05.26.18
By Lisa Major
Experiential marketing is also known as engagement marketing, and for good reason. Engagement marketing events connect consumers and brands through face-to-face marketing tactics and offer fun experiences. But what if the consumers aren’t engaging with the experience? That would be a huge blow to ROI, and quite frankly, a disaster. During the planning stages, one of the top priorities should be brainstorming ways to garner greater event engagement. The sky is the limit when it comes to engaging experiences and interactive elements. Marketers and event professionals should always look at the bigger picture, think outside the box, and stay on tops of the latest trends in event engagement.
You keep seeing “know your audience” everywhere because it is crucial. If you aren’t connecting with your audience in an authentic way, you are missing out on true engagement and growth. Once you know your audience, you can tailor and personalize event elements based on their interests, needs, and wants.
The design of your activation, footprint, booth, or exhibition plays a big role in attracting consumers. Everything from lighting to signage to your event staff’s uniform needs to be unique and visually appealing. Even if the design elements are funny or off-the-wall, you want to give attendees a reason to come check out your activation.
Social media is a super easy and cost-effective way to engage your audience. Come up with a clever hashtag, a cool green screen photo or video opportunity with sharing capabilities, a Snapchat geofilter, or a social contest. Anything to get people talking and sharing their experience will pay off in a big way, not to mention it will gain new followers, too. Social media isn’t the future, it is now, so use that powerful and oftentimes free tool to your advantage.
Happy, smiling, and friendly brand ambassadors hold the key to successful event engagement. After all, they are on the front lines and are responsible for initiating conversations with event attendees. You will want to have the very best people representing your brand based on who your target audience is. Who can relate well to your audience? And who will your audience feel most comfortable with? After determining who the best fit is, reach out to an event staffing agency with your needs. They will be able to provide brand ambassadors that align with your brand image. It doesn’t end here, make sure you provide some sort of training and brand messaging, so interactions come off authentically.
Everyone loves some good swag, but no one loves the swag that gets tossed in the trash. Coming up with branded swag items that your audience will find useful is key. Swag isn’t limited to cups and pens these days, now we have digital swag, discount codes, exclusive event offers, gift cards, and personalized swag. Get creative and don’t skimp on swag items if you are offering them.
Interactive games and contests are a surefire way to boost event engagement, especially when they are fun, and even more so when there is a prize at the end. Competitions, prize wheels, and gaming elements are always a big hit.
Experiential and event technology has come a long way in the past five years. Interactive elements that draw consumers into the brand’s story creates a personalized experience that they won’t forget. Elements like AR and VR, social walls, customized RFID technology, and touchscreen applications are engaging and leave consumers with a memorable experience.
In using this basic foundation, you can plan, design, create and execute a memorable and engaging experiential brand experience.
If you are looking to maximize your experiential marketing event ROI, you’ll need the right brand ambassadors representing your brand – those who can speak for your brand, connect with your target audience, and create a memorable experience. With over 300,000 vetted field employees across the U.S. and Canada, ATN Event Staffing has the ability to meet our client’s needs by pairing them with the right people to represent their brand.
