OUTSMART COMPETITORS WITH THESE EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING TACTICS

OUTSMART COMPETITORS WITH THESE EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING TACTICS

If you’ve been to our blog before, you know that experiential marketing is a full force marketing trend. Today’s consumers don’t just want to buy products, they want to buy in to brands, and experiential marketing is a key tactic for instigating and maintaining these types of connections and relationships. Not to mention this isn’t just a method for cultivating a loyal consumer base of repeat customers and die-hard fans. Research shows experiential marketing boosts ROI in a more meaningful way than traditional marketing strategies, and it also improves sale cycles in way of quality and longevity.

But depending on your capabilities and the types of services you offer, experiential marketing may seem like a strategy that doesn’t initially appear to be an intuitive fit for your brand. If you’re going to commit to expanding your brand in this type of way, you have to be open-minded enough to get creative. This mentality will empower you to tailor this tactic to your brand in a way that feels authentic and intentional. Because regardless of your business objectives, experiential marketing works because it capitalizes on the unexpected. And frankly, consumers can’t get enough of it. Consider these words of wisdom from industry experts to take your experiential marketing efforts to a whole new level.

 

Hang out with your consumers like you would at Central Park.

The concept of experiential marketing made its inception long before now, but with the era of the digital age and unending technological advancements driving new shifts in consumer behavior, the strategy is being reimagined for the modern consumer altogether. Because all audiences are different, with unique needs and values, do your research and know what your audience wants—and don’t take to Google to do it. Talk to the people who have shown genuine support for your brand and ask questions that help you truly understand how this audience wants to interact with and experience your products. Ditch the notion that surveys cultivate meaningful responses, and instead invest the time in getting to know your consumers the same way you would your friends.

More shares than Charlie Bit My Finger.

The most organic way to promote your brand is to have your consumers do it for you, and shareable content blends authenticity and efficiency to get the job done. When you give your consumer base an innovative and memorable interactive experience, you’re making an impression that becomes the foundation for a meaningful connection. By prioritizing an unprecedented strategy and compelling visuals, you’ll establish your credibility and attract more consumers by showing what you can do for potential consumers as opposed to just telling them.

A Steve Jobs mindset in way of creative risk.

Experiential marketing isn’t a strategy that thrives when it’s done on the fly. It takes patience, precision, and attention to detail—especially because it requires a willingness to take risks, but a demand to be calculated and definitive in what those risks are. This supports the rational for coordinating your own research and taking the time to truly get to know your target audience. Gaining information and insights from the people who are a part of your consumer base is a bulletproof way to ensure your ideas are on track to bring about the desired results. Doing so minimizes potential pitfalls and identifies ways you can enhance and strengthen the final execution.

If you didn't Instagram it, did it even happen?

Instagram is more or less the quintessential BFF of experiential marketing campaigns. By creating something that has a strong focus on the design, you’re creating an opportunity for your consumer to want to share their experience on social media, specifically through Instagram—whether that’s through stories or posts. Ever heard of the Museum of Ice Cream? Or Refinery 29’s 29 Rooms exhibit? These are rock solid examples of how Instagram can cultivate an appeal that draws consumers to these types of experiences. Refinery 29 launched 29 Rooms as a way to celebrate a monumental anniversary, and it reaped so much success that it’s become a highly-anticipated event associated with the brand. Both MOIC and 29 Rooms sell out quickly and attract an audience that’s willing to travel in order to get in on the experience, and it’s all because innovative details and design-driven thinking generate a hype that people buy in to. So, if you think Instagram doesn’t play a hand in the success of your experiential marketing efforts, think again.

Memorable like Michael Jackon's Thriller.

If you’re going to pursue an experiential campaign, you have to consider the legacy this initiative will leave for your brand, simply because all successful experiential marketing efforts have one thing in common: they’re memorable. They underlying concept of the campaign has to intrigue and surprise the audience in a way that’s unexpected through and through. By creating something that generates a lasting impression, you’re augmenting consumer loyalty, enhancing the perception people have of your brand, and opening more doors for how you connect with your audience in the future.