According to Facebook, 54% of users agree that VR will mean that people never have to miss an important event again, and 47% are agreeing that VR is becoming a natural extension of the physical world around them.

A similar study published by Tech Jury reveals that 67% of marketers want to see more ad spaces in VR and AR applications as an extension of digital marketing, while 70% of consumers believe AR can help them learn new personal and professional skills.

Whether you already have a digital marketing strategy in place or are looking for ways to integrate your content into disruptive channels such as AR and VR, there's no denying the potential of these technologies. However, knowing how to use them to their fullest extent is a matter of perspective and creativity.

Here are the main differences and growth opportunities related to AR and VR, as well as four ways that you can integrate them into your day-to-day advertising:

The differences and opportunities of AR and VR

In order to best understand how AR and VR will affect the marketing industry in the near future, it's wise to compare the two. Augmented reality technologies represent an extension of our reality without taking the viewer out of it — like social media camera filters.

They can be used to deliver marketing content effectively without relying on third-party peripheral devices — apart from the consumers' own smart devices. Contrary to that, virtual reality does require a peripheral, such as a now-classic headset, which will 'transport' the viewer into whichever environment your marketing pitch dictates.

Discussing what the future holds for these technologies and their wider implementation can be challenging without looking at them as two sides of the same coin. Instead of discussing which one of these will prevail in the long run, it's best to see them as complementary tools that can be used in tandem, depending on the occasion.

Mark Sinclair, head of the content department at Studyker, says, "I believe that AR already represents a viable delivery channel for businesses with an established mobile market presence. While not at all less flexible or interesting, VR is still in its early adoption days when it comes to widespread consumer appeal, making the investment in VR-exclusive marketing content a hard pitch to sell for now."

1. Brand engagement and storytelling

One of the biggest challenges of brands across the globe revolves around the humanisation of their businesses. Potential customers will remain just that if they don't identify with the brand. As such, AR and VR technologies alike can be used to engage customers and humanise brands via marketing content.

For example, customer support can be conducted via VR with real-world agents acting as assistants to existing or potential customers. AR, on the other hand, can be used to demonstrate different services or explain the business' goals and vision through real-world objects.

These activities would effectively humanise a brand and make it more likely for consumers to pitch in and try their products and services as a result of their engagement and identification with the business.

2. Product and service onboarding

Whether you operate as an e-commerce platform, a cloud-based service provider or work in a localised business like a restaurant, demonstrating what you can do for your customers can be difficult.

Onboarding new customers to try out your products — especially if they are overseas — can be nigh impossible due to obvious reasons. However, both AR and VR technologies can be utilised for demonstration, testing and Q&A sessions with potential customers, no matter where they are.

In tandem with writing platforms such as WriteScout and Evernote, you can efficiently create guided tours or training scenarios through which consumers can try out your goods and services without monetary obligation.

3. Controlled environment feedback

Setting up a reliable communication channel with your audience should be of utmost importance regardless of your current revenue streams. As such, utilising AR and VR technologies can facilitate higher quality feedback, critical suggestions and objective comments.

You can create dedicated chatrooms and virtual spaces for your customers to interact with and submit their questions, concerns and suggestions without relying on hyperlinks, forms and manual input of any information.

4. Streamlined growth over time

Lastly, delivering updates, changes to your products or services, as well as news announcements to your customer base can be tricky depending on the type of business you run.

With so many different communication channels available, pinpointing the right one for your audience is difficult, especially for international brands. Luckily, implementing AR and VR technologies into your marketing strategy can significantly reduce the downtime and costs of delivering updates and upgrades to your follower base.

Combined with writing platforms such as Subjecto and Hemingway, you can write content marketing pieces, deliver updates to existing virtual rooms or AR apps or simply establish stable communication with your audience at the press of a button.

For more information, visit www.subjecto.com.

*Image courtesy of Pexels