If you're marketing on a finite budget... and aren't we all these days... it's important to be aware of the constant balancing act between reach and repetition.

Reach is how many people you are trying to put your message in front of. Repetition is how many times they'll see it.

A lot of my clients use direct mail, so the illustration is pretty simple for them. We're talking about how many pieces they mail out, and how often they do it. They have a specific amount of money in the budget, and they have a specific cost per piece for mailing.

For a simple example, let's say you're mailing post cards that cost $1 each including printing, postage and list costs. You are running a six month promotion, and you have budgeted $3,000.

With those budget figures, you may be tempted to mail one time to 3,000 people. After all, it's good to get your name in front of a lot of people, right? Well, yes. But with just one exposure, it's unlikely you're going to make much of an impact.

If people see you just one or two times, they don't know you. People don't generally buy from people they don't know, or at least recognize. Here's where repetition becomes important: You'll be much better off reaching 500 people six times over the six month promotion period. And I mean the same 500.

If 500 people get a post card from you every month, those 500 will at least recognize you. And depending on what you're saying on the post cards, they may well feel like they know you well enough to at least give you a shot at their business.

One important tip about repetion: Make sure you look the same every time they see you. Design a post card layout that will always look the same. Colors, type faces, graphic design... always the same look. You can promote different products or make different offers month to month, but maintain the same look.

If you don't look the same every time they see you, the repetitions don't accrue. You're starting over as someone they've never seen before every month.