website.

But wait, there's more. That's right. We also make a page for all of your guests.

So if you're trying to get somebody on your show, you can be like, hey, all the cool kids are doing it. Look, if you go to this page, you'll see Ernie.

We've had Ernie, we've had Bert, we've had Oscar, we've had Larry, we've had Curly and Movie, all on the show. Click here and let's schedule a time to be on your show. So just some fun ways that PodPage can handle the whole guest workflow.

If you know another podcaster that's struggling with their website, can you do me a favor and share this particular episode with them? Maybe they're trying to sell something and you're like, hey, do you know about the 7114 rule? Check this out.

They're going to think you're cool and I'm going to grow my audience. I'm Dave Jackson, head of podcasting here at PodPage. The website for the podcast is podcast website tips.

And remember, they got to find you first before they can consume your content.

Announcer
00:14:55.150 - 00:15:03.120
Your podcast website is part of the Power of Podcasting Network. Find this show and all of Dave's other projects@powerofpodcasting.com.