What are some of the first things that come to mind when you think about Virtual Reality (VR)? Most people tend to picture games that you play with a bunch of sophisticated equipment. What most marketers do not realize is that the same technology is starting to permeate various industries from real estate and mobile technology to furniture and yes, even digital marketing!
If web marketers do not want to be late to the party, then they have got to stay ahead of the curve. VR is one of the trends that businesses ought to start considering and for good reasons.
What makes virtual technology unique and how is it in any way relevant to digital marketing?
Some of the great things about VR that make it an excellent platform is that it ticks all three boxes that make any digital marketing trend successful:
- It is fascinating — VR technology is a unique strategy for captivating new customers to evaluate and check products or services in a virtual environment
- Memorable — you likely won’t forget your first encounter with VR
- Fresh — the technology is cutting edge
The challenge that befalls digital marketers today is how to implement the technology to become relevant in their own business. VR is an excellent opportunity for web marketers to stand out in the highly competitive world of web marketing in Sydney.
Do not have a clue where to start? You can always draw inspiration from brands that are at the forefront of leveraging VR technology in digital marketing. Take IKEA for example (Virtual Reality Into Magic) — they have come up with a virtual kitchen that lets customers try out their products and get a feel of how it would be like having those products at home. As the technology progresses well into the future, you can be certain that we will start seeing more innovative uses of VR technology in digital marketing.
More reasons to start thinking of ways to use VR in marketing
Out of all the marketing mediums available to us today, none has as much potential as VR technology in enabling businesses to engage customers in an entirely different level. This is because VR appeals to the following three areas of brain functions that allow us to perceive and react to our surroundings:
- Reptilian brain – instincts
- Limbic system – motivation, emotion, and behavior
- Neocortex – the thinking brain
Do you still have doubts about VR being one of the next significant trends in digital marketing? Consider the following statistics from a past report (paid) by “Greenlight Insights” — Virtual Reality Consumer Report that drew the following conclusions:
- 71 percent of consumers perceive a brand as modern and forward-thinking if they implement some form of VR technology
- 52 percent of consumers reportedly admit that they want to be associated with a brand that uses VR technology
- 62 percent of consumers find a keen interest in engaging brands that invest in VR technology
- 53 percent of consumers are more likely to buy something from brands that make good use of VR technology
Is your business ready for VR?
VR technology enables businesses to engage and impress consumers in a new and exciting way. Granted that the adoption rate is still fairly low, but that only means there is plenty of opportunity for businesses to stand out by taking the lead to harness the potential of VR in digital marketing.
All you have to do is to come up with ways to implement the technology so that it helps acquire new customers by integrating it in a manner that is most convenient for consumers. Easier said than done we know, but most web marketing experts are bound to agree, that the potential of VR as a marketing medium is just too powerful to ignore.
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