Customers Want Experiences, Not Things.

The Experience Age has officially taken over the Information Age, thanks to the surge of connected mobile devices and Internet.

Have you noticed, people are no longer writing on their Facebook statuses with very many “words”? Instead, they are sharing more visually – through pictures, videos, and emojis.

It is true. People want to live and feel the experience more, and in real time.

The “death of the status box”, an icon of the Information Age, is just one small example of the move away from information sharing to experience sharing.

Take a look at Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Part of the reason they are hugely successful is because of their focus on user experience. Customization helps these platforms allow for a high level of engagement. They know what will attract users and what will keep them there. Facebook’s newsfeed, for example, is extremely personalized and catered toward a specific user experience, based on your likes and people you follow.

So, what is driving this shift from information to experience? Simply put, it’s the changing context of our online interactions, shaped by our connected devices.

As a company, how can you ensure your organization keeps up with the age of experience? If you have a solid marketing strategy in place with a focus on customer experience, the Experience Age can be your company’s golden age.

Differentiate your brand.

In a saturated “me-too” marketplace, where it’s common to find the same brands offering the same exact product or service, the key to differentiate your brand is creating what they call a “perceptual territory.” Make a promise to your customers that no one else is making. Create an emotional connection and a value proposition based on a higher purpose rather than specific features or functionality. “Just Do It” is a famous slogan by Nike that seeks out people’s sense of adventure by telling them to realize their full potential and the power residing within them. Differentiate your brand by creating concepts that stand out in a competitive marketplace.

Personalize customer experience.

Today, experience is one of the core principals of marketing. For your company to survive this age, your team will have to create personalized experiences for your audience’s unique area of interest in order to get their attention and increase engagement. Consider this: 88% of users will never come back to a website if their first user experience was bad. On that same token, 52% B2B companies don’t go back to a vendor after a bad customer experience.* Personalized experiences influence brand loyalty. Sales departments should become a trusted adviser that adds value, rather than another order taker. It is also important to consistently deliver custom-tailored marketing messages over the entire customer journey to maintain customer loyalty.

Real-Time sharing.

Companies have the chance to showcase their products and services through social platforms, by providing customers with exceptional digital experiences in real time, such as live streaming, stories, live images and videos. Customers no longer wish or hope for everything to be instantly available, they expect it! Thanks to social media tools, real-time marketing is not very hard.  Instead of posting photos and videos after an event, post a live video while it’s happening.  Make your customers want to be there! Real-time marketing efforts can help your target audience feel more connected to your business, as well as encourage people to attend or participate. Your goal here should be to create digital experiences that will make viewers choose you over other competitors.

As customer expectations for personalization, immediacy, and consistency continue to rise, success will lie in those who are able to use technology in a way that cultivates customer relationships mirroring real human interactions.

Source: https://www.randallreilly.com/my-6-core-principles-of-marketing