In the fast-moving world of marketing, the benefits of face-to-face engagement are often overlooked – but whether you’re branching out as a startup company or looking for innovative ways to maximise your brand awareness, experimenting with 121 marketing is guaranteed to boost your business. As the marketing sphere grows ever more competitive, businesses are seeking more unique and personal ways to create integral relationships – and face-to-face marketing provides the perfect platform.
Marketing methods.
When it comes to exploring your marketing methods, there are several avenues available. Whether you’re a small business going down a guerilla marketing route or you prefer more traditional modes of advertising, each tactic brings with it its own set of pros and cons. While commercial advertising remains a firm feature among marketing strategies, it fails to capture and hold the attention of consumers in the same way as event marketing. Experiential events put the focus back on the consumer and are designed to help businesses break down the consumer-brand barrier and maximise the brand experience. Social media can also be an indispensable tool in your marketing arsenal, allowing mass audience reach with minimal effort – however, when combined with event marketing as a promotion and follow up tool, its value is truly maximised.
The figures.
Although your preference of marketing methods will undoubtedly be influenced by your brand, experiential marketing offers something for everyone – and as events grow in popularity, more people are getting behind this innovative approach to marketing. In one of their blogs, HubSpot suggest that event marketing uses less than 20% of a company’s budget – making it one of the most cost-effective marketing tactics. And they’re not the only ones noticing a change in trend. In a 2014 report published by the Content Marketing Institute, studies showed that 74% of B2C marketers think that event marketing is more effective than any other strategy – and according to Social Fresh, 67% of B2B marketers agree. With more businesses seeking a unique platform from which to promote their brand, event marketing is set to continue its increase in popularity.
Face-to-face.
When it comes to avoiding ‘marketing myopia’, the benefits of face-to-face marketing are endless – and if you’re looking for ways to experiment with a fresh approach to raising brand awareness, experiential events provide the perfect platform. Not only does this form of advertising reduce company costs, it’s also more efficient – as commercial advertising and internet marketing can be time-consuming. This personal approach allows you to reach your target audience with minimal difficulty. By ensuring you select the right event for your target audience and pre-planning the big day, you can be sure to see a great return on your investment.
Once at the location, you can utilise your brand identity to propel you into the event and assist in making connections with prospective customers and clients. From your use of attractive branded display boards to your event staff’s approachability, a holistic approach to harnessing brand awareness will ensure you leave the event with some long-lasting connections. Unlike traditional marketing, this face-to-face communication breaks down the corporate barrier between the consumer and brand – putting a friendly face to the name. This is unique to event marketing and allows for meaningful engagement, instilling a sense of trust and allowing you to form authentic relationships with your target customer.
Implementing event marketing into your business strategy will provide you with a platform from which you can establish new relationships and ensure future customer retention. Whichever communications channel you choose for your post-event follow up, allow face-to-face marketing to help you get back to basics and maximise the brand experience.
