6 Tips for Planning a Successful Mobile Marketing Tour

If you’re looking for a fun and engaging marketing strategy that will connect your brand with your target audience, a mobile marketing tour may be for you. Mobile tours are an incredible experiential marketing tool that allows brands to engage with customers in unique and interactive ways.

The tactic has been used for decades and is considered one of the earliest forms of experiential marketing, and for many brands, it serves as a vital piece of the marketing puzzle.

The Benefits of Mobile Marketing Tours

• Ability to visit multiple markets/locations and target numerous audiences
• Extremely flexible
• Mobile tour vehicles allow for inventory and collateral to be kept on board
• Mobile marketing teams offer consistency from location to location since they manage all aspects of the tour, including driving, logistics, inventory, setup/breakdown, local staff, and reporting.

How to Plan a Successful Mobile Marketing Tour

1. Location, Location, Location

Location is everything when it comes to experiential marketing events and mobile marketing tours. If you set up in an inaccessible location or one that’s off the beaten path and not visible to passersby, you may have a hard time building momentum and attracting an audience. 

Here are a few things to consider when choosing locations or venues for your mobile marketing tour:

• Is the location easily accessible?
• Is the location visible? Will your footprint be visible?
• Does the location get a lot of foot traffic?
• Will you be able to reach your target demographic?
• Do you need a permit to be onsite?

Do your due diligence and research locations and venues that are unique and exciting and don’t be afraid to step outside of the box. The options are virtually limitless; they just require some creativity.

2. Branding

What logos or messaging will you use on your tour vehicle? On your equipment? Signage? Branding is key to drawing an audience and establishing interest and trust in your brand with consistent messaging is vital.

If you are unsure of where to start with your branding, an experiential marketing agency can help. They will work with your to help create a unified and solid brand message covering all your mediums, from branded vehicles to collateral.

3. Choose the Right Staff To Represent Your Brand

Choosing capable staff to represent your brand and mobile tour is an absolute must. You’ll need tour managers, drivers, local brand ambassadors, and maybe event emcees, photographers, or videographers. Your mobile tour staff directly represents your brand, and they take on many important responsibilities and tasks. Because of this, staffing should be a priority, but it’s not always easy to do, considering you have to plan other aspects of your tour. 

Hiring an experienced event staffing company will allow you to focus on the bigger picture of your mobile marketing tour. They will handle all things staffing-related from start to finish, including recruitment, hiring, and onboarding qualified and experienced tour staff (which is incredibly important). They can also manage staff logistics/travel/accommodations, event management, local brand ambassador staffing, and payroll. 

4. Create Buzz For Your Event 

Reach your audience before you get there. Creating buzz for your activation is crucial for a successful mobile marketing tour activation. How are people going to find you? How will they know where you are, when you’ll be there, why you’re there, and so on? Utilizing various forms of media with great content – from social media (paid and organic) to signage to landing pages – will help you attract people to your activation.

If you’re targeting a very specific demographic such as moms of young children, reach out to local bloggers and influencers to help spread the word.  

5. Engagement

Engagement equals conversion. Conversion equals success. Adding interactive elements that appeal to all ages will encourage consumers to participate in the experience, thus maximizing brand engagement. Examples of effective engagement tools include photo booths, shareable content, giveaways, contests, and games and activities. 

When people linger, it opens the door for your brand ambassadors to immerse them in your messaging, have two-way conversations with them, and build real-life connections through positive moments. 

6. Networking

Connect with those who have come before you. Experience plays a huge factor in our knowledge of most subjects. Reach out to experiential marketers, event staffing agencies, seasoned tour managers, or anyone else who has gone through the successes and challenges of experiential marketing on the road. Building connections and networking is imperative in the planning stages, and by asking questions and getting feedback, you’ll be well on your way to a successful tour. 

Conclusion 

There are many things to consider when it comes to planning, executing, and managing a mobile marketing tour, and while these six tips only scrape the surface of the planning stages, they will set you up on the fast track to success.

When planning your mobile marketing tour, the most important thing to remember is that flexibility is key. Go into it knowing that challenges and issues will arise and have a backup plan for your backup plan. When you can see around any problem and come up with effective solutions, it will put you on the path to success.

If you are considering taking your brand on the road, you’ll need an event staffing partner that you can trust. ATN has the knowledge and expertise to successfully staff mobile marketing tours and events of any size and scope.

We can provide you with mobile tour managers, CDL drivers, brand ambassadors, emcees, or any other type of promotional staff for your tour. Reach out to our event staffing gurus to learn more about our mobile tour staffing and management services!