Augmented Reality & Inbound Marketing: How Would That Work?
by First Descent AR • 27 March 2019Due to the advent of smart technology, it seems the world has changed overnight. According to a Pew Research Center study, 95% of Americans today own a cellphone with 77% of those being a smartphone. These numbers continue to climb. And that’s just the United States.
Imagine the billions of cellphone users globally who have access to the vast amounts of information available on the internet at any given time.
Marketing Evolves With Technology
Smart technology has changed the landscape of entrepreneurship and consumer marketing.
Today, not only is the modern consumer equipped with information that significantly influences their buying decisions, but they have an appetite for this information more than ever. If your business doesn’t have the means to satisfy what consumers are looking for through the available channels, then you’ve already lost the battle.
As this technology has molded the modern consumer; so should your business form to the needs and buying patterns of this newly evolved market.
Inbound Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
Before smart devices and the mighty internet, traditional marketing was the reigning king.
Businesses sent mail, made cold calls, sold door-to-door, set up depots to distribute flyers and pamphlets, put up signs; if they had the budget, they’d utilize traditional media such as TV, radio and print to make noise, attract consumers and make sales.
Traditional marketing might still work depending on your target market or the purpose of your marketing efforts. If you have goals like general awareness and know you can reach your customer base through traditional means, then there’s power in those formats.
In 2019, as many of us are aware, savvy advertisers have resorted to web advertising by dipping into web promotions in the form of sales banners, pop-ups and videos to get their message out.
Today, the power is back in the hands of the consumer. Not everyone is a fan of direct advertising and there’s a reason why people subscribe to caller blocking, ad block software and other means to put a barrier between them and intrusive sales companies.
Inbound Can Build Trust
If you want to conquer the world and turn millions, even billions, of potential consumers into buying customers, then you must be more thoughtful and innovative with your marketing strategies.
Be in the business of building trust.
When entering into a relationship with your customer, one of the aims is to build a connection that you can nurture. By giving customers a continuous supply of information that helps them solve their problems, over time you become a trusted resource.
Inbound marketing guru says, “Trust is the business we are all in…The challenge is to become ‘the most trusted voice in your space’ by being the best teachers in your industry.”
Once that trust has solidified, you can promote your message without them shutting you off. Look at , a marketing agency that put Iceland back on the map with marketing content so interesting, charming and helpful that people sought it out online and anxiously awaited Takk Takk’s latest email.
That’s the power of inbound marketing.
Inbound Marketing and its Role in your Marketing Strategy
Inbound marketing is a piece of your marketing strategy that offers value.
It provides consumers content that informs, finds solutions, engages, and entertains – thoughtful pieces that the consumers will voluntarily absorb because they want to. The result is establishing that valuable interactive long-term relationship.
Inbound marketing comes in the form of helpful content such as long-form Search Engine Optimized (SEO) articles, blogs and videos that can be shared through different channels like websites, emails and social media.
Once your business has embraced inbound marketing, you have the potential to be an authority in your subject or niche. Once consumers find value in your content, they will seek you out and become loyal members of your ‘tribe’. And once you’ve earned their loyalty, it will be easier to introduce your products/services to them and even easier to persuade them to act on some of your marketing objectives.
Rise Above the Noise with AR
Many marketers have jumped into the inbound marketing arena, as a result, the web has become saturated with all kinds of inbound marketing campaigns from organizations.
For your own business to stand out, you have to level up.
Incorporating augmented reality into your marketing campaigns is a revolutionary way to gain leverage in your industry. AR gives you the ability to be creative, attention-grabbing and cutting edge in getting the word out. As Adweek states, “AR isn’t the new kid on the block anymore, but recently more and more brands have begun to add it to their marketing mix to create unique experiences for their customers and give them new ways to make informed shopping decisions.”
Check out these brands that used the magic of AR and incorporated it into their marketing campaigns to great results.
These brands all have something in common: they told a compelling story about their business and services using the AR platform. Emerging technology can transcend storytelling by breathing new life and fresh energy into how visitors engage with a product or service or just the company itself.
Want to learn more about augmented reality and inbound marketing for your organization? Talk to us today.