Metaverse marketing: A glimpse into the future of marketing

The metaverse aims to be a virtual platform accessible to all, making it an attractive space for marketers to reach and engage with consumers. Marketers can create immersive, interactive, and personalized digital marketing campaigns in the metaverse. At the same time, the evolution of virtual reality (VR) is leading to a rise in virtual influencers, virtual events, and improved content, creating new opportunities to connect with consumers across various touch points. Ultimately, marketers that master how to run marketing activities in the metaverse will be able to enhance user engagement, reach broader audiences, experiment with campaigns, and build long-lasting relationships with consumers.

Is the metaverse the future of digital marketing?

As we transcend from Web2 to Web3, driven by technologies like the metaverse, our online experiences will become more three-dimensional and immersive. This shift will also transform digital marketing, wherein the metaverse will become a key enabler of strategies.

The metaverse will allow digital marketing campaigns and events to become more interactive and immersive online. The platform’s massive reach and wealth of data will help companies create targeted and personalized ads. Digital marketers can also level up from social media by leveraging user-generated content (UGC) in the metaverse, a platform built on the foundations of user empowerment.

Marketers will need to adapt to these new environments to keep up with the evolution of digital marketing as it integrates into the metaverse. Marketers can do this by learning new skills and developing different strategies that use Web3 technologies.

How can digital marketing remain relevant in the metaverse era?

• Digital marketers should focus on creating experiences that are tailored to the metaverse's unique environment, such as immersive and interactive campaigns.

• Given the metaverse's vast network of users, targeted advertising and personalized marketing efforts can be more effective.

• As the metaverse continues to grow, it may become a necessary component of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

As the metaverse grows, it will become essential for every marketer’s digital strategy. However, for campaigns to stay relevant, marketers must ensure that they consider the following elements:

Immersion and interactivity

The metaverse is an immersive space that facilitates user interactions. Marketers who gamify campaigns through interactivity will ensure user engagement and entertainment. For example, the automobile manufacturer Hyundai capitalized on the metaverse, creating a Motorstudio on the platform. Users could view and interact with 3D representation of Hyundai vehicles, watch informative product videos, and purchase merch.

Targeted advertising

Advertising in the metaverse through virtual billboards and product placements can be hyper-targeted towards audiences because of the higher data availability. Companies can also build marketing campaigns that target several subgroups and niche audiences within the metaverse’s rapidly growing population. For example, brands like Coca-Cola and Samsung already use the metaverse as an advertising channel.

Personalized marketing

Marketing campaigns will only work in the metaverse if relevant to consumers. With various choices available, brands that can provide content tailored to consumer needs will garner success in the metaverse. For instance, if customer interactions show that an individual wants to purchase beachwear for their avatar, a storefront can transform itself to showcase those products upfront.

Cross-channel marketing

As digital marketing campaigns integrate with the metaverse, they must run seamlessly across channels and audience touchpoints to drive results. For instance, if an individual lands on a company’s webpage and clicks a link, they would be transported to the metaverse to attend an immersive event. Within the metaverse, they would also find interactive content to engage with, which could lead to product purchases.

What is the future of virtual marketing?

Virtual reality (VR) technologies are becoming increasingly commonplace, particularly with the growth of the metaverse. These technologies are computer-based simulations of environments that have interactive properties. With virtual reality, the visuals we interact with digitally will become more three-dimensional, presenting new opportunities and challenges for marketers.

Virtual marketing that leverages VR will present new use cases for advertising, driving e-commerce sales, and creating content. Some ways in which virtual marketing will unfold in the future are:

• Increase in virtual influencers and avatars: Virtual worlds have given rise to a new type of computer-generated influencer called the ‘virtual influencer,’ which will only increase in popularity. These human-like avatars will be fundamental in driving awareness and sales for brands. Marketers can create virtual avatars to represent a brand, giving them more control over their brand ambassadors. Lil Miquela is a virtual avatar with over 3 million followers and has collaborated with several brands, including Prada and Calvin Klein. In addition, Yook, a Net-a-Porter Group retail company, created a virtual avatar, Daisy, to model their clothes on Instagram.

• The rise of virtual events and experiences: Virtual reality technologies have enabled more virtual events and immersive experiences. Marketers can host virtual concerts, product launches, interactive live events, and conferences through VR. For instance, Warner Bros. hosted a virtual party on Roblox leading up to the release of their film ‘In the Heights.’ Fortnite has also hosted several virtual events and concerts on its platform.

• Improved virtual content marketing: Virtual reality has the potential to transform content into becoming more interactive and creative than before. A great example is how Ikea uses VR-driven marketing tactics to generate sales. Ikea launched an app called ‘Ikea Place’ for the iPhone, where users can place digital replicas of Ikea furniture in their homes to test the product before making a purchase.

How will digital marketing in the metaverse be improved?

• The metaverse will provide a more immersive and interactive environment for digital marketing efforts, allowing for more engaging experiences for users.

• The vast network of users within the metaverse presents an opportunity for more targeted advertising and personalized marketing campaigns.

• Digital marketers can use the metaverse as a platform to experiment with new marketing strategies and approaches.

How will the metaverse help marketing?

• Enhancing user engagement: The metaverse will allow marketing campaigns to improve user engagement. For example, information on regular marketing channels like websites and social media can be more interactive and immersive within the metaverse. For instance, automobile companies create information pages about their vehicles in the metaverse to amplify engagement.

• Access to a large and diverse user base: Marketers in the metaverse can access a vast user base comprising various cohorts. Roblox, a leading metaverse platform popular among a younger demographic, has around 42 million daily active users, one-third under 16.

• Ability to experiment with campaigns: The metaverse is a budding platform, offering a space for marketers to experiment with campaigns and strategies. Marketers can be as innovative as they like and learn from failures quickly to optimize their approach to success.

• Creating long-lasting and robust relationships: Engaged audiences in the metaverse can be amongst the most loyal. Marketers that can bring meaningful experiences to users in the metaverse can create a long-lasting bond that can build brand communities. Marketers can collaborate, empower, and reward users in the metaverse through their strategies to strengthen their bond with users.

• Ensuring security and transparency: Integrating blockchain technology into the metaverse can make virtual marketing transactions more secure and transparent. Users can access and track public records of transactions, ensuring the absence of malicious activity. User data can also be secured on the blockchain’s decentralized network making it more immune to third-party hacks.

Conclusion

As the metaverse rapidly evolves, so will the marketing opportunities it offers. Digital marketing campaigns in the metaverse will become more immersive, targeted, and personalized. Virtual reality technologies are also becoming increasingly relevant to marketing strategies with the emergence of virtual influencers, virtual events, and improved virtual content. Overall, marketing in the metaverse is set to open doors to higher user engagement, larger audiences, opportunities to innovate, and long-lasting customer relationships. If companies wish to launch successful metaverse marketing campaigns, it will be essential for marketers to build new skills to stay up-to-date with this changing landscape.

Are you looking to market your brand in the metaverse? We’ll help you achieve your marketing goals, from brand awareness to product conversions, by building your idea and scaling it in the metaverse. Get in touch with us!