What Is Experiential Marketing and Why Do You Need It?

Through experiential marketing, which involves engaging the entire five senses, a brand can build strong and lasting connections with its consumers. It can trigger emotional responses that can help drive loyalty.

Experiential marketing allows a brand to connect with its customers in a way that’s authentic and relatable while increasing awareness.

Through the use of experiential marketing campaigns, a brand can create experiences that are unlike anything that’s been done in traditional marketing.

These experiences can help build trust among your brand’s current customers and attract new ones.

What Sets Experiential Marketing Apart From Traditional Marketing?

Through live interaction, an experiential marketing can connect your brand with its consumers. It’s a powerful channel in a multi-channel strategy.

Traditional marketing only involves various forms of media, such as radio commercials, billboards, and print advertisements. It’s usually focused on generating an emotional connection instead of a product or service.

Online promotion is a process that involves various forms of media. Some of these include search engine optimization, social media, and pay-per-click advertising, among others.

Benefits of Experiential Marketing

1. Events Explain The “Why” for Customers

One of the most effective ways to boost a brand’s sales is by offering products that hit home for people.

Most consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that has an emotional connection with its customers.

Experiential marketing can help create these connections by holding virtual events that are designed to elicit an emotional response.

2. More Meaningful Connections Are Formed

All marketers want their customers to receive a personalized experience. Experiential marketing is all about personalization.

It can create customized experiences that are designed to make customers feel like they’re part of the show.

3. The Events Are More Memorable and Engaging

People often see thousands of ads each day. This means that having advertising that stands out is difficult.

Instead of resorting to traditional marketing techniques, experiential campaigns use novel touchpoints. They don’t skirt the preferences of their target customers.

4. It Offers Tangible Value

Experiential marketing can be expensive, especially if you’re used to having a marketing budget that mainly involves search engine marketing and Facebook ads.

Unlike traditional marketing techniques, experiential marketing can generate a self-perpetuating machine. It can allow a company to create a branded experience that its customers will love and then distribute it to their various social media platforms.

So even though it may be more expensive, the value that it can add is tremendous. 

Experiential Marketing During the New “Normal”

Before March 2020, most experiential marketing was mainly focused on in-person events, such as product launches and expos. It used smaller community events and pop-ups.

During the pandemic, various events, such as the Olympic Games and South by Southwest, were canceled. However, these experiences eventually came back.

Initially, these events were virtual. Through fully digital platforms, they were able to connect with a wider audience of people who might not be able to attend traditional events due to their physical limitations.

Hybrid events, which are similar to in-person experiences but with higher safety measures, were then introduced.

Some of these include the Tokyo Olympics and South by Southwest. Through online programs, South by Southwest was able to connect with its digital audience.

Experiential marketing is expected to continue growing due to the increasing popularity of virtual and in-person events.

These forms of marketing allow companies and marketers to connect with their target customers in a way that’s both convenient and engaging.

What Makes a Great Exponential Marketing Campaign?

1. Measurable Goals

Before you start an experiential marketing campaign, you must identify the goals of the campaign. This will help you determine the type of experience that you’re planning on creating and the budget that you’re able to allocate.

2. Authenticity

Experiential marketing is all about creating experiences that are designed to be authentic to the brand. This is done through the use of strong brand values.

3. Participation

Experiential marketing is about creating an interactive experience that allows people to participate and ask questions.

It’s not about delivering a point, which is usually the goal of a traditional marketing campaign. Instead, it’s about building a story that will connect with a brand’s target audience.

The best campaigns create a story that will resonate with their target audience and inspire them to share it online.

Conclusion

Modern marketing requires that all campaigns be tested, measured, and scaled. This is important, as failure to do so can lead to a lack of sales. In the end, experiential marketing is all about applying best practices to your campaigns in a way that many businesses have not thought of before.