How many people in your industry are you reaching per month? How many different places are your prospects seeing you? Are you partnering with special projects to create greater exposure and reach? Many companies throw a full-page ad in an industrial magazine--one-time, for a month--then complain that they are not getting the leads or exposure that they want from that one activity. Especially, since that full-page ad isn't cheap. The hard truth, is that your exposure might not be high enough to trigger a reaction.
An equation might help:
Exposure Effectiveness = Duration + Frequency + Consistency + Channels + Visibility
Prospects expect to be immersed and educated in the process. An important part of the sales cycle is the discovery process. Many companies spend weeks or months researching different companies or products, before they ever contact you to engage in the buying stage. Statistically speaking, 89% of prospects will conduct online research about your company or product before they ever consider buying--particularly true in capital equipment sales. If you are running a proactive sales program reaching out cold to a company (smart)--you better have great exposure. That customer is going to jump on the internet and search you as soon as you get off the phone. The more they find--the more effective you will be.
Your company should be thinking outside of the box. What types of activities can you do that will generate multiple threads of usable content simultaneously--for an extended amount of time? You have to constantly, be pushing the boundaries. Be interesting enough that magazines will cover you, someone on social media can't help but share you, and when it starts to die off, double down on the same content through your paid advertising--reinforce the message. Keep the message blasting on all channels, no excuses.
People buy what they know. If they only see your ad in passing, one time--they don't know you. You have to cultivate multiple "touches". Every time you get exposure in the eyes of the prospect, you are painting a sliver of the company portrait in their mind. You need to draw them deep into the narrative--leave them wanting more. Make it possible to find a lot of consistent content when they go looking for it.
Exposure is the art of being everywhere, in your industry, at all times. It takes strategy and a fair amount of skill to accomplish great exposure. The goal is building buzz about your brand. They open a trade magazine—you're there. They're surfing YouTube--you're there. They read an article, you're there. You are in their social media, their email, and on their phone. You have to be everywhere that is relevant, so that a prospect might find you interesting, learn about your company, and finally, engage with your company. One ad showcasing your products features, will not cut it.
Please contact Nesbit Marketing for questions on how to grow your company's exposure: