A marketing impression is created every time a current or potential client views or hears a marketing message from you. Quantity of impressions is a standard benchmark for measuring the "footprint" of your marketing efforts, both for total reach and intensity level. For example, you can create 500 impressions by mailing a single postcard to 500 clients (reach) or create 500 impressions by mailing a drip campaign of five postcards to 100 clients (intensity).

The critical point about impressions is that you must generate a large quantity on a consistent basis. Go for a bare minimum of 1,000 impressions a month, which represents all of your marketing efforts combined - newsletters, emails, postcards, flyers, brochures, small giveaway items and phone calls. Remember that all successful businesses market 100% of the time. If you only market when your business is slow, you will never gain the momentum you need. Sporadic marketing also sends a message to your clients that you are not a serious player. Too much time between marketing pieces dilutes their effectiveness, whereas a consistent flow of marketing pieces creates brand equity and momentum.

Use whatever marketing tools are available to you, and always be on the lookout for new, faster and cheaper methods. Try to use several marketing channels to ensure that you message gets through. People have a different emotional response depending on the piece (i.e., email vs. postcard vs. phone call), so mix it up!