A brand is more than just the product or service offered. Brands that take marketing seriously know that creating a connection with current and potential customers is key to long-term success. Companies who fail to connect with their fans beyond the transaction are missing out on opportunities to grow their reputation in the industry as well as their bottom line.
Also known as experiential marketing, brand experiences help businesses connect with their fans and audiences at the feeling level to tell their story and create loyalty. Live brand experience events are one of the best ways to immerse fans and customers into the company’s story to make a big impact. Here are six tips for developing brand experience events for fans that will leave a lasting impression.
1- Understand the Audience
The most obvious yet often overlooked aspect of creating successful brand experience events is to deeply understand the audience. This goes beyond typical demographics like age and household income. Understanding your fan’s likes and dislikes, their dreams, and their problems are information necessary to craft a stand-out brand experience event.
2- Use the Five Senses
The advantage of a live event is being able to utilize all five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell). Producing brand experience events that can hit our basic human senses immerses the attendees into the unique storytelling of the brand and its products that fosters loyalty in the long term. Don’t feel like an event has to be over-the-top or extravagant, it simply needs to speak to the heart of your fans and meet them where they’re at.
3- Interaction
Interaction with your brand goes beyond using your product or service. Fans crave interaction with the businesses they purchase from because people love relationships, especially with companies whom they spend money with. Interaction can be as simple as human interaction with staff of your company at the event, or as high-tech as gamification through mobile apps. Whichever way you choose, intentionally created interaction that highly engages your fans is part of a successful band experience event.
4- Incorporate Digital
Just because a brand experience event is live doesn’t mean to neglect non-physical elements. Incorporating digital touch points such as text messaging, email marketing, or live streaming the event online goes beyond the physical event. Utilizing digital means staying connected with fans both inside and outside of the event and is critical to creating an all-encompassing experience.
5- Brand Ambassadors
Companies don’t need to hire celebrities in order to interact with fans. Brand ambassadors can be anyone on behalf of your brand that is face-to-face with fans at events. They are the immediate touchpoint that gives a connection between brands and fans, so ambassadors need to be a good fit and representation of your brand. If you have a booth at an event then ambassadors are the ones that are at the booth. If your brand is hosting the entire event then ambassadors are those who work throughout the event and are responsible for different sections of the event itself.
6- Before and After the Event
The times before and after a brand experience event are also key to engaging with fans. The time leading up to an event is best used to generate excitement for the big day and to distribute important information about the event (such as parking instructions). And just because an event is over doesn’t mean the connection with your fans has to stop. After-event promotion is a critical time to show the success of your event and to stay connected with fans.
Crafting a memorable brand experience event for your customers and fans builds a deeper relationship with them that a simple purchase transaction can’t do. A thoughtful and well-prepared brand experience event creates an unforgettable experience for fans that keeps them coming back to your business.
