In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses need to stay ahead and incorporate tech tools into their experiential marketing activations. Digital technologies can not only increase efficiency and reach, but also create engaging and memorable experiences that keep your customers coming back for more. As we know, brand activations are one of the most effective ways to achieve major cut through and build brand advocacy. General Manager – Marketing, Lisa Cachia explains.
“Ultimately brands need to invest in both an online and offline channel strategy to build awareness and encourage purchasing decisions. Each has their role, and while online channels are easy to measure and faster to implement, the importance of offline marketing should not be discounted. Offline marketing always has and will continue to play a major role in building awareness, credibility and trust.”
From leveraging social media to utilising virtual and augmented reality, we’ve collated our 5 top strategies that will help you create impactful activations and provide a valuable foundation for digital success.
Use QR codes to drive your foot traffic
Following the pandemic, QR codes have made a huge comeback and make it easy for brands to drive online traffic from a physical setting. Whether you’re looking to increase website traffic, boost online sales, or generate leads, QR codes can effectively engage with your customers and drive conversions. Think about the position and placement of your QR codes from in-store displays and product packaging through to print ads and outdoor advertising to maximise engagement. Consider providing incentives to scan through special promotions or unique experiences to really transform your strategy and extend the physical customer experience.
Digital Billboards
The effectiveness of billboard advertising is undeniable, with 71% of consumers report that digital billboards are far more appealing to them than online ads (Sesto, 2018). Pairing digital billboards within your brand activation will not only drive impact but it will also provide an opportunity to create an immersive experience. Leverage the visual impact of a moving image and its attention-grabbing power to attract people to your activation. By incorporating digital advertising into your next campaign, you can easily measure performance and optimise your budgets for higher ROI at the end of the promotion.
Bounce Back Incentives
Bounce back incentives are a great way to increase conversions and drive visitation. Offer promotional codes, discounts or special products to your online audience to help them visit your physical space and vice versa. This is a great way to turn your one-time customers into loyal, repeat buyers and increase their lifetime value to your brand. Data collection through incentives and re-targeting also helps you build a holistic customer profile to ensure you can maximise your future marketing efforts and unlock new revenue streams for product and services growth.
The rise of AR, VR and AI
According to Forbes, immersive AR and VR experiences will become the norm in 2023 as customers step into a new world. Immersive experiences will go beyond trying on clothing and makeup virtually to showcasing products and brands and building virtual worlds around products. (Morgan, 2022) Think phygital experiences and no, that’s not a typo. Phygital experiences are a rising trend that blurs the line between physical and digital. Said to reign supreme in 2023, physical experiences are predicted to expand into new industries such as banking and insurance as well as going beyond kiosks and apps to target major purchase decisions such as cars and houses.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) also lends itself to these latest innovations with the use of lifecycle automations and data driven personalisation to deliver a seamless and convenient customer experience at each stage of the customer journey. From chatbot virtual assistants that provide always on customer support through to data analytics for predicting customer behaviour and preferences to boost revenue, AI is an effective and efficient strategy to consider for your next campaign.
Don’t forget the inbox
Email marketing remains a very powerful tool as it allows for data-based decision making. With direct access to your customers, this channel can be used for gaining consumer feedback before and after events, product releases and more. According to research, email trumps paid social and display advertising by 228% in Australia, 120% higher than consumers globally (Lim, 2022). Use your database to share news and notices about upcoming events or activations, giving them an incentive to visit. Additionally, use your event to drive new leads and sign ups.
There are a number of ways to bring your online and offline audience together. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too should your brand activation strategy. By creating a multichannel strategy, you can ensure that your brand is top of mind for consumers both in the physical and digital space and throughout the customer journey.
Not sure where to start? Our team specializes in creating custom displays that bring your brand to life and maximise customer engagement. Get in touch today to learn more.
