6 Tips for Developing a Successful Experiential Marketing Campaign

Experiential marketing can be a compelling way to connect with your customers or potential customers. Creating a successful experiential campaign takes a thoughtful approach and a strategy to maximize your ROE (return on engagement). Here are some keys to planning a successful experiential marketing campaign.

Know Your Audience

It is critical that you know who you want to connect with as it will inform where, how, and when you will engage with your audience. Narrowing your focus to your target market will help define the campaign strategy. If you go too generic, you will find it challenging to develop a strategic plan that is meaningful to the consumer.

Define Your Budget

There are hundreds of ways to approach an experiential brief. Setting budget parameters allows your agency partner to focus on an executable plan. Taking the time to define your budget upfront ensures you get a plan back that aligns with your internal parameters. Providing a realistic budget at the onset of planning is the most efficient way to get great ideas that are on brief and on budget.

Find Your Why

Take some time to consider why adding experiential into your marketing mix is important. Is it because you want to connect with the community? Is it because you want more people to try out your product? Is it because you want to have in-depth conversations with existing or potential customers? Are you looking for stories you can tell or opportunities for additional PR exposure? These are all excellent reasons for including experiential marketing in your marketing plans. Defining your expectations will help to shape the type of activation you will do.

Flex Your Creativity

We’ve all seen plenty of drab tradeshow booths, kiosks and brand activations. Taking the time to imagine new and novel ways to engage your audience increases the talk value of your activation. Give your consumer an experience they have never had before or take the time to customize an experience just for them. If you nail the experiential idea people will talk about it and that improves your ROI on the program and increases the chances of purchase consideration.

Be Conscious of Your Environmental Impact

When creating your experiential marketing plans, consider the environmental impact. Are there ways you can use sustainable materials in your brand activation? Is there a way to repurpose or recycle the materials once you are done with the campaign? Where possible, look for ways to rent supplies or donate them once you are done. It can be helpful to create a database of your event supplies and consider leveraging existing assets, signage framework or supplies. That way, you can reduce the need for new supplies and save on budget, which is a win-win.

Give Yourself Ample Time

Experiential marketing takes time, effort and an agile mindset but is one of the most impactful forms of marketing. Depending on the size and scope of the event, it is ideal to provide ample planning time. Experiential marketing campaigns can take anywhere from three to six months to plan. Plotting out your marketing plan in advance will help you decide when your experiential marketing planning cycles will fall. Marketers that provide longer lead times for planning are rewarded with the opportunity to select the best placements and venues and partner with high-demand event staff. So mark your calendars and get ready to start planning.

If you could use a hand with your experiential marketing programs, give us a shout. We’re always happy to talk.

About KindCo

KindCo is a Vancouver-based brand engagement consultancy that specializes in employee engagement and corporate events. We bring people together through the art of gathering.

Founder, Nikki Hedstrom, has over 15 years experience as a brand engagement and event specialist.