Omnipresence in Marketing: The Power of Being Everywhere

Is it possible to be everywhere at the same time?

Perhaps not for a mere mortal, but for a brand, it’s very possible.

Omnipresence is a term often used in religions to describe God(s). And whilst it’d be wrong of us to aim for divine-status, every single business should be directing marketing efforts towards it.

In layman’s terms, omnipresence is the ability to be present everywhere, kind of like…oxygen.

The perfect business example would be Coca-Cola. Before I dive any further into this example, ask yourself, how far away from a can of Coca-Cola are you right now?

I would bet that 95% of you are within half-a-mile (maximum) of a bottle or can of Coca-Cola (many of you 100m). Whenever you need to buy a drink, Coca-Cola is there, whether it’s a shop, bar, restaurant, vending machine, canteen, café, hotel, a fast food chain.

They are omnipresent. And they reap the rewards of it.

Over-Exposed

There is no such thing as over-exposure in marketing, but being ‘over-exposed to’ is something that nearly all of us have to deal with every day of our lives.

Throughout our waking hours, we are bombarded with 1,000’s of messages. Ads, texts, calls, news stories, notifications, emails, banners, newsfeeds, videos, posters, brand packaging…

…and when your brand/offer is just one of those messages, it can be almost impossible for it to stick and direct action.

This is why you must be aiming for omnipresence. The more messages and mediums you control, the more power your marketing will have.

In effect, you want to be EVERYWHERE.

Never Ending

Many marketers and business owners think sending out a few emails, making some phone calls, writing a couple of blogs and recording a few videos is enough. They make these progressive steps and believe that they’ve done everything they can.

They’re wrong.

The pursuit of omnipresence is endless (unless every man, woman, and child knows who you are). There is never a moment when somebody has ‘done all they can’, ‘reached everyone possible’, or ‘utilized every channel’. For example, do you think Nike will ever stop running adverts? Apple will ever stop developing new products? Coca-Cola will stop placing new vending machines wherever possible?

Omnipresence requires repetitive consistency AND endless diversity. You must be prepared to put in continuous hard work or pay somebody to do it for you.

Fast-Tracking

Omnipresence might sound impossible (sorry about that!), but it isn’t, in fact, it’s very much an achievable goal.

As you’d imagine, there are steps to reach it (we’ll get to those in a little while) as well as methods of fast-tracking your progress.

The speediest way of increasing your presence is to stand out. This might sound like ‘marketing 101’, but it’s something that very few companies actually do. Too many marketers and business owners stick to strategies that they can accurately estimate the results of before implementation. In other words, they only work on what is tried and tested in their industry.

It’s an honest, risk-reducing thing to do, but it takes serious time and repetition to make any considerable indent on presence and awareness.

Brands that implement marketing tactics that are controversial or bold will immediately fast-track themselves towards the ultimate position of omnipresence.

If you are serious about marketing and really want to achieve the goal of omnipresence, you cannot be shy, withdrawn or prepared to blend in with your competitors.

For instance, have you ever had a super-irritating advertising jingle stuck in your head? And, when that jingle was stuck in your head, did you know the brand who were responsible for it?

At that moment, that annoying song was increasing that brand’s presence. If you needed a product or solution from that industry (at that time), you’d be much more likely to buy from them because you were carrying their marketing message around with you.

Here’s an example of a company that went from unknown to very-almost-omnipresent with the help of that very tactic:

The Clearest Indication of Success

The greatest limiter on your pursuit of omnipresence is fear. Fear of being criticized, of looking stupid, of being exposed, of embarrassment and ridicule.

It’s natural for people to seek compliments and avoid criticism. We’ve been hardwired to feel good when we receive compliments and feel bad when are criticized…

…the problem is, if you remain in a place where you only receive compliments (a safe zone), you’ll never increase your presence. Think about people who would never criticize your outward pursuits, your mother? Brother? Grandad? Friend? Partner? Colleagues?

The clearest indication of successful movement towards omnipresence is criticism.

(BTW: I’m not saying that if you only receive criticism, you’re doing the right things, because that indicates that something is fundamentally wrong)

Think of it like this, you can’t please everyone, but in order for you to be the first business to mind when somebody thinks about your industry, you need everyone to know about you.

Criticism is a good thing! It’s an indication of success. Learn to embrace it more than compliments.

For example, do you think everybody who knows Coca-Cola, praises it? Do you think they’ve never heard a bad word about their drinks? Brand? Company?

I can name at least 5 of my friends who don’t drink Coke (I don’t either), but still, Coca-Cola continues to pump out their product in the faces of all those who criticize.

Advantages of Omnipresence in Marketing

As you’d imagine, being everywhere at the same time (or trying to) has near-endless advantages. But, to prove the power of omnipresence, I’ve rounded up a few of the most powerful:

• First-to-mind: the greatest advantage of omnipresence is the first-to-mind factor. Put simply, this is the first brand that springs to mind when you think about an industry. For example, which sports brand comes first to your mind? I bet it’s probably Nike. Ok, let’s try again, this time with a more obscure niche, who is first-to-mind when you think about sunglasses? Ray-Bans? Thought so. Leave a comment below if you thought of something else. First to mind is effectively the top result in a psychological Google search. If you can achieve omnipresence, you’ll generate loads of direct visits.
• Brand Recognition: when you’re everywhere, people recognize your brand and when that happens, they’re more tuned into your brand message. Increased brand recognition leads to more recommendations and helps your search for first-to-mind dominance.
• Reduced Price Sensitivity: greater awareness and recognition increases brand trust. The more people trust your brand, the more they’re prepared to pay for the same product. Reduced price sensitivity offers the possibility to increase profitability.
• Authority Positioning: when people start to immediately link your industry with your brand, it puts you in an authority position. In other words, they consider you to be an expert on the subject, and when you have that, you can carve an industry’s direction (in your favor).

How to Achieve Omnipresence in Marketing

Now that you’ve heard all about the power of omnipresence, you’re probably hoping for me to give you a step-by-step guide to achieving it. Unfortunately, that’s not possible but…

…what I can do is give you a few broad brush strokes that will send you in the correct direction.

Just remember, omnipresence is not for marketers and entrepreneurs who are after short-term fixes or quick ‘hacks’, it’s for people who are committed to consistency, hard-work, and diversity (in terms of presence).

Sure, it might feel a million miles away, but nothing worthwhile was ever achieved with a snap of the fingers. If something takes five years to achieve, you better start today because that time will start ticking down immediately.

If you’re beginning your hunt for omnipresence, the first mentality factor you need to change is your ability to say YES. No matter how small or strange the offer, you should always say YES if it means increasing your presence. When you’re asked for interviews, comments, private messages, lectures, speaking events, conferences, always say yes. Omnipresence is about being everywhere. Be there!

If you’re tuned in to START ASAP and you’re prepared to always say YES, you’ll need to formulate a strategy.

When it comes to omnipresence, I always recommend a ‘find and conquer’ strategy. To explain this strategy in super simple terms, find where your target market hang out (e.g. certain social networks), build a presence and conquer that place. Then move on to another place, where your target market hangs out sometimes, build a presence and conquer it. Keep moving outwards, until you’re everywhere. Find and conquer.

Conclusion

Whilst you might not be able to command the same level of presence as the Nike’s, Coca-Cola’s and Apple’s of the world, just remember, those businesses might be ahead now, but they started in the exact same place as you.

When you’re committed to increasing your presence and you’re able to expand your presence horizontally, you’ll gain all the sweet advantages that omnipresence offers.

Prepare yourself for repetition and marketing diversity, because omnipresence is about to become your new long-term strategy.

What do you think about omnipresence in marketing? Who is the first brand to mind when you think about denim jeans? Leave a comment or send us a message!