The Information Age was marked by the digital revolution when analog systems were replaced by digital technology. This mechanical to digital shift gave us smartphones which in turn contributed to the popularity and accessibility of social media platforms.
But in today’s Age of Experience, the way social media is being used is quite different. Rather than Facebook’s status update being the thing to do, Snapchat and Instagram stories have become the new go-to. It’s all about experiences, rather than consumption. That’s why Snapchat’s user base is growing while Facebook usage is dwindling among American users. In fact, original status updates on Facebook are down 21%. Snapchat and Instagram stories focus on experiences people are having in the moment, versus Facebook which collects data, creates a log of activity and stores that information.
All the data collected in The Digital Age has led to The Age of Experience, allowing businesses to now take all the data they have and create personalized and engaging experiences for consumers. And consumers expect nothing less. Influencers have taken their consumer status to the next level by curating videos, blog posts, and even hosting events themselves, and in turn blurring the gap between consumers and corporations. By becoming a part of the marketing process, influencers have created new roles for themselves in the business world that never existed before.
Now that social media isn’t just a form of entertainment for younger generations and is a marketing tool for businesses and a source of information for consumers, it’s critical to understand how to best utilize these platforms to maximize exposure and make a lasting impression on consumers.
Host In-Person Events
Events have always been a great marketing strategy since they can assist brands in gaining brand exposure, press mentions, additional foot traffic, among many other benefits. But events took a backseat for some time during recent years because the internet provided a self-service online shopping environment that allowed consumers to not have to leave the comfort of their own homes. This change in the retail environment is what drove marketers to have to rethink their event strategy and progress from simple shopping events to more immersive and interactive experiences.
Since experiences are so coveted with consumers today, and consumers are often more apt to spend their money on experiences rather than things, hosting events where people can attend in-person is a great way to market whatever product or service you’re selling. Events allow potential customers to meet other people, experience what a company has to offer, and bring brands to life. Giving customers the ability to experience your brand, rather than just purchase products, will set you apart from competitors. This is just one of the reasons pop-up events and pop-up shops have been on the rise. Not to mention, the opportunity to meet with and talk to customers allows businesses to gain invaluable consumer insight.
Create An Environment That Is Conducive To Social Media Marketing
Creating a social media friendly event can turn consumers into brand ambassadors effortlessly. This means designing your events, or even your brick and mortar store, to include Instagram photo walls or video booths that automatically connect to Snapchat stories and allow attendees to share live videos to their account. Since people will take it upon themselves to share photos on social media, and tag friends and most likely your company as well, the digital marketing benefits are abundant.
A perfect example of a company that uses this marketing phenomenon is Selffee, a photo booth that creates edible selfies live on-demand at events. “We now have this whole sector of experiential marketing, where businesses strive for engaging commentary from their customers based on experiences from the event or activation. We created our service at Selffee for companies to increase their reach by using our product which is very social media friendly because it’s so personalized. Therefore, our brand gets boosted not only by happy clients but by happy guests as well,” says Farsh Kanji, cofounder of Selffee.
Reach Your Customers Where They Spend Most Of Their Time
If your target customers are Generation X or younger, one of the best places to reach them may be social media. Rather than waiting to collect their personal data, such as email or mobile phone numbers, you can do a simple hashtag search on Instagram to find your ideal consumers and reach out to them right then and there. Whether it’s to invite them to an upcoming event or to partner with them on a future blog post, you can use this digital platform to very quickly and easily find who you are looking for and engage with them in a more substantial way.
