Running an experiential marketing campaign isn’t like anything else in the promotion field. These campaigns offer potential customers genuine experiences that give them a better overview of how your products and services will change their lives. Traditionally, these experiences have taken place entirely offline. You’d usually go to a trade show or hold a special demonstration day to offer such an experience.
Around 75% of all retail operations continue to believe that in-person events are a great way to attract clientele. Nevertheless, even those who do are finding creative ways to integrate software into their workflows. Here is a guide to using software to create an experiential marketing plan.
Mobile Show Platforms
Unlike traditional trade shows, mobile shows go wherever they’re needed. Some large retail operations will rent a space in a major city so that they can run a special kind of pop-up store that temporarily serves a specific niche. For instance, one fashion brand put one up to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of a particular recording artist’s career. They were able to attract people who wouldn’t have otherwise visited any of their conventional locations.
Once you’ve attracted customers this way, you can encourage them to patronize your original brand. In the most basic use case, marketers will use software to identify the most likely place to hold such an event. They might also scan social media postings to see what kinds of things potential customers would like to see come to their areas. Automated tools exist that can tackle both of these tasks.
Those who want to take their roadshows to the next level can work with a professional experiential marketing organization to plan events across a wide area. Potential clients in areas that haven’t been canvassed in the past may not even be familiar with a certain type of product. Even if they have ready access to every web service imaginable, you might never be able to reach them because they simply aren’t looking for whatever it is you’re selling. These agencies use online communications platforms to keep in touch with the companies they represent, thus enabling them to find the best places to take their wares.
Augmented Reality Experiences
There are a few other ways to integrate software into the marketing process that should help customers connect with new brands in ways they couldn’t if they were only reading about an event online. Newer types of augmented reality apps let users see a greater amount of real space behind an image of your company’s products. Hardware stores have been using these to let their clients virtually change the color of a room before buying paint. Anyone who sells furniture or any other end-user-focused product will probably want to give this a try.
Complete virtual experiences are an interesting possibility, too. You could always consider hosting webinars or even developing elaborate three-dimensional simulations of their wares. Keep in mind that you’ll want to promote these outside of your normal channels so you can get the widest possible audience. Assuming you’re able to keep their interest, this can be one of the most cost-effective ways of advertising.