Savvy content marketers know that you can never take your foot off the pedal in this fast-paced and dynamic industry. Continuously driving organic traffic to and engaging users on your website is becoming all the more challenging under decreasing attention spans.
As such, you have to continuously be on the lookout for the latest trends just to keep up. As extreme and as difficult to believe as it may sound, VR is shaping up to be that next big thing.
It’s well-known that visual and interactive content is a must-have to attract and keep users’ attention. VR seems to be at the pinnacle of both.
Even though VR is a fairly young industry, it’s already worth $7.3 bn and projected to grow to $120.5 bn by 2026.
How VR helps to create an efficient content marketing strategy
That alone is worth taking notice of. So, let’s take a look at how VR can augment your content marketing strategy.
Position your brand as relevant and forward-thinking
So, you’re telling me just because a brand uses VR more people will buy from them? Yes, I am.
According to a new report by Greenlight Insights:
● 53% of customers said they would be more likely to purchase from a brand who used virtual reality vs. one who did not
● 68% of people who have not used the technology were interested in doing so
● 71% of people saw brands that us VR as “forward-thinking and modern”
Early adopters of such a young and exciting technology will naturally be perceived as innovators and trendsetters. Furthermore, even though VR’s full potential is still unrealized, people are aware of its ability to disrupt and improve their future buying experiences.
As ridiculous as scenes like these from sci-fi movies like Plut Nash seem, it might well be the future.
As you’ll be one of the few brands out there with VR content, you can expect a lot of attention within the industry. As a result, you can expect more backlinks as well as guest posting opportunities. Check out this guide on successfully pitching guest posts to editors by guest post agency LuckyPosting for making first right steps in your content marketing strategy.
Increase engagement through immersion
Since the beginning of content marketing, engagement has been that elusive x-factor all of us has been looking for. No one will finish consuming your content if you can’t stimulate their curiosity, emotions, or intellect.
Humans are sensory beings. Images are more engaging than text, video is more engaging than images, and it only makes sense that VR is more engaging than video. In fact, VR received a 17% higher emotional reaction than 360° video and a 27% higher reaction than normal 2D video.
Putting users in control of the experience will undoubtedly push engagement through the roof. It will bring content to life in a way that’s not quite possible with static content.
The Displaced, a collaboration by The New York Times and Google, tugs at viewers’ heartstrings by placing them in the circumstances of war-ravaged communities.
This 360 experience by Key Technology turns what would’ve been a boring presentation on their VERYX food sorting platform into an engaging, sci-fi VR experience. This is an excellent example of how VR can be leveraged to improve B2B content engagement.
Bespoke content tailored to each customer
In a world where consumers are being flooded with information from every corner, personalization is becoming increasingly important. Statistics show users are more likely to engage with and act on personalized content, whether it’s emails, articles, or ads.
What can be more bespoke than giving users control over their own buying experience?
This is where the lines between AR vs. VR can become blurry. In all likelihood, the most effective marketing strategies using these technologies will utilize a bit of both. For example, with an AR-like heads up display (or, HUD) overlaying a VR environment.
This will allow content marketers to still keep narrative control while letting users do what they want.
To make the experience even more enjoyable, an environment can be created using that user’s preferences in terms of visuals or music. The experience can even be tailored according to demographics like nationality, age, or sex.
This will lead to higher engagement, a more positive experience, and may even result in higher conversion rates.
Increase conversions through buyer confidence
As many as 85% of consumers still prefer to shop in-store. That despite the fact that most still research products online before buying in-store and the massive $3,53bn value of the e-commerce market.
That’s not surprising. We’ve all seen the horror stories about online clothing purchases that didn’t turn out quite how the buyers’ imagined. In the same way, consumers may be worried about the freshness of the food they buy online. When it comes to wearable tech, most would probably want to try it out first.
So, how do you give users the same level of buyer confidence that they get from a brick-and-mortar store?
VR may be the answer. It has the potential to give consumers realistic live-action interactions with a product or service. For example, Volvo launched an app that allows buyers to use their phone to take a virtual reality test drive.
In the future, it’s not that hard to imagine buyers trying on clothes, test driving vehicles, and maybe even touching or smelling food without even visiting a store. For example, take a look at inVRsion’s vision for the future VR shopping experience from Linkontr
Is VR the future of content marketing?
The case for VR to revolutionize the content marketing business, and a number of other industries with it seems clearcut. There’s no doubt that it will bring levels of engagement, interactivity, and consumer confidence to new, never before seen heights.
While it’s always good to get a foot in the door early on, there are still some key obstacles to widespread adoption:
● VR content is inherently difficult and expensive to create
● For now, penetration is still low with only about 1/10 Americans owning a VR device
● Few marketers or businesses are skilled up in using VR
However, with so much excitement and momentum behind it, it’s only a matter of time till VR overcomes these obstacles.
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