Take a moment and think about an interactive event you loved attending. What made the experience so memorable? Was there music, a photo booth, interactive games, or exciting activities? Were there free product samples, interesting demonstrations, or the chance to win a prize?
Chances are this event stuck out in your mind because you had fun! Creating an engaging attendee experience starts with getting people excited to interact with your brand, learn something new, or make a purchase. Get started by reading this guide to experiential event marketing, a revolutionary approach to interactive brand experiences that will help you drive growth!
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Experiential marketing (sometimes called “live marketing” or “engagement marketing”) is a strategy that fosters brand engagement through immersive experiences. In other words, experiential marketing uses memorable, hands-on activities to solidify a consumer’s emotional connection with a brand.
Done right, experiential marketing strategies can help raise brand awareness, foster meaningful connections, nurture business opportunities, and build long-term customer loyalty. Event planners can even add behavioral triggers to increase event engagement.
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Experiential events are face-to-face social gatherings that empower organizations to promote their brand, products, and services in interactive ways. Depending on an organization’s needs, events can be an effective way to provide education, encourage networking, raise funds, or increase sales.
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While they sound similar, there is a difference between “experiential marketing” and “experiential events.” They are separate tactics that achieve different marketing goals:
Neither is better than the other. Experiential marketing and experiential events can be used in conjunction to increase engagement, boost sales, and maximize return on investment (ROI).
The most successful event marketers balance these strategies as part of their event marketing plan. Remember, your goal is to surprise and delight consumers with a meaningful experience instead of simply pushing a product.
Experiential event marketing is a fun, meaningful way to help your organization achieve its goal. First, ask yourself what you want to achieve by participating in or hosting an event. Your answer will guide your approach to your event strategy.
If you’re looking for some guidance, the following list contains reasons you may want to consider incorporating an experiential event into your overall marketing strategy:
Humanize your brand.Nobody enjoys impersonal, robotic marketing tactics. Instead, use the event experience to showcase your organization’s values, personality, and brand identity. Your customers will enjoy meeting your team and creating a connection. |
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Raise brand awareness.Differentiating your brand is crucial, especially with increasingly fierce competition in every industry. Use event marketing to help your brand cut through the “noise” of other competitors and advertisements in your space. |
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Nurture business opportunities.Take advantage of the event experience to boost lead generation, capture quality information for your CRM, and add to your sales pipeline. |
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Create personalized engagement with consumers.People crave custom-tailored event experiences that are created with their needs in mind. Use event marketing to attract new customers, engage with existing ones, and re-ignite relationships with cold leads. |
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Build memorable experiences with customers.Help your target audience build a positive emotional connection with your brand through a unique experience they won’t soon forget. |
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Gain referrals and positive press.Referrals are a tried-and-true way to get more business, as people tend to trust recommendations from people they know. Provide solid experiences that customers will want to share with their connections. |
Nicole Jacobson, Director of Marketing, Web & Digital Operations at pc/nametag |
Is it possible to create a fantastic experiential event with little to no budget? The answer is yes! Experiential marketing doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive or large-scale to be effective. With a bit of ingenuity, any organization can plan an experience that helps customers and prospects connect with their brand.
Are you ready to get started but don’t have an unlimited event budget? Read on to find six experiential marketing ideas that are bound to wow your audience, generate buzz, and pique brand curiosity on a dime.
Some companies have lavish budgets to easily host or sponsor huge events. But what if you’re a start-up, a small company, or a non-profit with limited funds? The good news is that you don’t need to create an entire experiential event on your own. In fact, partnering with another event that’s already occurring can be a smart financial move.
First, research popular events in your area that draw in your target customer base. Are there any local events, expos, conferences, festivals, or seminars that suit your brand? If so, see if there is an opportunity to exhibit there (or near there).
This way, you’ll get immediate access to motivated customers who are likely to love your brand. Capitalizing on established events is the ultimate way to get the most bang for your buck, while also accessing large crowds of qualified buyers.
Did you know that appealing to the senses can help promote your brand? Sensory marketing is a fun technique that primarily appeals to sight, smell, taste, touch, and/or hearing. Done right, multi-sensory experiences can be a simple yet effective approach toward influencing consumers to interact with your brand.
Remember, trade show booth games should be fun, but also teach people more about what your organization has to offer. Use fun contests and goofy games to get attendees laughing, having fun, and encouraging their peers to play. A delightful experience will easily help your booth stick out from those without activities.
Insight from the Experts:
Brooke Ihlefeld, Digital Marketing Manager at pc/nametag |
Never underestimate the power of social media marketing at an event! Social media can help your brand increase exposure, earn greater booth traffic, and build a larger audience reach—especially to attendees who missed your booth or weren’t able to attend the show.
Ask booth visitors to submit a photo, video, tweet, or quote about your brand using a posted hashtag. You might also invite them to engage with your brand by asking for their opinion on a subject or to ask them to vote on something (I.e., a favorite name, flavor, color, theme, etc.)
Your goal is to encourage prospects and customers to capture and share their experience with your brand with their networks. This social proof will give you free access to grassroots marketing among your audience.
People crave interactive activities that bring the event experience to life. Get creative with custom gift boxes that include marketing materials and branded gifts. Your customers will love taking getting conference mementos they’ll use long after your event is over.
One conference swag idea is to offer a ‘create your own gift bag’ activity where attendees can choose from a variety of brandable gifts and giveaways unique to your business. Custom sunglasses, notebooks, tumblers, water bottles, and pens are sure to be a hit.
Another idea is advertising that the first ‘x’ number of visitors to make a purchase or sign up for a demo will get an exclusive gift box to take home. Including unique, company-branded gifts is a great strategy to make your box or bag stand out, especially among loyal customers who take pride in supporting your brand. You’ll also create an opportunity for FOMO (“fear of missing out”) among visitors while building your sales pipeline.
While this experiential marketing guide may be over, your chance to create unforgettable brand experiences isn’t! Here at pc/nametag, we have lots of resources to help you take your event marketing strategy to new heights. Check out our list of content recommendations below:
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tag Talk blog for more event planning insights like this, plus 10% off your next event supplies order. Then, contact the Tag Team to learn how to build memorable and meaningful connections with attendees through customizable products for your business or organization. We’re excited to work with you!