Augmented and Virtual Reality: What's A Digital Marketer To Do?

By Donald Smithon

Augmented and virtual reality have both been on the rise recently. Many companies have been taking advantage of these new trends, and there seems to be no signs of stopping them at the moment, as technology is always catching up with their demands.

For those who don't know what they are to be exact, let's go over them briefly.

What They Are

The meaning of augmented reality or AR is quite self-explanatory. It augments or adds digital images to what a person sees around them. It differs from virtual reality in that VR takes you to an entirely different place, while AR doesn't. You stay in the real world.

VR, meanwhile, is far more immersive than AR and is more popularly used in video games and movies. Virtual reality also requires you (at least with today's technology) to wear a headset, while augmented reality devices can range from your own smartphone to visors that barely look any different from a pair of shades.

This technology, though still taking its baby steps, has a lot of potential for a digital marketing agency that is looking to increase the ways in which they can reach out and promote to audiences.

How Can AR Help Digital Marketers?

More Options for Digital Promotion

One big advantage that has always attracted brands to use digital marketing is that it's generally less costly. You can usually save more money advertising on Facebook than you would if you produced a TV commercial or went all out with a printed billboard (all the while reaching more people).

The same idea goes with augmented reality. Marketers can create digital billboards that can be streamed through AR visors, saving precious resources and "real-life" space that would have otherwise been used for creating and displaying giant billboards. Those virtual billboards don't have to be static. They can be videos or catalogues that AR users can browse through.

With virtual reality, you can create advertisements inside video games, like a poster of a brand product displayed inside a room you're in that changes depend on which demographic you fall into. Little things like that can influence what a person buys in the real world.

A Better Consumer Experience

"AR gives you the ability to bring your products to life," a writer from Business Up North states. And they have a valid point, as they continue with how, "Your static advert could become a catalogue that your consumers can flick through."

Indeed, augmented reality can improve a person's experiences with advertisements. It increases their interactions with the ad and with the business in extension. And because their experiences are positive, it helps in giving them a favorable view of the brand and, more importantly, increases sales.

Though it is true that augmented reality today still has a long way to go,    digital marketing agency should grab the opportunity and start making use of this platform. It puts them ahead of others and it increases the ways that they can spread their presence online, sell more products, and gain more customers.