Keeping a brand experience buzzin’: Why a holistic promotion strategy is a must-have

Experiential marketing budgets remain tighter than skinny jeans post-pandemic. Inflation has raised costs, slashed marketing budgets and made sponsor dollars increasingly harder to secure. Meanwhile, attendees expect more than ever; they crave an ultra-relevant, stimulating experience beyond inspirational content, with more immersive interactions and opportunities to connect.

For good reasons, experiential marketing teams hustle to add as much value to their experiences as possible, yet they often stumble when it's time to extract it - a letdown amid heightened expenditure scrutiny.

Crafting a compelling experience is undoubtedly crucial, but equally significant is the strategic promotion that precedes, accompanies, and follows it. Today, the success of an experience extends far beyond its execution; just building it won't guarantee that they will come.

Event Promotion as an Integral Experience Design Component: A Symbiotic Connection

Developing an effective promotional strategy for a brand experience is not a standalone task, and not one potentially handled by a separate task force. Let's delve into the nitty-gritty of 360-degree event promotion principles that will embed it in the overall experience design from the start. Collaboration across specialized skillsets from comms, channel planners and strategists, to brand managers, creatives, and production can deliver a powerful brand experience; not a moment in time but rather a holistic journey tightly connected to and aligned with your broader marketing ecosystem.

1. Drive Resonance and Relevancy: Tailor Messaging

When intentionally crafting distinct experience journeys for specific audiences against varying objectives, don't fall into the one-size-fits-all messaging trap. Start with comprehensive communications planning as the foundation for a successful event promotion and instant audience connection - if they don't instantly get what's in it for them, they won't show up or even pay attention!

2. Audience Distinctions: Strategic Channel Prioritization

Acknowledge audience nuances, media consumption behaviors, channel preferences, and congregation points. These insights, along with the recognition that not all audiences leverage the same platforms and channels for the same purposes, should drive your channel prioritization and overarching plan. This will ensure you hit the right notes with the right crowd in the right places.

3. Unlocking Untapped Audiences: The Power of Paid Media

Relying solely on reaching known audiences through owned channels and 1:1 outreach is limiting. The better approach is to leverage highly targetable paid media to reach new audiences and control or shift the makeup of attendees in favor of high-opportunity targets. Remain nimble and agile with pre-planned contingency tactics that can be turned on and off

as needed, optimizing spend without overspending. The more exclusive and sought-after your experience, the more you should curate your guest list.

4. Channel-Specificity Matters: Precision Beyond Basics

Once you've smartly defined what to say, to whom, when, and where, resist reverting to basic instincts in channel execution. How you convey the message is just as crucial. Prioritize reach drivers for awareness-building at scale and promote storytelling-conducive formats like video and digital audio to tease and hype. Utilize lower-funnel placements to convert interest into registrations and ticket sales while driving anticipation and fostering pre-event chatter through engagement-based executions.

5. A Holistic Event Journey: Beyond a Moment in Time

Implement a pre, during, post comms strategy for continuity, treating the event as a tentpole moment within a series of touchpoints that deliver a more impactful and memorable journey, thus one that's more likely to achieve long-term business objectives. Repurposing content for on-demand views and fostering community engagement year-round amplifies the event beyond a marque moment and physical walls. A predefined follow-up plan can go a long way to drive long-tail connection, conversions, and loyalty, but also helps reach incremental audiences and reinforce your message. Keep the good momentum you've built going.

6. Measurement Strategy: Fueling Continuous Improvement

Develop a robust measurement strategy to understand effectiveness. Establish benchmarks to contextualize success, drive continuous improvements and demonstrate an ROI - all must-haves to preserve or increase event investments. An approach centered on constant learning and optimizing not only demonstrates responsible budget stewardship but also sets the tone for purposeful decision-making and intentional creativity throughout.

Today, outcomes steal the spotlight over outputs. Success lies in embracing tailored messaging, diversified channel planning, and strategic use of paid media as integral components of the overall brand experience. Adopt a dynamic, interconnected approach, continuously measured, refined, and elevated for enduring impact. Surround yourself with partners who share the vision, seamlessly extending your team with subject matter expertise to bring it to fruition. It's time to turn your event from ordinary to extraordinary. It isn't just a gathering; it's a narrative, a journey, and a movement towards unparalleled success.