There are a few experiential marketing ideas you can try in your business to bring in the profits. But first though, any form of marketing strategy that lets consumers interact with your brand first hand would qualify to be called an experiential marketing tactic. This would include giving your prospects an opportunity to try out your products, discuss or interact with the brand in a special way. Today, there are so many ways you could engage your customers in experiential marketing campaigns. But again, it all depends on the nature of your business and also the product you’re selling. Therefore, in this article, we’ll highlight 5 experiential marketing ideas to try with your business. These ideas have worked for the big companies before, and so they can work for you too. We’ll also review a Western Union case study about how an experiential marketing campaign worked for them some time back.

5 Experiential Marketing Ideas You Need to Try

1. In-store Demos

In-store demos directly involve your brand and customers. Demos simply create what we call a ”carnivial” atmosphere, where your customers cheer the performance of the product in question, and also enjoy taking part in it. This technique is most effective when conducted in an in-person fashion. That’s because it gives the consumer a first-hand opportunity to try the product hands-on and see how it works. They also get the opportunity to experience the level of quality and whether or not they will like it. You see, if you do it in a professional way, you’ll be presenting your products in the best light possible. The aim is to try and eliminate any doubt in the minds of your prospects and consumers about the performance of the product you’re trying to sell them. Let’s review a case study — this is about Western Union, a digital money transfer service that has existed for 160 years now. The company simply wanted to send a strong message that sending or transferring money is something that will continue to remain a valid option in the digital era. Because of this, they came up with the idea of a ”singing telegram”. Today, the modern telegram simply lets users duet with famous musicians such as Snoop Dogg, K’ Naan and many others. Then a face-mapping technology is used to combine the consumer’s face with that of the artist/celebrity. After this happens, this footage is shared on social media or emailed. This campaign, ran for nearly 6 weeks, reached over 50 marketers and got coverage in big media outlets such as New York Times, Forbes and Rolling Stone. It changed the perception of the consumer forever.

2. The Power of Free Samples

Consumers will always love the idea of getting free samples regardless of the type of product you make, so don’t be afraid to invest in free samples. You see, whenever a consumer gets a free product to try out, they immediately transfer a positive energy towards the product or brand. On the part of the consumer, it may be fun. But on your part, free samples help you in several ways. For example, it’s only through giving free samples that a consumer will experience your brand first hand. After all, they wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to do so if you had not provided free samples in the first place. When this happens, they form an educated opinion around that product. Free samples can either be spread to friends or family members. The idea is to get the message rolling out there. It has a long term impact on your business. This is something you might not realize instantly.

3. Online Contests

If you want to capture the interest of those who didn’t even have it on your product the first time, then the best way to do so is to hold online contests. For instance, if you know a site that makes its visitors play online marketing games, you should be aware of the fact that these visitors are only interested in playing the game and not the product in question. However, as they do so, they come across the product and they take note of it. They will learn facts about it and also how it is used. But at the end of this game, this un-interested consumer may get a conviction that they need that particular product, and so they can make up their mind to purchase it — even though they didn’t want to do so at first. However, for those who were interested from the word go, they won’t resist the fun and excitement that comes with playing an online game. In fact, they will immediately transfer their feelings to that particular product. Consequently, this makes them more likely to pick your brand over others that they’ve never experienced before.

4. Social Media

If you want to conduct successful experiential marketing campaigns, you must have a social media page where others can engage with you. In fact, all people who visit your pages on social media participate in experiential marketing in some way. They are taking time to acknowledge what you are writing. They are even commenting on your posts (which is good for your engagement rate). And perhaps they are even telling their friends about you whenever someone raises an issue about products of a similar nature. You want to build your popularity through capturing their positive feelings. You could use special discounts, notifications, as well as updates to keep them involved. As long as you have a following, you’re better to go.

5. Test their loyalty

According to a study published by the loyalty effect; it revealed that if you retained 5% of your customers, it would contribute to a 20% to 100% profit increment in the long run. There are lots of ways you can measure whether or not they are loyal. However, keep in mind that this also depends with the industry you’re operating in. So regardless of the technique you use, you need to identify what you want to learn about, the method that will work, and also the frequency in which you will update your measurements. Remember to focus on their intended action rather than their present feeling or opinion.

Conclusion

The above points are your experiential marketing ideas for this year. Implement any one of them and you’ll see some change. And of course don’t forget to always be creative with your ideas. Remember, experiential marketing ideas are always subject to change with the consumer behavior and action.