Marketing Experiences: The New Way to Drive Business Growth

Flash mobs.

Tough Mudder.

Underground dinners.

Pop up shops.

The Color Run.

What do these things have in common? They are shared experiences that break us out of our day-to-day routines.

The beauty of an experience when it comes to a marketing campaign? We like to share what we do. This is why marketing experiences are the new way to stand out and drive business growth in an ever-more-frenetic world.

Robert Rose and Carla Johnson have actually written a book on this subject, as they believe we’re moving into a new era of marketing. It’s called Experiences: The 7^th Era of Marketing, and it’s on my summer reading list.

In this interview, Robert shares his process for experience creation. In short, it goes like this:

• Find the biggest pain point in the sales funnel
• Decide what value your clients need at that point
• Figure out how to develop it as a product/experience

Let’s dive deeper into exactly how to create a marketing experience:

Map out the marketing/sales/post-sale funnel

Think about the funnel in terms of client lifecycle. It starts at lead generation and progresses to lead nurturing, closing the sale, instilling loyalty, and building a team of brand advocates. Map out your funnel, and then ask yourself: Where is the biggest pain point? Where do people seem to get stuck in the funnel?

Decide what your clients need when they get stuck

Your clients need to receive something of value to get unstuck. It could be:

• Additional education
• Entertainment
• Networking

Develop the idea into a product/experience

Personally, I love the idea of a shared, in-person experience. That feeling of, “You HAD to be there!” makes the experience special and exclusive – and very shareable.

• Additional education can be delivered via a webinar or ebook, but how about a TED-style talk in a beautiful venue for a select group of people?
• Entertainment can be delivered via a video, but what about hiring a popular local band to play in your office – on a Friday?
• Networking with clients and vendors is always nice, but why not elevate the experience and host it at a hot new restaurant or local winery?

Remember: Focus on delivering value, and you’ll be good to go.

What kind of marketing experiences do you create for your clients?

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