Experiential Marketing – What Is It and Is It Right for My Business?

Small business marketing takes many forms. You can reach out to your customers via direct mail; get to know them on social media; and tell them about your latest offers in their email inbox. But these techniques are missing something.

We’ve lost the personality from our businesses. The ‘real’, ‘human’, element that made us so unique has gone. We’re hiding behind our computer screens and it could be damaging business. Your customers want to see the real people behind your company. And this is easier than you may think.

What is Live Event Marketing?

Experiential or event marketing is a great way to reach out to your customers on a personal level. Your customers get the chance to see your products for themselves, and try them out. They get to see the real person behind the company, and have all their queries solved there and then.

There are a whole host of locations where you can market in this way. Large, national exhibitions, localised trade fairs, even street markets; each of these events holds something different for your company.

What could be a better way of promoting your products? Getting to engage with your customers, and letting them see for themselves just why they need to buy from you. If you’ve never exhibited before, it is easier than you may think to guarantee success.

Top Tips for Trade Shows

The first secret to trade show success is a great display and stand. You need to grab your customers’ attention and lure them over to your stand. Once they’re at your stand, your products need to do the talking. Make sure visitors can test them out and get the full impact. Give them space to convince themselves they need to buy.

Secondly, you need to give customers an incentive to stay at your stand. If they’re not buying right away, you want time to convince them too. If they have brought, you don’t want them leaving just yet. Offer freebies, competitions, or refreshments as a way to hold their attention. Try and cross sell where possible, or at least get people to sign up to your mailing lists.

Thirdly, you must be aware of your sales technique. Hard sells can put people off pretty quickly, whereas going in to soft might still loose you the sale. Give customers time to try out your products before asking if they’d like help. You need to be able to assess their body language, and time your sales pitch perfectly.

Is it Right For My Business?

Live event marketing is a great method of offline promotion for any business. Whether you sell a product or a service, you ought to be integrating this method into your campaign. This is the easiest and most effective way to show your customers the face behind your business.