Experiential marketing, AKA live marketing or engagement marketing, is a marketing strategy that directly invites engagement from the audience and encourages them to participate in an immersive brand experience campaign.
This form of marketing differs from conventional marketing campaigns in a way that consumers aren’t treated as a passive receiver of the message. Instead, they are encouraged to participate proactively in the creation and production of marketing programs.
This helps to create a strong bonding between the business and the audience which also helps to deepen loyalty in the long run.
So why are brands investing in engagement marketing? Because of the host of benefits that come with it. Here, have a look.
1. Experiential marketing helps in generating a huge number of sales and leads
Engagement or experiential marketing can lead directly to leads and sales which is exactly what the doctor ordered.
More than 79% of companies participating in an experiential
marketing survey admitted that this form of marketing had given them a significant boost in increasing leads and revenue at one, and at the same time. 74% of consumers participating in the same survey said they were more likely to purchase services or products from a company if they take the troubles of hosting an experiential marketing event.
Taking all these things into account, we can conclude that experiential marketing is more than capable of making a difference in the market provided it’s done in the right way, preferably by a professional experiential agency.
2. Experiential marketing is undoubtedly effective
Why’s experiential marketing so popular?
Standing near the end of 2017, our answer remains the same- it’s effective.
More than 80% of businesses saw an ROI of around 3:1 for each experiential marketing event. If this isn’t a fairy tale, what is?
3. Experiential marketing provides a direct connection between the brand and the audience
Often these days, customers interact with the brands through social media or email. And if they communicate with the customer service on phone, they are typically speaking to a person who is more than thousands of miles away from him/her.
Experiential marketing, on the other hand, gives customers the opportunity to connect with their favorite brands on a personal level. It gives them the chance to look people in the eye, shake hands, and do all sorts of things people usually do in sales and created relationships.
Such a form of positive in-person interaction is more memorable to a consumer encouraging him/her to return to the company again for any future purchase.
4. Experiential marketing allows the audience to experience the services/products through their senses
Engagement or live marketing allows consumers to feel, taste, touch, hear or even smell a product at will.
Most shoppers are more likely to purchase food and beverages if they are allowed to taste a sample before making the purchase. Consumers smelling air fresheners and candles can figure out the ones they like the best before going for the same. The list goes on, on and on.
5. Experiential marketing brings a whole lot of firepower to your social media campaigns
Social media, in itself, is a powerful marketing platform. But when you combine it with engagement marketing, it becomes a more effective and potent way of getting the message across.
Most consumers love to click and share photographs on social media. If you can invite them to a fun and memorable experience, they are more likely to capture the moments and share the same with the people they know.
That gives you free grass root advertising; something you seldom get anywhere else.
A final word…
Everyone likes events, especially the ones providing meaningful insights and immersive experience of a brand new product or service. Experiential marketing does the very same thing in a unique way of its own.
They are fun for the companies who host them and fun for the consumers who participate in them. And, if you can combine the ROI with the fun factor associated with these events, you will see that the investment is definitely worth all the troubles.
And finally, you must realize that true consumer engagement actually happens when there’s a connection between the consumer and the brand. Experiential marketing acts as the live, one-on-one interaction allowing customers to create a deep connection with the brand.
So why wait on the sidelines? Get on the bandwagon NOW!
