In today’s crowded market, it can be tough to stand out in the digital world. Think about all the social media channels, online contests, websites, and email marketing campaigns. It can be overwhelming to think about what will work best! With 86 percent of Millennials saying that they like to try before they buy, you have to wonder whether using digital marketing is even worth it.
Instead, take this statistic as an opportunity and use it to your best advantage. Combine experiential marketing with a digital plan, and you’ll knock it out of the park. Here’s how.
Have a visual experience that “wows” people
First things first. You need an experience that will shock and amaze people. It has to be something that will get people lined up, waiting to try your product. We were in Tampa at the University of South Florida (USF) recently completing a rebrand. We were hired by Spark (their marketing agency) to bring an interactive photo experience to USF as part of homecoming week. We installed our miniFreeze first at the student center during the homecoming ball and a couple of days later at the homecoming carnival. Check it out below.
Over the course of two days, we took over 1,000 photos, many of which people shared on their social media accounts. It was an easy way to use both the experience and social media to promote the rebrand.
Create live videos on social media
Wear two hats at once and in addition to the experience you have going on at an event, stream it live on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all have live video streaming capabilities. According to Social Media Examiner, Facebook will give you the most “eyeballs” and is perfect for shooting behind-the-scenes moments. Twitter is useful for conferences and will remain on your profile like any other tweet. Lastly, Instagram live will help you to appeal to your current audience, and to be honest, is tougher to reach new followers. Make sure to have some call to action and create a hashtag. Especially if you are reaching people at the event, encourage them to do live videos too. The more people you can get to talk about your brand, the better!
Promote your event via email
Utilize email marketing to its fullest by promoting your event before and after. Hubspot reports that companies that use email to nurture leads generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. On average, nurtured leads produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities compared to non-nurtured leads. So as long as your emails are worth opening, you’ll have a good chance of reaching your target audience. Avoid using spam words to ensure that your email goes into their inbox and be direct. Get to the point quickly with a call to action both at the top of the email and at the bottom. Most importantly of all, have fun with your email messages! Include pictures from past events and mention that if subscribers attend, they’ll also get the opportunity to participate in the experiences that you will have available.
Stand out in the digital world with a solid plan of attack. Using social media, email marketing, and our miniFreeze, you’ll be able to increase the attendance at your next event. Contact us today to find out more about our minFreeze.