Imagine a world where your customers are influenced by your brand so much, that they are the ambassadors of your business

This isn’t just a dream; it’s the reality of experiential marketing! 

You decide to eat out one night and you are drawn to two Italian restaurants. One restaurant has standard pasta options. The other restaurant has an interactive menu that allows you to choose your own ingredients to create your own pasta. Which restaurant are you more likely to choose?  The answer is probably the second one. This is because the second restaurant offers an experience that is unique and customized to your liking. 

If a brand is to succeed, it must embrace experiential marketing as a pivotal part of the overall go-to-market strategy. From in-person events to product demonstrations, businesses have endless opportunities to harness the power of experiential marketing. With so many benefits, it’s no wonder that experiential marketing is on the rise. 

How can marketers and brands create memorable experiences for customers? 

How many times have you found yourself happy after attending an event and you anxiously look forward to attending it next time? Please note, it’s not the event but the experience which stays and makes you come back. 

Hence, it is important that we prioritize experiences as a way to foster the human need for connection, curiosity and a sense of belonging! 

If marketers and brands treat their customers more than just a transaction, they will be able to connect with them personally and more likely to do business with and stay loyal to your brand. 

The best way to connect with your customers is to share your brand story. Why did you start your business in the first place? What are the core values that you deliver? During the pandemic, consumers began to consider the values of the brands they support more carefully. As a result, companies with a mission have started to capture more significant segments of market shares in recent years. 

Whether you are in the business of soft drink or software, telling your brand story will help your customers understand what you’re all about and why they should care about your company. 

When the strong brand story is coupled with the power of unique and compelling content that is authentic and genuine, this will build customer loyalty and will generate more upsell opportunities for marketers. 

How can you share brand story through experiential marketing? 

Do you know that consumers are more inclined to buy a brand they feel more emotionally connected with? Yes, it’s true! 

Understand the fact that the strongest driving motivator for purchasing decisions is how a buyer feels about a brand. Their engagement with the values and story espoused by your brand is what makes a sale rather than other more practical concerns. 

However, I understand that in today’s crowded marketplace, to make your brand stand out is more complex than ever, since customers have variety of options in front of them, granting the freedom to choose the product that best suits their needs. In this scenario, how does a brand mark itself as unique? 

Experiential marketing involves inviting your audience to interact with your brand in a real-world situation. From hosting an in-person event, product demonstrations, tradeshows, installations that showcase your story or virtual experiences such as concerts, videos that tell your story in an engaging way or using new technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) that can give marketers new tools to experiment and immerse consumers during the buying process.

Whatever you do, make sure you are sharing your story in a way that resonates with your target audience as that shall deepen the relationships you have with your target audience. Events, experiences, and interactions shall help you establish emotional connections that are much deeper than what can come from sending an email or a targeted Instagram ad. 

Every business is unique, and therefore your experiential marketing campaign should be as well. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and what works for one business might not work for another. The bottom line is that experiential marketing is here to stay. If you’re not already incorporating it into your marketing mix, now is the time to start. 

Jasmin Kumar  is Global Head – Digital Marketing  AmpleLogic