If there’s one thing Millennials have taught us, it’s that people no longer want to view content passively. They want to engage moment to moment, creating their own content and enjoying intimate interactions with their favorite personalities. In short, they crave experiences.
Instagram reacted by launching its Stories feature in 2016, offering a way for people to share their experience with a more seamless alternative to Snapchat’s popular story feature. The two companies have been battling it out since then, though a 2017 study found Instagram is currently the preferred platform for popular influencers.
For their part, companies are redirecting resources from their broadcast budgets into experiential strategies. Gone are the days of models passing out products on a convention floor; now, experiential activations are becoming inherently tied to social media. While in-person engagement is great, it's no longer enough on its own. To create a truly effective experiential campaign, marketers must provide an immersive brand experience worthy of sharing with the masses.
The goal of an experiential campaign is to connect brands and consumers in more tangible, lasting ways than the one-way communication of old-way advertising. But how do you gauge whether those connections are meaningful and whether they are actually moving the needle toward your goals?
One of the key metrics we focus on at NVE is change in audience sentiment after an experience: What are people saying about a brand now that they’ve participated in this event? Are they sharing more of the company’s content? Are they commenting on blogs and social posts? Have they purchased the featured product? This data helps to tell the real story about experiential impact.
Every campaign is different, but generally speaking, experiential marketing campaigns should be working toward three core goals: driving consumer action, increasing sales, and fortifying brand loyalty.
The consumer action is what you want the consumer to do as a result of attending the experience, whether that means joining a cause, sharing on social media, or participating in future brand activations.
The driving sales component is pretty straightforward. Marketers need to prove return on investment by demonstrating that an experience actually moved units or generated qualified leads. Research from the Event Marketing Institute predicts that the right event can be potent for driving sales. It found that 98 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service after participating in a related experience.
Finally, experiential campaigns should solidify brand loyalty. This can be more difficult to track, but new technologies are making it possible. Laser-focused on consumer insights and analytics, we integrate RFID technology into many of our brand partners' projects. By taking a gamified approach, technology can be used to capture consumer data — like changed behavior and sentiment toward the brand — while enhancing the overall guest experience.
The data we remain particularly focused on is postexperience impressions: Did the experiential strategy drive an increased likelihood of viewership? Based on the social shares, photo booth snaps, and other related activities, we can connect the dots to a consumer’s future actions. Experience creates connection, and that bond inspires people to engage long after an experience ends.
An experience might last an hour or take place over a few days, but you can create impact that is exponentially more enduring if your strategy is equipped with social media. Follow these tips to gather meaningful metrics and achieve long-term momentum:
Social sharing is essential in driving sales among Millennials — 68 percent of whom say they’re more influenced by friends’ social posts than they are by traditional advertising. A unique experience will go viral without the help of any paid media if you craft it effectively.
For instance, the Museum of Ice Cream drove $6 million in revenue from ticket sales thanks to its highly “Instagrammable” installations. People wanted to post their own snaps in front of giant popsicles and ice cream fixtures, and hundreds of thousands of them were willing to pay $29 a ticket for the opportunity. By creating a unique, desirable experience, the museum drove incredible demand through social buzz.
Experiential campaigns can take content a step further by giving guests the opportunity for personalization — something 83 percent of marketers say they struggle with, but 63 percent of consumers say would positively impact how they viewed a brand. The best kind of content involves the guest and has branding built in. When guests can really immerse themselves in the experience and make it their own, they'll be more excited to share a piece of content because they feel like they had a role in its creation.
2. Tap into the power of influencer marketing.
Experiential and influencer marketing are natural allies. In-person activations not only provide compelling content for influencers to share, but they also allow them to be part of something, rather than simply sell it.
When determining who to work with, look to existing brand evangelists. Influencers who are already tagging your brand will feel like authentic partners, and their genuine enjoyment of your experience will shine through.
For example, when we were finding a fit to help celebrate Budweiser’s Bud & Burgers experience, Emily Ratajkowski came to mind. Tapping into the strategic insight that Ratajkowski is a Los Angeles native and a long-time Dodgers fan, we knew the relationship would be a home run for all involved. Thanks to her natural connection to the team and her large social following, the Opening Day experience tallied more than 63.7 million impressions.
That said, you don’t have to partner with big-time social celebrities to move the needle. In fact, microinfluencers can boost your organic reach, as their followers are 60 percent more engaged than those of larger influencers. Think along the lines of local celebrities or niche experts.
No matter who you choose, give them something to be a part of. Influencers should not serve as mannequins for attendees to admire. They should be active participants at the very center of your event, interacting with your products or services in memorable and meaningful ways.
3. Establish a structured social sharing plan.
Instead of targeting every social platform, invest in a few that will generate the best returns. Decide in advance which you’ll emphasize, and create hashtags and filters guests can use throughout the day.
You should also work to build shareability directly into the components of your experience. For instance, if you offer a photo booth, enable guests to share their photos instantly and directly from the machine.
Although you want your audience to share spontaneously during the event, your team should have a clear plan for sharing throughout the day and beyond. Use targeting and scheduling tools to share posts that carry the momentum forward after the experience.
To turn sometimes customers into life-long loyalists, you must invest in establishing real connections — and experiential is one of the most effective avenues for doing just that. To truly make an impact, captivate your audience members with an immersive experience they can’t wait to amplify to their followers.
By Expert commentator
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