Create an Engaging Experience Center For Your Visitors
Just because your experience center visitors will be with you for an extended length of time doesn’t mean you’ll have their full attention.
Depending on how interested they are in your offering and how long their attention span is, you should cater the experience within your environment to resonate with all of your visitors.
There’s a helpful framework called Skimmers, Swimmers, and Deep Divers which highlights the way different groups of your audience like to take in information. Some simply want the short and sweet bullet points; they aren’t willing to spend more than a few minutes learning about your offering. Others are looking for more information – they are more willing to devote their time and attention to hear from you. And some are ready to go all-in and learn every last piece of information you have to share.
How can you turn this framework into a reality for your experience center? We have the tactics to help you.
Skimmers
Limited attention spans can prove to be a challenge for all-day experience center visits. Here’s how you can capture and sustain the attention of Skimmers visiting your experience center:
- Storytelling: Designing your space and program with a story that drives the experience will keep your audience engaged. While stories can be effective when told in a presentation, the use of storytelling within the design of your space is what truly captivates visitors.
- Appeal to their emotions: Skimmers likely won’t find information in a basic PowerPoint very intriguing. But a compelling video? A presentation that emotionally connects them to your company? Now that’s powerful.
- Utilize the entire space, not just a conference room: Regardless of how small or insignificant your building may seem, using more space to tell your story will stimulate the attention of Skimmers throughout the visit.
Swimmers
Swimmers have often narrowed down their list of the most qualified partners, so they aren’t simply wondering if you have the capabilities to meet their needs – they likely already know that you do. With a Swimmer, it’s important to let them lead. Give them the freedom to show you what they are looking for.
- Provide some flexible time for meandering: While you may want to keep a tight schedule for your experience center program, consider adding some time for your audience to simply explore the space and take in their surroundings. You’ll be able to notice what catches their eye, and can follow up with them about it later.
- Listen to what they want to hear: Prompt your audience for the questions and needs they have that ultimately brought them to your facility in the first place. When you have a clearer idea of their needs, you can tailor your conversations in response.
- Connect with them on a relational level: Overly buttoned-up visits aren’t always the best way to move business forward. When updating your center and designing the experience, it’s essential to consider how your staff can lead with their humanity – focusing on connection before conversion.
deep divers
Experience centers are often best suited for Deep Divers simply by how much time you have with them. They are ready to learn all the information you make available to them, but it's important to still consider ways to make the visit worth their time:
- Make it an unmissable experience: Deep Divers are already pretty savvy with doing their own research. Be sure to offer them something – a product demo, access to a subject-matter expert, hands-on learning – which they can’t find on your website or learn on a call.
- Dedicate ample time to product demos: If your visitor journey includes product demos, make sure the schedule provides plenty of time for Deep Divers to see your product in use. The more immersive you can make it, the better.
- Make subject-matter experts readily available: Whoever will be leading visitors through your experience center will obviously have to know the ins and outs of your services, but that doesn’t automatically make them a subject-matter expert. Carefully selecting experts to answer the questions of visitors will take the experience to the next level for Deep Divers.
With an experience center that resonates with your entire audience, you can create an experience that drives business forward.
If you’re looking for more resources on how you can further your audience in the sales funnel through your experiential marketing program, check out our eBook: Just Keep Swimming.
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