Images (including photographs, videos and GIFs) are a very effective way to reach consumers. According to this article on Hubspot, 46 percent of marketers consider pictures critical to their marketing strategies. Fifty-two percent say video is the type of content with the highest ROI.

The also shares plenty of statistics that explain why marketers find photos and videos so effective. Content posted to social media with relevant visuals gets 94 percent more views that information posted without visuals. Researchers have found that when people hear information, there’s a 10 percent chance they’ll remember it three days later. If they hear the information and see a related image, there’s a 65 percent chance they’ll remember it when asked about it later.

Photos and videos are vital for content and digital marketing campaigns, but they can also make your experiential marketing campaigns much more effective. Here are some of our best practices for making the most of photo and video at your activations.

Provide must-photograph or must-record visuals

One of your goals with experiential marketing events is to get consumers to take photographs and videos of themselves and post them to their social media sites. The reason? It can spread your message and branding far beyond the people who attend your activation.

Here’s the catch: Everything consumers photograph and record needs to have your branding or your messaging visible. Otherwise, their friends and family may think they’re having fun with any old spirit brand, financial institution, electronics manufacturer or retail store – not yours.

At your experiential marketing event, make sure there are things for consumers to capture on their smartphones, and make sure those things have your messaging on them. Here are some examples of things you can do to make the most of photos and videos at your experiential marketing events.

Create an interesting, thematically-appropriate wall where consumers can take photographs or videos of themselves. Make sure your logo or message is displayed prominently on the wall. The more creative you can be with adding your branding, the better. Click here for a picture of a floral photo wall we did for retailer Boohoo. You’ll see their name is spelled out in white roses.
Use photo booths, costumes, cutout figures with spaces for consumers to put their faces, or other props that compel consumers to take pictures. Make sure your branding is printed on all items. If you have a little more to invest in your activation, a green screen can be a very effective way to generate must-post photographs. The International Olympic Committee recently did an outstanding activation where they put consumers in front of a green screen and produced images of them “carrying” the Olympic torch in various settings.

Utilize Factory 360’s model network to serve food, spirits, e-cigarettes or whatever else you’re sampling. Have models wear logo t-shirts and encourage them to pose for selfies with people.

Tell consumers that if they take photos or videos within your activation, and post them to social media with a hashtag, they can win prizes. You can hand out small branded items like t-shirts or sunglasses at your event, or you can give away one or two large prizes after the event.

Utilize new photo and video technology

New photo and video technology is coming out all the time. That’s especially true right now because of the rapid emergence of virtual reality technology. If you want to do something really different at your experiential marketing event, use one of the new spherical or 360 cameras. Instead of taking one framed photograph, they capture the world more or less as we see it: in three dimensions.

When combined with headsets or sensory details, images captured on 360 cameras can be used to develop 3D or 4D experiences. But even on their own, 360 videos are pretty impressive. Even if you can’t create a 3D or 4D experience yet, the technology is still new enough to capture consumers’ imaginations.

Take your own photos and videos and post them online

Ideally consumers will take event videos that go viral. But the truth is that most amateur recordings are pretty low quality. That means they’re unlikely to travel beyond a person’s network.

The best way to spread your messages via photo and video are to produce good-quality visuals and post them to your own social media sites. If they offer something of value, including good entertainment, they can still garner thousands or even millions of hits. You can also share them with bloggers, influencers and earned media channels and see if they’ll pass them on.

Outstanding photos and videos can continue to serve your brand well long after you’ve taken down your tables, tents and props. It can be expensive to produce good-quality content, but it’s easier to make that investment if you know it will extend the life of your successful experiential marketing event.

Consider using apps that make it easier for consumers to capture photos and videos

Factory 360 developed an app called FactorySnap that makes it very easy for you to take and post pictures during experiential marketing events. You take the pictures and videos using a smartphone or tablet, then use an easy-to-customize form to collect consumers’ names, email addresses and other information. With the touch of a few buttons, you can post those pictures to your social media sites and consumers’ social media sites.

Are you eager to increase your use of photos and videos at your experiential marketing events? Are you looking to increase the overall quality of your activations? Factory 360 can help. We stay up on all the latest technology and industry trends, so we’re well-positioned to help you with any aspect of your event – from increasing the meaningful experiences for consumers to introducing up-and-coming technology for the first time. Contact us today to learn why Factory 360 is the best experiential marketing agency for you.