The rise of new technology has been the driving force behind the rapidly evolving marketing strategies of businesses to exceed customers’ expectations and fulfil their requirements. Everything around us has become digital. In this digital era, implementing the right strategies to stay ahead of the competition is crucial. As a result, the need to restructure in the areas of digital strategy and budgets has become imperative.
Over the years, various emerging technologies and business trends have fundamentally reshaped the everyday lives of billions of individuals.
The combination of social and digital media has been at the forefront of the marketing domain so far. With the changing times, the integration of the physical medium has enabled marketing scale new heights. In other words, immersive marketing has given rise to improved customer engagement.
Immersive Marketing
Digital storytelling has become one of the norms in digital marketing. It is no news that people connect to stories well. The idea behind providing immersive experiences is placing the customers inside the story. This becomes even more effective when the experiences are relatable and real-life. Such a three-dimensional approach towards the story trend is all set to take marketing to new heights in the upcoming years.
This type of storytelling is highly interactive and, therefore, engages customers immensely. Such tangible experiences can be downloaded on smart devices and easily shared across various platforms.
Why Immersive Marketing Works
Immersive marketing has been making headlines in the marketing domain recently. Let’s take a look at why it works.
#1. Provides Seamless Experiences
An immersive experience engages the customer positively with a brand. It enables a brand to truly connect with the customers by providing a platform for them to interact with what it has to offer. This helps in creating an impactful experience by providing them the scope to explore the possibilities that can be of help to them. Detailed visuals can help in providing seamless experiences to customers.
#2. Builds Strong Connections
The immersive technologies can be utilised to create and provide meaningful experiences to customers. Such improved levels of transparency and honesty help in building credibility for a brand. As a result, customers begin to trust these brands. This enables brands to retain customers.
#3. Makes a Brand Relatable
Immersive marketing allows customers to interact with a brand. This makes the brand and the product and the services offered more relatable to the customers. As a result, customers can make more informed decisions about their purchases.
#4. Improved Sales
Owing to the engaging nature of immersive marketing, it helps in drawing more customers to a brand. This leads to prompt lead generation and, therefore, improved sales. Additionally, these immersive experiences will provide more exposure for your business and will aid in quick decision-making.
Industries That Have Adopted Immersive Marketing
Over the years, various industries have integrated immersive experiences into their marketing strategies.
Travel and Tourism
Virtual reality has already transformed the travel experience by providing seamless experiences. Google Street View is no stranger to us. Also, the Marriott’s “Travel Brilliantly” campaign utilises the latest innovations in the domain of virtual reality to provide a 360-degree view to customers.
According to Marco Ryan, chief executive officer of the Thomas Cook group, “We see virtual reality as an innovation that will change the travel business. The closer you get to the destination, the more excited you are to have that experience.”
Real Estate
The real estate industry has been pulling all stops by integrating various tools of technology to join the immersive marketing club. Architectural rendering is one of the methods that has turned out to be the norm for presenting a property to a client. Various tools are used to create interactive animation for properties even before they are constructed. In addition to that, the usage of virtual reality has also been shaping the real estate industry.
The real estate industry has also been integrating drones into their marketing strategy. High-quality photographs are captured by the drones. Unlike traditional methods of photography, these drones can capture pictures and videos that showcase the surroundings of the property, thus making the property-viewing experience even more immersive.
“Drones already are part of our world,” Pasadena agent, Steve Clark pointed out, “There’s a way to tell the story, and I think the drones have captured that.”
Journalism
Immersive journalism is an evolving field that has taken the world by storm. Los Angeles-based reporter, Nonny de la Peña, also known as the ‘Godmother of VR’ has been the pioneer in providing gripping virtual experiences for viewers.
“It creates a real sense of being present on the scene,” she said, “It puts the audience in a place where they can experience the sights, sounds and even emotions as events unfold. This is unlike any other medium.”
She believes that new events will be filmed by 3D, 360-degree cameras. She says, “The audience will not only be in the middle of the story but they’ll be able to move around within it. All of this will be a common part of how journalists make stories in the future.”
Apart from these, gaming, healthcare, education, entertainment etc. sectors have also been using immersive methods to produce fascinating experiences for viewers. Additionally, such experiences are used for training purposes as well.
Implementing Immersive Marketing
As a marketer, you would need to obtain enough information about the feasibility of integrating immersive marketing methods in your business. You should also find out about the recent trends and the risks associated with these. It is also crucial to understand customer preferences and implement the strategies accordingly.
Today’s buyers expect radical transparency in their business dealings. Therefore, your immersive marketing techniques should involve drawing potential buyers into these experiences. This will help in generating interest and lead to generation of quality leads.
Tracking the analytics makes devising and implementing the strategies foolproof. Various tools are available for the same.
There is hardly any doubt about the fact that the future of marketing is immersive. Such experiences expand an activity beyond a single event and appeal to all the senses. It also includes an element of surprise and makes the experience memorable. Therefore, it holds immense potential in marketing.
Image: Double exposure of man using the virtual reality headset
