In business and in our personal lives, we are constantly bombarded with news stories, opinion pieces and the views of commentators telling us that the world has gone digital. If you’re not trading online, you cannot succeed. If you don’t use the internet to access banking, consumer and public services you’ll be left behind. While there may be some truth in these claims they don’t tell the whole story. Digital is important but it is still only a part of our world. Businesses and organisations should not neglect the power of the human touch and when it comes to experiential marketing, London provides plentiful support for this view.
Digital marketing is undoubtedly effective but as with all major technological advances, we tend to see it as a replacement instead of an additional tool. Television was going to destroy the cinema. The dotcom bubble would supplant conventional businesses. These warnings were grossly overstated. The same goes for the marketing industry. Digital resources have grown very sophisticated but even with its capabilities in market segmentation and personalisation, digital marketing cannot replicate the most valuable aspects of face-to-face marketing.
What Makes Face-to-Face Marketing Unique?
Personalised digital communications such as emails can struggle to bridge the credibility gap. No consumer believes that a human being has composed the email even though it addresses them by name and contains information specific to them. We all know about algorithms and AI. We remember when mail merge was the next big thing. Yes, the email we receive does address our preferences and needs, but we know we are being sold to.
In a face-to-face environment, all the technological baggage is stripped away. There’s nowhere for a bad salesperson to hide, but a good communicator can establish a relationship of authority and trust which is the envy of the digital marketer. Properly conducted, it feels like a conversation instead of a sales pitch. The customer feels they are being listened to and getting genuine answers to direct questions. One of the weakest aspects of digital marketing is the absence of this responsive human interaction.
Another virtue of face-to-face marketing is the value of the spoken word. Pitching an email or social media post at the right tone for an entire audience is quite a challenge. It is just as likely to be confusing or alienating as it is attractive and informative. There is far less scope for misunderstanding in a real conversation, and it is a much more flexible way to communicate.
As a marketer you can also learn a lot about your market by talking to people, especially the finer details which might never be picked up by the kind of data analysis carried out at digital arm’s length. These customer insights are extremely useful in shaping future marketing strategies.
Structured events play an important role in face-to-face marketing. Some products and services benefit from the simplest of interactions such as the passing out of well-designed leaflets or using brief exchanges in public places and the offer of free samples to persuade people to sign up to mailing lists. Others warrant more elaborate techniques such as the kind of experiential marketing London residents and visitors will be familiar with. They allow you to offer product demonstrations in a fun, engaging setting which acts as an appealing diversion from the daily routine. Wit, surprise and novelty combine in a memorable experience which also gives potential customers essential exposure to your product.
How Experiential Marketing in London Events Get People Talking
The purpose of a promotional event in a public place or at an Expo is not about selling products there and then – although it can be done successfully. It is primarily about raising awareness of your brand. Any event is location-specific but it’s wrong to assume this limits your potential reach. Word of mouth has always been one of the greatest forms of promotion and with experiential marketing, you are turbocharging the speed and scope of word-of-mouth. If you do it well, everyone you engage with will tell friends and family, your brand name will be shared and your reputation will grow in proportion to the interest you’ve stimulated.
The internet has not found a better way to carry a message worth receiving than human interaction. Talk to your customers and they will listen instead of pressing delete.
