4 Reasons Why Experiential Marketing Increases Sales

If you have ever found yourself walking through a row of booths at a trade show or kiosks at a mall and had the proprietor of one jump out, greet you warmly, and immediately put their product in your hand and demonstrate how it works, hoping you’ll buy it, then you have encountered experiential marketing. This strategy, also known as engagement marketing, encourages potential customers to participate in activities with a product or brand in hopes of creating a personal memory of the product, which influences their decision to buy it. Experts now understand that traditional marketing methods, which are much more passive, are starting to wane. With technology now playing a significant role in everyday life, customers expect to have a certain experience when making decisions, as experiential marketing connects with customers in a personal and even emotional way. So how does this form of marketing increase sales?

1. Customized Personal Experiences

When a customer interacts with a product, it creates a personal experience for them. Even if the customer does not buy the product at the moment, when the time comes to consider a purchase, the customer’s personal experience will almost always play a significant role in the decision over which brand to go with. When personal experience is factored in, the potential customer almost always goes with the familiar choice.

2. Learn How the Product Works

Having a customer handle and use the product allows them to see how the product works, and how complicated it might be to operate, and gives the customer an idea of how the item might be useful in his own life. Many customers make decisions over which product to buy based on how complicated they perceive it to be. However, if the customer already has experience with the product, this will often factor into the decision to go with one they have already used.

3. A Tangible Connection Creates a Lasting Memory

Traditional marketing strategies aim to show pictures of a product or someone waxing poetic about how wonderful it is. Experiential marketing, however, makes the product tangible for the customer, which neuroscientists know forms the basis of a lasting memory and connection. Marketing theory, which focuses on branding, understands that creating a familiar point of reference in the customer’s mind often influences their decision to purchase a particular product, even if it’s not necessarily the superior product. The concept of tangibility works the same way: customers will naturally gravitate toward a product they have already handled.

4. Active Instead of Passive

Traditional marketing is passive, meaning the customer is simply the recipient of a message they might choose not to hear. Experiential marketing is active, in that the customer becomes part of the process. Experts in experiential marketing understand that participation in product demos, trade show activities, and sampling campaigns drastically increases product sales. This is especially true if the customer has fun with the product, or forms a pleasant lasting memory.

If you’re looking to increase sales at your company, consider giving experiential marketing a try.