Whether you are a product-based or service-based business, the experience of your brand will be paramount to setting yourself apart from your competitors. As a marketer with a passion for experiential marketing, I have first-hand knowledge of the positive effect that exceptional brand experiences can have on the perception of your business. This is easy to establish when you have a product that people can see, touch, smell, taste, and/or hear, but how do you achieve that when you provide a service? The answer is: through your people. Through the way they communicate with your customers, through your social media presence, through your marketing collateral, and through the way you entertain your customers.
Below I have outlined the 5 key principles of exceptional brand experience, that can be applied whether you provide a service or manufacture and sell a product.
Brand Experience Principle 1: Understand the needs and motivations of your customer
Without understanding what problem you should be solving or what your customer needs or likes to do, you will not be able to create an experience that is memorable or excites them. Spend time doing some research into the challenges your customer is facing and what their motivations and needs might be. Create or tailor an event that meets this need.
Brand Experience Principle 2: Tell a story
It is well-documented that people feel more emotionally connected to stories. Telling a strong story creates a situation where brands can develop more immersive experiences that leave an impression long after it’s over. To do this, ensure your event or experience takes people on a journey. This may be through the creative execution or the way your staff engage your customers throughout the process. It should be reflective of your brand values and mission and give your customers context.
Brand Experience Principle 3: Be consistent across all touchpoints
When you consider the customer journey, it’s not just one event or one meeting or one webinar that makes your customers’ experience exceptional. It’s the sum of all parts. When you see the way you interact with your customer as ONE holistic experience, it becomes easier to understand that consistency is essential. Inconsistency leads to a fractured experience that won’t make much sense. If you ensure that your tone of voice, customer communication, supporting collateral and creative event execution is seamless, you will be well on your way to providing an exceptional brand experience.
Brand Experience Principle 4: Attention to detail
Your experience will not be memorable without paying attention to those tiny details! This is what will elevate your brand from good to great. These details may not be things that people notice or comment on, but they will be the ones people complain about if you DON’T do them. Think about the main course that’s gone a bit cold, the white wine that’s gone a bit warm, or even the signage that’s slightly pixelated – all of these things are reliant on your attention to detail. Go the extra mile, and your customers will enjoy your experience. Half-ass it, and it will seem like you don’t care about your customer or want to invest time or resource into them.
Brand Experience Principle 5: Collaborate with others
To extend or leverage your brand experience, partner up with businesses that offer a complementary product or service to you. This will not only expose your brand to a new audience interested in what you have to offer, but will provide extra value to your current customer base. Being of value should be your number one priority when it comes to providing a positive experience of your brand. If you can achieve nothing else, make sure that you add some value to your customer that they will thank you for.
The overall experience of your brand can make or break your business. A positive experience will help build relationships, drive loyalty & encourage recommendations. A negative experience will do the opposite, and can do long-term damage. Spend time understanding your value proposition and getting the details right, and you will be well on your way to creating an experience that will delight your customer and elevate your brand!
Karli Ostle is the Marketing Manager at Fetch Recruitment. She has a background in brand management and a passion for experiential marketing. You can connect with Karli on LinkedIn here.
