Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Content Marketing: A #CMWorld Chat With Sarah Hill

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are gaining traction among marketers and are poised to take off in the coming 24 months. How can VR and AR deliver rich, immersive experiences to consumers? How can your brand use VR and AR as a storytelling medium?

To explore the technologies more, special guest Sarah Hill tweeted with us on a recent #CMWorld Twitter chat. Sarah introduced our community to VR/AR and shared how marketers can take advantage of the cutting-edge content. What follows are the highlights from the chat. To read more insights from Sarah and our community, check out the Storify from our chat.

Personalize the experience

Marketers may be tempted to jump into the latest and greatest technological advances, but we must remember our mission is to tell a story people can relate to.Create something unique to enable customers to go throughlife in a way they may never have imagined would be possible. Using VR and AR, brands present its audiences with new ways to experience the world.

A1) VR/AR offers an intimate experience for the user by engulfing them, almost physically, in the environment you create. #CMWorld

— JasonSchemmel (@JasonSchemmel) January 31, 2017

#VR and #AugmentedReality make the experience so real. The world around you changes. that impacts how people feel about a product. #cmworld https://t.co/JApp8Hora7

— The Duke & the Duck (@dukeandtheduck) January 31, 2017

A1: Bring your customers/community into a lovely world created and supported by your content. Games, office visits, product demos. #CMWorld

— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) January 31, 2017

Adapt your content to new and different platforms

VR and AR are certainly up-and-coming content experiences. A lack of equipment may pose an obstacle for both brands and consumers, but marketers can get a leg up by adapting to different platforms. For example, free apps, Google Cardboard, and brand-built dedicated spaces allows audiences to view content without VR hardware.

A2 AR can be integrated with other channels like #print catalogs, #directmail, etc. VR is more all or nothing #augmentedreality #CMWorld

— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 31, 2017

A6. They need to provide the equipment to the customers themselves. Create experience rooms, pop-up VR events, etc. #CMWorld https://t.co/uBmoYVWoT7

— Kristeen Romero ✏️(@KristeenOnline) January 31, 2017

A6: The way tech is going, all the ‘equipment’ people are going to need for AR/VR is their phones. #CMWorld

— Mike Myers (@mikemyers614) January 31, 2017

But there’s more! Our community graciously offered links to resources marketers can benefit from.

Here’s a look at a few examplesparticipants love.

• Heavy Metal Visionaries Embrace the Next Big Thing in Brand Marketing (shared by Jeremy Bednarski)
• 5 Great Augmented Reality Examples of Brands in Retail and Ten Industries Using Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (shared by Wayne Hendry)
• Ford Augmented Reality Wows Crowds at 2017 North American International Auto Show (shared by CMI Creative Director Joseph Kalinowski)
• The Migraine Experiment (shared by Ben Rome)

Our community also tweeted links to several articlesto help further our VR/AR journey.

• Your Brain on VR Empathy (shared by The Duke & The Duck)
• 360 Video Vs Flat Video: a CaseStudy (shared by Sarah Hill)
• I Finally Tried Virtual Reality and It Brought Me To Tears (Shared by Martin Lieberman)

And don’t forget to read our interview with Hill on the Content Marketing Institute blog.

Are you ready to enter the VR/AR realm? Let us know in the comments below.Is your brand taking full advantage of the technology out there? Top marketers will tackle the ins and outs of content marketing technology during #ContentTECH, a free one-day virtual event. Secure your seat and sign up now.