‘Tis the season when marketers scramble to stay on top of the biggest trends to implement in the new year. With a digital marketing opportunity around every corner these days, it’s easy to get lost in all of the potential. Don’t let the new year preparation overwhelm you. No matter which marketing trend you intend to capitalize on, make sure you’re providing a memorable experience for your audience. The best way to provide that experience in 2019 is with immersive marketing. A large percentage of people make up their minds about brands based on digital interactions alone, and it’s becoming more important for brands to have less of a billboard mindset and be more experiential in order to stand-out from competitors.
We’re seeing this across every industry. In real estate, 92% of homebuyers searched the internet before every speaking to an agent. Over 41% of home buyers found interactive online maps useful, and 40% also used virtual tours to interact with potential homes online.
Universities have seen an increase in prospective student engagement and knowledge retention upon implementing virtual tours. Universities like Yale, Emory, Havard and George Washington University have embraced virtual reality tours. Google found that listings with virtual tours were twice as likely to generate interest across all industries. Google also states that users utilize digital maps 44% of the time when searching for a business on the internet.
In 2019, it will be even more vital for digital brand success to stop ignoring immersive marketing and start incorporating it into your digital marketing strategies. If you are not keeping your potential clients engaged online, you’re missing the opportunity for them to connect with your brand. Immersive marketing should most definitely be in your new year marketing toolbox. Here are a few ways you can utilize immersive virtual reality marketing going forward no matter your industry.
Launch a SkyNav™ Tour
SkyNav™ is is a highly engaging and interactive virtual reality tool that gives your target audience an unforgettable and easy-to-navigate virtual experience of your brand. The tool can be used across a variety of industries, including real estate, large-scale communities, travel and tourism, universities and more. SkyNav™ helps consumers understand brands on their own terms with a click of a button, or a swipe and tap on their mobile devices. These incredibly immersive tours allow users to view and interact with custom branded information by way of information beacons, videos, photos, and more. Each tour is fully integrated with Google Analytics for in-depth analysis, every single click is tracked so you know exactly what your audience is interested in, helping you frame future marketing campaigns. SkyNav™ is one ecosystem for all of your marketing assets to live, with no app required, working seamlessly across desktop and mobile. SkyNav™ is a marketing tool you don’t want to leave off your list of must-haves in 2019. Take flight here and experience these custom sky to ground tours for yourself.
SkyNav Interface Aerial View of North Myrtle Beach, SC
Skynav Interface Ground View of Blockade Runner Resort Located in Wrightsville Beach, NC
Schedule a Matterport Tour
Matterport Tours are all the rage in the real estate industry right now. Realtors with Matterport tours included on their listings get more engagement and online leads. In fact, real estate listings with visual, moving content get 403% more inquiries. The beauty of Matterport Tours is the versatility. Even brands outside of the real estate world have added virtual tours successfully to marketing plans. Restaurants and hotels are a good example of this. It is increasingly important for consumers to know where they’re going before they get there. This is especially true for travelers. Many travelers search places to go online before deciding on where they’ll spend vacation time. For hotels, 73% of consumers look at multiple hotels before booking the one. A beautiful virtual tour could be the deciding factor for many travelers.
Pro Tip: Embed a Matterport Tour within a SkyNav Tour for a truly immersive experience. Check out this example!
Amp up Your Social Content Marketing Effort with Movement
The content marketing of 2015 is gone. To get the attention of your target audience, your brand must be different and interesting. The content marketing of today is all about the experience it gives the consumer. There are a few ways you can spice up your content marketing for 2019:
- Create videos and gifs
- Utilize social media features, like real-time video (Facebook Live)
- Utilize 360º interactive maps (SkyNav™)
- Implement virtual tours (Matterport Tours)
- Use 3D photos
Posting a static status on social media is a thing of the past. Remember that movement catches the eyes of your consumers, thus increasing channel engagement. In 2019, make sure you’re really standing out on social media to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Planning for the Future of Marketing– No Matter Your Industry!
Immersive marketing is the marketing plan of the future. Start the conversation now and determine how you can implement some of these interactive elements into your plans in order to captivate your audience before your competitors beat you to it! Whether you’re industry is tourism, real estate, marketing, hospitality or travel, packing your digital marketing strategy full of fun ways to engage with your target clients will surely pay off in 2019.
