Experiential marketing has often been considered the domain of BIG business with BIG marketing budgets. You know the type of experience I mean, the Emirates marquee at the Melbourne Cup and the giant Carlton Draught promotion at the AFL Grand Final (the first game) in 2010. All big brand experiences paid for with big marketing budgets. So how does small business get in on the “brand experience” action without the million dollar price tag?. Here are a few tips….
Manage The Customer Journey
Every business transaction has a customer journey. It is the journey the customer makes when they first interact with your business until they complete the final purchase. This process can be managed to create a better brand experience. I give the example of a local restaurant. The journey begins with the customer coming through the door and finishes with paying the bill. There are opportunities throughout that journey to create a better brand experience. It can be as simple as great customer service, or providing product samples compliments of the chef. It’s often the little things that provide a great brand experience.
Tell Your Brand Story
Many businesses have great stories to tell of how they started in business. It could be a local family restaurant or even a spare-parts supplier that has been in the family for generations. Whatever the business, tell your brand story to create a brand experience. There are simple ways of achieving this. You can tell your story through a company website or use photos within your retail space. An example of retail stores that do this well are RM Williams and Rodd & Gunn. Both aren’t small businesses now, but they were once. Go and have a look at them and see how they create a brand experience for their customers.
Activate The Senses
A brand experience can be created by activating senses other than sight. The branding power of smell is used effectively in businesses such as bakeries. Bakers Delight is now a big franchise business but it was once a small bakery in Hawthorn, Victoria. They bake on site and make sure there is a line of sight between the customer and the baker. This is to ensure that the smell of fresh bread fills the air and customers can see the product is baked fresh daily. This shows the customer visually and through smell how they live up to their brand promise. You can even combine the two to create a heightened brand experience (think of a tepanyaki restaurant).
The key message here is, a brand experience is only limited by your imagination, not your budget. Small businesses can create a customer experience and give customers the opportunity to buy based on experiential factors as well. Hopefully this post has provided some ideas.
