Want to create long-lasting brand loyalty?
Sure, clicks and impressions are nice. But they’re not going to build customers for life.
The smartest marketers know that lasting loyalty is built through memorable experiences. Case in point: marketers around the world spent $128.35 billion on experiential marketing alone in 2024. That’s more than at any point pre-pandemic.
Big budgets don’t get allocated to “nice-to-have” strategies.
Experience marketing is the top dog because it delivers results. From deep customer connections to repeat purchases and authentic word-of-mouth buzz… it does it all.
Let’s dig into why.
What you’ll learn:
- Why experiential marketing creates loyalty
- Social media event amplification (very important)
- 5 experiential marketing tactics you can use today
- How to measure what’s working
Why Experiential Marketing Creates Lasting Loyalty
Picture this…
Traditional advertisements bombard your audience. They yell at people from billboards, interrupts their Youtube videos and slip into their whatsapp chats.
Experiential marketing is different. It allows your customer to interact WITH your brand. That meaningful interaction forges emotional connections that groundwork future loyalty.
91% of consumers say they have a more positive perception of a brand they attended an event for.
Let’s break that down…
When a consumer physically engages with your brand; whether that be by touching a product at a live event or walking though a brand activation… they create a memory.
Customer memories are essential for brand loyalty. Think about it; if someone doesn’t trust your brand, they’re not going to be purchase from you again.
“The brands that thrive are the ones that provide unique, stand-out experiences.”
Social Media Event Amplification
Social media event amplification is EVERYTHING.
When you think about every successful experiential campaign run by brands, there’s one crucial factor they all have in common;
Top notch amplification.
Sharing that one sweet pic on Instagram from an experiential event extends the brands reach ten fold. Now, instead of reaching the people who attended the event… their cast dramatically larger.
Pretty much all event attendees take digital content from their experiences and share it online. This creates organic, free reach that you’re not going to see from traditional digital advertising.
Social media event amplification:
- Boosts the reach of your activation far beyond event itself.
- Generates UGC that builds trust with audiences
- Opens your brand up to new audiences
- Engages both past and future customers
For brands looking to maximise their event strategy, working with a reliable event marketing vehicle supplier can make a real difference. By having a customized branded vehicle show up to your event, you’re guaranteed to create insanely photogenic moments that’ll be shared across Instagram, TikTok and X.
The key is creating experiences that people will want to capture on their phones.
5 Experiential Marketing Tactics To Use Right Now
These are the five experiential marketing tactics that will help you build true brand loyalty. Implement a couple into your strategy and you’ll start to see the difference.
Pop-Up Experiences
Ah yes, the good ol’ pop-up experience. Everyone’s favourite bite-size snack of experiential tactics.
Pop-up experiences are amazing for building excitement, exclusivity and discovery. If you’ve got your tactics down, they can drive massive foot traffic to your business and create tons of social media buzz.
Make sure your pop-ups are memorable. You want to do more than just open up a temporary store. Take people on a journey through your brand with interactive displays, limited products and Instagram worthy settings.
Branded Events & Activations
Whether it be a product launch or a community meetup… hosting branded events allow your business to have full control of the customers experience.
They work because:
- You know your audience will SHOW UP
- There’s a ton of opportunities for social media event amplification
- Allows you to create a theme that matches your brand values
- You can incorporate interactive elements to encourage participation and takeaways
When branded events are done right, they don’t feel like “marketing”. They feel like something your customers actually want to attend.
User Generated Content Campaigns
Looking to build brand loyalty? UGC campaigns are where its at.
When your customers create content that features your brand, they become brand advocates. And brands who allow their customers to craft their message are tenxchi more trustworthy.
Here’s the play: Create an experience that customers will love… so much that they can’t wait to post about it online. Take that content and amplify it across your owned channels. It’s authentic, it’s free and it builds endless amounts of loyalty.
Mobile / Vehicle Activations
Bringing the brand directly to your audience is a massive game changer. Allowing your business to pop up at festivals, sporting events, crowded city centres.
Vehicle activations are also SUPER shareable. Not only does your custom vehicle serve as a physical activation… it also acts as a rolling billboard that’ll capture attention on socials.
Immersive Product Demos
Allowing your audience to get hands on with your product takes away the unknown. By creating an immersive demo, you allow potential customers to see, feel and try your products in-person.
This tactic creates loyalty because: If someone tries your product and they have a positive experience, they’re more likely to purchase from you again. Not only that… but they’re also more likely to tell their friends about you. And that, right there is what loyalty is.
How To Measure What’s Working
Running campaigns without tracking your results is like building backlinks with no spreadsheet.
Every single tactic needs to be measured.
Here are the key metrics to focus on:
- Social Reach & Impressions: How far did your event content spread? This is the best metric for social media event amplification.
- Amount of UGC: How many event attendees created content about their experience?
- Engagement Rates: Likes, comments, shares and saves are always important.
- Brand Sentiment: Are people having positive or negative things to say about your brand? Utilize social listening tools to find out.
- Repeat Purchase Rate: Did the people that attended your event come back to make another purchase?
The brands who measure, are the brands who improve.
Wrap Up
Building lasting brand loyalty starts with investing in memorable experiences.
Consistently giving your customers things to talk and share about with friends is what builds the foundation of brand loyalty.
A few parting words:
- Create experiences that your customers will want to share
- Design your activations with Instagram and TikTok in mind
- Mix it up with some pop-ups, UGC campaigns and mobile activations
- Measure everything
- Consistency is key
The brands who come out on top in the loyalty game… are the ones that show up year after year.