WHY MARKETING STRATEGIES FALL FLAT
Today, most marketing campaigns live on a screen. In-person events bring them to life.
Building brand loyalty is a lot like maintaining a friendship; It starts with a period of bonding where the relationship’s foundation is built. Over time, things may shift and people may move away, but the mutual affinity is still there. Lucky for us, there are dozens of ways to maintain friendships over the years (and miles). Group text threads, late-night memes, and even scheduled zoom dates are all ways we keep relationships going strong. But let’s admit it. None of those compare to the times when the plans to get together move off the group chat and into reality.
The moments we spend together in real-life build bonds in ways that an Instagram message could never replicate.
The same is true for your brand. We know you work hard to build lasting connections with your customers through digital marketing efforts. You might have a great newsletter, a killer social presence, and a robust sales funnel, but are you harnessing the power of having your customers undivided attention through IRL opportunities?
Think of experiential marketing as the in-person meet-up between friends. It’s your brand’s opportunity to build real connections, credibility, and loyalty with your brand.
Digital marketing is where the conversation starts, excitement builds—and the good-times are rehashed. Immersive experiences on the other hand, are where you bring your brand to life in the eyes of your customer. How exactly does experiential marketing prevent what was thought to be an unbreakable digital bond from fizzling out? We’ve got the answers below.
5 Ways Experiential Marketing Reinforces Your Digital Strategy:
1. Creates An Immersive and Interactive Experience
While digital advertising utilizes just one or two of our senses, an immersive in-person experience gives us the opportunity to take in the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of what’s around us. This heightened level of engagement leaves a lasting impression on customers, making it more likely they will remember the experience (and the brand behind it).
2. Forms a Deeper Connection with Your Audience
When you create an impactful and memorable experience for your customers, they are more likely to develop an emotional connection with your brand. Those same emotions play a crucial role in their purchase decisions later on.
3. Makes Your Brand Unforgettable
Let’s face it. Traditional advertising bombards us all day, every day; making it hard to stand out and make an impression on customers. In the age of ad fatigue and banner blindness, most digital advertising becomes… forgettable. Where interactive marketing has an edge, is that it creates uniquely memorable experiences that are not so easily forgotten. This translates into better brand recall, recognition, and preference.
4. Gets Your Audience Talking
When people are moved by an experience, they want to talk about. You’ll find them sharing their experience on social media or in-person with friends, family, or maybe even the person next to them on the plane. When chances are, at least a few of those people will also be in your target audience, it’s easy to see how organic, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best forms of advertising. And one well-executed brand experience could be all it takes to extend your reach and influence potential customers.
5. Builds Credibility and Authenticity
One of the biggest challenges for brands selling physical products is that their customers can’t actually “try before they buy.” Live brand activations provide that opportunity, allowing customers to touch and feel the quality of your product, and for you to demonstrate its capabilities live. These types of interactions build credibility and authenticity which are huge influences in purchase decisions.
When you rely on digital marketing efforts alone, you risk falling flat. By incorporating experiential marketing into your greater strategy, you will not only connect more deeply with existing and potential customers, you’ll be maximizing the impact of your digital marketing tactics—building a well-rounded, effective strategy.
Not sure how to start incorporating experiential marketing into your strategy? Eventus has been delivering customized, expertly-executed brand experiences for over a decade. Reach out to learn how you can get your brand off the screen and into real-life relationships with your customers.
