Written by: Kristen DeGroot, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Who would you trust? A brand trying to sell you something via an email or someone shaking your hand at an event and talking to you face-to-face about their brand?
We all want a human connection to the brands we support, and your target consumers are no exception.
It’s time to step out from behind your computer and add actual human interaction to score new consumers and build brand loyalty.
As the owner of The Campfire Circle, an agency that grows agencies, I have had the pleasure of learning from an agency, Old City Media, about all things experiential marketing.
In this post, I’m offering an alternative to all of the digital marketing efforts you already do. I’m not saying replace digital marketing; simply add some good old-fashioned in-person connections, and I’ll tell you exactly how to do it.
What exactly Is experiential marketing?
Experiential marketing enhances the way brands interact with their target audience by adding an in-person event. As the name suggests, it’s about giving your potential customers an experience
Experiential marketing means you’re giving your target audience face time. And with that sort of human interaction comes a memorable experience, making your brand memorable.
The key when it comes to experiential marketing is that these events make the consumer feel like a part of your brand experience, which cannot happen as effectively as your online efforts.
Since experiential marketing is all about events and face time, data shows that 91% of consumers who partake in a brand’s event report that after the event, they were more likely to purchase from the brand.
These events usually take place in pop-up shops, grocery stores, public spaces, parks, retail locations, festivals, conventions, etc.
The reason why this form of marketing is so effective is because every consumer is an emotional human being. If your brand can connect with people on an emotional level, not only will they purchase your product or services, but they also become loyal customers.
Steps to implement an experiential marketing campaign
I have seen firsthand how much experiential marketing can increase revenue and position brands in a positive way to their target market. So let’s look at the steps that you need so that you can have a successful experiential marketing event.
Come up with a unique proposition
While people like human interaction, people are also busy. So your event needs to be attractive and stand out.
A good place to start is to consider what makes your brand unique and brainstorm how that translates into an event.
Identify your audience and goals
You likely have an idea of your target audience. Sometimes, it’s more impactful to identify a niche within your target audience so that you can tailor your approach to a very specific group of people.
At your event, how do you plan to reach your target audience? Would presentations or networking appeal to them? Where would your target audience like to congregate?
Find a location
Once your audience has been identified, you can book your location.
The location depends on the size of your event and budget. With a small budget, you can have a successful event at a park or retail location. If you have a large budget and are expecting a lot of people to attend, you can consider renting out large public spaces like conference rooms.
Really consider your audience in this step. Are they casual? Then maybe a brewery would be fun. Are they professional? I’d stick to a conference room. Keep your target audience in mind, and they shall come.
Contact strategic partners
You don’t need to go about experiential marketing alone. You can expand the reach of your event and reduce the budget by partnering with brands that complement your brand.
Strategic partners can also be in the form of people who help you promote your event, such as community leaders, influencers, ambassadors, etc.
Create a landing page
Create a landing page that you can include in your invitations so that people can refer to it and use the link to share your event with their friends and family.
The landing page should be simple. Include the location of your event, what time it’s taking place, why people should attend, and a form to sign up to attend.
Reach out to target consumers
Once all of your ducks are in a row, it’s time to start getting your target audience excited!
Start by inviting all of your current customers, as these events build loyalty. Then, reach out to all of your leads.
Promote your event to get more attendees
Don’t just rely on your current contacts to fill up your event. There are a few ways to promote it to get new potential customers to attend and amplify the effectiveness of your event.
This is where your traditional marketing comes in. Brands have had success getting their target audience to attend their events by purchasing email blasts, doing paid and organic posts on social media, asking attendees to invite people they know, posting their event on community websites, hanging flyers in local coffee shops, and more.
Embrace social media to gain more traction
One of the smartest things you can do with your experiential marketing strategy is to bridge your offline event with an online presence.
You can use social media to generate buzz about your event to get more attendees.
Having a designated hashtag and backdrop for selfies is huge as they help attendees create social media posts that are engaging and highlight your event and brand.
You can even incentivize attendees to post on social with a small gift card or raffle entry.
Final thoughts: I’m ready to implement experiential marketing
I’m not going to lie, experiential marketing events take a ton of time. And if you have the time, this post should get you going.
If you don’t have time, data shows that hiring an agency that specializes in this strategy is more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee or a freelancer to implement it. I have used Old City Media, and their expertise when it comes to experiential marketing is better than I’ve ever seen and their rates are super reasonable.
Have you dabbled with experiential marketing? I’d love to read any tips you have in the comments below!
Kristen DeGroot, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kristen DeGroot is the CEO of The Campfire Circle, an agency for agencies. She has been helping agencies grow for over a decade. Kristen has an English writing degree so a lot of her strategies that she implements for her clients are content driven. Basically, Kristen grows agencies so that agency owners can spend more time on what matters: Doing awesome client work.
