Consumers today are super savvy, so you don’t want to just market “at” them, you want to build a brand experience so memorable that your ideal clients can’t help but fall in love with your business and talk about what you do.

A brand experience encompasses everything someone knows about your brand.  It can be anything they’ve seen, heard, felt….or even touched.  It can even be a scent.  

I unmistakably know the scent of Anthropologie’s signature candle that’s always burning when I walk into one of their stores and it’s a never-ending feast for the eyes….everywhere I look I want to recreate the elevated home design, fashion and style in my own home or closet.  They’ve created an intentional brand experience.

Having a brand means clearly defining it, and then showing up that way frequently and consistently.  You want to become known for what you do.  You want to have a signature look, feel, presence, message and style.  What you really want is for your customers to recognize your brand as yours…instantly.

If you’d like to create an unforgettable brand experience for your audience, start here:

1 – Know your audience

You need to know who you’re creating your brand experience for, because that will help tell you what they’re looking for when it comes to what you offer.

2 – Build your brand strategy foundation

This is the core framework for your communication strategy and how to position your brand to your audience.  You want to be sure you’ve thought through: mission, vision, core values, taglines, voice, identity, aligned offers and branded content pillars.

3 – Lean into the emotional connection points

How do you want to make your customers and clients feel?  Always keep the feeling in mind because how you connect emotionally can trigger the experience your audience takes away and shapes their perception of your brand.  Consider:

• What would excite them?

• How do you want to make them feel?

• How could you motivate them?

• How can you inspire them?

• Paint the picture of their dreams coming true?

• Pull on their heartstrings?

• Make them cry? Laugh? Jump up and down with glee?

• How do you make them smile?

• How do you motivate them to take action?

4 – Messaging is meant to be repeated

Once you’ve clarified your message and can easily and effectively articulate what you do, who it’s for and how it benefits your audience, repeat it again and again.  Only when you feel like you’re being a broken record have you been saying it enough.  Why do you think companies run a huge frequency of TV ads?  They say it takes someone seeing something around 17x before the message really sinks in.  If you’ve only talked about your brand once, it’s not enough to create the experience you want for your ideal clients.

5 - Create unexpected delight

A brand experience helps your audience form a certain expectation about your business.  When they get to know you, they recognize the brand and can expect how you’ll show up.  Take it one step further.  Every once in a while do something unexpected for your audience that takes your brand experience to a whole new level.  Surprise them. Delight them.  Make your brand unforgettable.