Content marketing in the metaverse: Tips, strategies, and best practices

The metaverse’s focus on making content more immersive and interactive will force brands to rethink their content marketing strategies and how they distribute content online. The metaverse offers content like games, virtual events, digital products, and virtual stores, which brands can leverage to market their products and services. Brands can include digital activations, branded NFTs, and user-generated content into their metaverse content marketing strategies to reach new audiences and build relationships. However, brands can only launch successful strategies when they innovate, build a community, nurture collaborations, and analyze engagement to optimize it.

What is content marketing in the metaverse?

Content marketing in the metaverse creates unique opportunities to develop and distribute content across virtual worlds in a new 3D environment. This content could be games, immersive experiences, or virtual events. By creating content in the metaverse, brands can engage with audiences, create stronger connections, drive loyalty, and build brand awareness in new ways. Creating this engaging 3D content for audiences makes it more effective for brands to drive conversions for their products and services. A significant benefit of the metaverse is that it allows brands to use augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), which ensures content is more immersive and memorable than traditional marketing channels would allow.

What kind of content is on the metaverse?

Several brands today use the metaverse to unlock their creativity and showcase innovation through various kinds of content. As the metaverse continues to evolve further, it is creating new opportunities for different forms of content to flourish; some popular forms of content are:

• Games: The visuals and rules of social interaction in the metaverse are defined primarily by gaming, naturally making games popular content on the platform. The metaverse has several single and multiplayer experiences and quests that users can engage with. These games spread across genres like action, adventure, survival, strategy, simulation, and much more.

  
  

• Virtual events and branded experiences: The metaverse’s advanced augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) technology makes it an ideal platform for immersive experiences. These experiences and events could include concerts, interactive live events, conferences, etc.

  
  

• Virtual stores: Spaces like virtual stores, showrooms, or museums are also created in the metaverse to display products and services in the virtual world. These venues can be designed to be virtual headquarters to drive much higher engagement than traditional stores.

  
  

• Virtual products: Community members and gamers on the platform are attracted to purchasing digital items in the metaverse, like avatars, clothes, and accessories. Designing and selling these virtual products is a popular revenue generation method in the metaverse.

Metaverse content marketing for brands

Brands can leverage the various forms of immersive and interactive content the metaverse offers to enhance their marketing strategies and connect with consumers in a unique way. Some ways for brands to create content for marketing in the metaverse include:

• Brand activations: Brands can join the metaverse to launch engaging marketing activations, including product launches and hosting celebratory events for their audiences. Retailers like Macy’s used the metaverse to host a virtual version of its flagship ‘Thanksgiving Day Parade.’ Decentraland Metaverse Fashion Week 2022 was another innovative activation that brought together several fashion brands in the metaverse to create an engaging experience.

  
  

• Virtual headquarters or stores: Brands can set up virtual stores in the metaverse to sell digital products and wearables. Gucci built an immersive garden in the metaverse that housed a virtual pop-up store for users to buy limited-edition products for their avatars. Virtual showrooms and storefronts are also an excellent way for brands to allow users to virtually try on 3D replicas of their products through augmented reality (AR) before making a purchase.

  
  

• Branded non-fungible tokens (NFTs): A great way for brands to amplify awareness through the metaverse is by creating virtual items and products in the form of branded NFTs. Creating NFT collectibles encourages users to take back something from the brand to remember it. For example, brands like Adidas and Taco Bell have used this strategy to build awareness among various demographics.

  
  

• Immersive storytelling: Content in the metaverse can be designed to engage audiences with a brand’s narrative, helping users transition from mere observation to experience. BMW launched a virtual world for Munich IAA 2021 called Joytopia, inviting audiences to explore the story of building a sustainable future. This brand activation created a memorable and engaging experience for audiences.

  
  

• User-generated content (UGC): The metaverse puts creators at the center of its virtual environment, giving them the power to create original content that drives the platform’s engagement. Brands can work and interact with existing creators on these platforms to crowdsource ideas and build products and experiences in the metaverse.

Metaverse content marketing strategy

Brands can build a solid and effective content marketing strategy by keeping a few aspects in mind:

• Unleash innovation and creativity: Brands are expected to showcase their innovative streak within the metaverse’s digital landscape. Brands can hold extravagant conferences or host NFT auctions where users can pay with cryptocurrencies. The metaverse is a blank canvas for any ideas imaginable. The platform’s technology allows brands to develop and launch ideas, and brands shouldn’t hold back if they want to stand out.

  
  

• Build a community: As the number of users in the metaverse continues to increase, it will become essential for brands to establish their presence within suitable subgroups and communities. Brands must understand their users' priorities and interests to create engaging content. Joining forces with the metaverse’s native community of creators to develop user-generated content is also a great way of valuing them and fostering loyalty.

  
  

• Partnering with other brands or influencers: A great strategy to create unique content in the metaverse is collaborating with different brands and influencers who align with a brand’s beliefs and vision. Partnerships help content created in the metaverse gain user traction while allowing brands to build connections with new audience pools. As a part of Mastercard’s Pride Plaza in Decentraland, Mastercard collaborated with influencers and creators such as Shanée Benjamin, Rahemur Rahman, and Laurel Charleston to create digital collectibles. Pacsun, a retail company, created PACWORLD on Roblox during the holiday season, leveraging content creator collaborations with Brooke Monk, Mathieu Simoneau, and virtual influencer Miquela.

  
  

• Monitor and analyze audience engagement: Brands must ensure their metaverse content marketing campaigns meet set goals and objectives by measuring metrics to evaluate audience engagement. Key performance indicators like actions taken, time spent, and rates of returning users help measure engagement so brands can optimize their activations for users and design future campaigns.

Which companies are creating content for the metaverse?

Metaverse platforms from Decentraland to The Sandbox are hotspots for digital brand activations. These virtual worlds have attracted brands like Atari, Binance, and Samsung to collaborate with game developers, creators, and designers to launch branded experiences in the metaverse. Some examples of brands creating content in the metaverse are:

• Nike: Nike made its mark in the metaverse by acquiring RTFKT Studios, a startup that designs virtual sneakers for metaverse users. Individuals can purchase these virtual products and wearables for their avatars in the metaverse. Customers have even paid between $4,000 to $9,500 to own a pair of sneakers from Nike’s RTFKT product lines.

  
  

• Gucci: An active member of the metaverse fashion community, Gucci took a step further into the virtual world with the launch of its Gucci Virtual 25 sneakers. These digital sneakers retailed for $12.99 and were designed to be utilized in Roblox and VRChat, or worn with augmented reality (AR) support.

  
  

• Coca-Cola: The leading beverage brand, Coca-Cola, is no stranger to creating metaverse experiences for its audiences. It created one such digital immersion when it launched limited-edition flavors of Coca-Cola called Starlight. Users could scan a code on the physical product to launch an augmented reality (AR) concert with Ava Max, a famous US-based singer and Coca-Cola brand ambassador.

Conclusion

Content marketing in the metaverse creates opportunities to grow brand awareness, build connections, foster loyalty, and generate conversions. Brands can use the metaverse to elevate brand-audience interactions by creating content like - NFTs, immersive storytelling experiences, and user-generated content. Nike, Gucci, and Coca-Cola are some brands that are trailblazing their innovative content strategies in the metaverse. Organizations must realize the metaverse’s potential to boost their marketing strategies and take action to build a presence across platforms.

Are you a brand looking to develop immersive content in the metaverse? We’ll help you bring your ideas to life from design to execution and help you deliver on your all your marketing KPIs. Get in touch with us!