The Power of Experiential Marketing

Experiential marketing is all about the customer experience, and how the customer interacts with your brand. It is potentially the most powerful marketing tool for your business. In most cases it is the main thing that influences word of mouth or what people say about your brand or business. This means, the experience you provide your customers every time they deal with your business has to be excellent.

Depending on the type of business you run, your customers will interact with your brand in different ways. If you have an online store, your customers will most likely deal with your business solely online. That being the case, your website has to be attractive, easy to use, and easy to check out and pay for goods. You should also ensure that your customers are notified when the goods have been dispatched and when they will be delivered. 

​If you run a café or restaurant your customers may have come across your business online, either through Facebook, your website, or perhaps they’ve seen an ad. Another instance may be that they were walking past and have decided to visit. Whatever the case, the customer experience begins at that first point of contact with your business. Once they’re physically inside your business, it will be the customer service staff, waitresses or waiters, the people on the frontline who must ensure a fantastic experience. 

​Think about your own experiences, and what you expect when you walk into a restaurant. First impressions are everything. If the wait staff don’t acknowledge you as you walk in, or the floor is sticky, the food service is slow, or the toilets are unclean, the negative things will affect your overall experience with the business. However, if you are greeted politely, the restaurant and toilets are clean, the food service and standard is impeccable, your overall experience with the business is going to be a positive one. 

​The problem some businesses face is that their frontline staff are not properly trained, and they may not even realise that they play such an influential role in the customer experience. It’s all well and good if you have a great website, thousands of Facebook likes and Instagram followers, but if the people within the customer service role don’t deliver upon the expectations of your customers, then it will let your brand down, and could potentially have a negative affect on your business.
 
The same could be said for the online experience. If people can’t find what they want easily, the check out process is difficult, they’ve tried to contact you via Facebook messenger and have had no reply, then it is likely that they will give up and decide to purchase from another online store.
 
With all this in mind, the main points to remember are:

• Ensure the best customer service experience possible every time a person interacts with your brand.
• Make sure your frontline staff are well trained, knowledgeable and helpful to ensure a positive experience either online or in person.
• Reflect the essence of your brand at every touch point to help ensure repeat business and positive word of mouth.

 
If you would like any more information or help regarding customer experience or experiential marketing please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We offer in house training as well as Skype or FaceTime consultations. For more information email [email protected].

Author

Nicola is the owner and director of Out of the Box Consulting and has a keen interest in helping small businesses with their marketing and promotion. She is also the mother of two boys and loves to spend time with her family.