Everyone who knows me will tell you I'm a strong proponent of Experiential Marketing. And why not? Our client-developed programs and secondary research validate that about 22% of consumers with a positive personal brand/product experience will purchase your product! That's a pretty awesome ROI when compared to virtually any marketing medium.
But in these tight economic times, you may be one of those saying "maybe I can reduce my event budget by not actually attending events but using one of the growing Social Media tactics to reach my audience instead." Well, if you're thinking about it, count to 10, then follow the steps below:
- Be Strategic
- Be Present
- Be Real
- Be Everywhere
Be Strategic
Regardless of the brand, product or marketing challenge you face, your first step should always be to develop a strategy. Ask yourself Who are my consumers? Where are they? What media do they consume? What events, sports or entertainment do they attend? These and many more questions will help you to determine the right strategy and ultimately marketing tactics to reach them. In most cases, you will end up concluding that no single solution is right and a mix of advertising, PR, events, web and social media tactics will deliver the best results. Determining how much of each tactic becomes the next point of discussion.
Be Present
As mentioned above, consumers are highly likely to buy your products when you interact with them through some sort of personal experience. That means you have to be there with them. No presence means no interaction. No interaction means no consumer experience with your brand or product. So, if your strategic plan says a marketing experience is one of the right tactics, then nothing else is a viable substitute.
Choosing the right events that deliver the right target audience (and enough of them to make a difference) is also important to analyze. There are many factors to consider. So many in fact, I'll talk about that in a future blog post.
Be Real
Today, consumers have endless points of reference and information about your brand or products. TV, Radio, Print, websites, blogs, web searches, consumer ranking of products, to name a few. As a result, they know when you are trying to be something you're not, and they will find many ways to tell the world about it. So, don't be a poser. Be who and what you are. Just find a way to make your product meaningful or relevant to your audience. Find a fun, unique and informative way for consumers to interact or test your product. Once they have experienced your product and know you are the real deal, they not only are likely to purchase, they will tell others of their great experience with your product.
Be Everywhere
It used to be that the event itself was the primary objective of event marketing; get consumers to experience your product and convince them why it is the smart choice. Today, there are so many more things to consider for pre-event, during event, and post event marketing to extend your product and the consumer experiences into the world-wide marketplace. The use of websites, blogs, banner ads, Twitter postings, You Tube video links, e-news distribution, and others allow you to truly "Be Everywhere". The possibilities are endless, and many of them are pretty inexpensive add-ons to your event. I'd recommend you spend at least as much time planning the "Be Everywhere" tactics as you do planning for the actual event.