Augmented Reality, the new trend in marketing and Social Media

The Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have become a trend of undoubted effectiveness that is already part of all kinds of companies and sectors, such as medicine, education and tourism. But if we look at marketing trends, we find that Augmented Reality will be the technology that shines throughout 2020, especially through Social Media. At Invelon Technologies we want to explain how this technology will influence marketing experts, and how we will see it applied during 2020.

Essential factors for understanding the importance of Augmented Reality

It is essential to stress that Augmented Reality allows us to connect our real world with the virtual world, where anyone can interact with previously programmed elements. In this way, many new possibilities open up for companies, which can make themselves known and improve their business strategy with the aim of attracting new customers.

In 2020, the rollout of the 5G network, new models of mobile phone and the use of three-dimensional glasses will gradually make it popular to use Social Media as never before. Now, thanks to Augmented Reality, it is increasingly possible to become a character, visit any point in the world, modify the elements of our surroundings and even interact with new objects or characters through the screens of our mobile devices. And the opportunity for companies is to use this tool to get consumers to interact with the product and share their experience with their friends.

Furthermore, focusing on the retail sector, combining this possibility with going shopping will become a reality before the end of the year, so users will have much more realistic experiences in which they will be the protagonists. Some brands already let you try their products thanks to the corresponding Augmented Reality filters, and this trend will very soon be applied on Social Media, so anyone will be able to see how a particular product will look on them before buying it.

In the future it will also be possible to attend live events and presentations. Being able to attend a concert with a friend through a Social Network is one of the goals to be achieved during the development of this technology in 2020. The idea is to turn logging in to a Social Network into access to a virtual world full of surprises.

All these technological advances have already forced the most important Social Networks to revolutionise how they work. For this reason, the various trends to be developed during 2020 are intended to turn the use of a Social Network into something completely new, which any company can take advantage of to increase its profits.

Trends in Augmented Reality and social media

As we can see, the most important trends for 2020 related to Social Media point to the rise of Augmented Reality in companies' strategies. For this reason, we recommend putting them into practice to raise your conversion rate and improve the returns of your online proposition.

1. Marketing and Augmented Reality
   If you are thinking of creating advertising campaigns in a digital environment, you should know that you first need to adapt to your customers' needs. Remember that the relationship between a company and the consumer has changed, becoming more two-way thanks to the rise of the internet and Social Media. And Augmented Reality now lets customers, for example, stroll virtually around the shop and buy whatever they want, with the aim of increasing your profits and the reach of your business. For this reason, knowing what you can offer them is the first step towards building your marketing strategy with Augmented Reality.
2. Follow the lead of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat
   All three Social Networks have already begun to create ads and offer new features with Augmented Reality. The best example is these Social Networks' own filters, which draw on Augmented Reality to create clever results with our smartphone cameras and the creative work of advertisers and users of the platform. With these new features, your company can offer its products more directly and, if possible, with the support of artificial intelligence. And if you think this is too costly an alternative, you are mistaken. With the support of specialists, it will be much easier to turn any idea into the start of growth in your company's profits.
3. Describe your brand
   To turn your business into a leader in your sector, you need to outdo your most direct competition. If you want to reinvent yourself, do not hesitate to describe your brand, give it a specific philosophy and confirm all these aspects through Augmented Reality. In other words, the virtual experience must not only focus on achieving more conversions, but also on getting every customer to know you. For this reason, do not forget to include distinguishing elements when designing your campaigns.
4. Get ahead of your competition
   This technology is only just starting to develop, but in a very short time we believe it will be usable by anyone. For example, Instagram has already launched the Spark AR programme, a platform that allows brands to add Augmented Reality effects to their creative work and posts on the Social Network itself. It is about always staying one step ahead and investing to surprise your customers.
5. Follow the Playable Ads model
   This option is a favourite among video game fans. Instead of an ad, they are offered the chance to play for a few minutes a particular game. With no direct promotion and without urging them to buy, it is possible to try part of that game, with the aim of winning over the consumer and improving the customer experience. In the end, your aim with Augmented Reality should always be to offer a preview or the chance for a customer to get to know your offering, to be able to use it and learn all its features before acquiring the product or service you offer.

As we can see, Social Media and digital marketing in general are a great option for unleashing all your creativity and applying new strategies with Augmented Reality. With it, you can make the customer far more involved in your company, giving them the chance to experiment with the brand itself. Of course, this will be a rising trend in 2020, with the aim of connecting better and more closely with the end consumer.

At INVELON we will always be delighted to help you and to tell you which are the most interesting Augmented Reality strategies for achieving your goals. Contact us and we will help you improve your company's visibility and results.