The metaverse: the future of digital marketing

Ana Miloš
Digital Reflections
5 min readJan 15, 2023

What is Metaverse?

Metaverse is an online digital world in which users can immerse themselves using virtual or augmented reality. It is defined as an immersive, digital environment populated by virtual avatars representing real people. It is a self-contained and fully functional universe containing user-generated content that is always active and exists in real-time. You can hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create, and more.” On these platforms, users move through the virtual world, create avatars, and communicate with others; they can even buy products and attend virtual events and experiences.

What is Metaverse marketing?

Metaverse marketing is a term used to describe the use of virtual reality technology in digital marketing. This can include creating virtual storefronts, product demonstrations, and interactive advertisements in virtual worlds where users can interact with products and engage with brands in a more dynamic way. It also includes the use of virtual events, trade shows, and networking events to connect with potential customers and generate leads. Additionally, in the metaverse, companies can leverage virtual influencers, virtual reality experiences, and virtual goods, and services as part of their marketing strategy. It is an emerging trend in digital marketing and it requires companies to be innovative and think out of the box to leverage the full potential of this technology.

Marketers are always looking to stay up to date with the latest technological advancements, so it’s no wonder that the possibility of metaverse marketing has become a hot topic in the digital marketing world. As the line between the real and virtual worlds blurs, the metaverse will become a place where people spend more time, experience brands, and even buy virtual products. There are many reasons why traders are flocking to the metaverse. Big brands are offered previously unattainable opportunities because they are in the digital world.

Take Vans for example. The skateboarding brand has launched a virtual skatepark in Roblox that allows players to try new tricks and can earn points that can be used in the virtual store to customize their avatar. Vans’ executive team says the online metaverse is the best place to build brand awareness among their core 13–35 demographic. The brand reveals that more than 48 million visitors have visited their online park to date. That’s the kind of engagement that bigger brands with bigger budgets can see in the metaverse.

Metaverse Marketing gives you the opportunity to create a unique world that represents your brand. Technology never stops. So why should your marketing strategy? Metaverse Marketing allows brands to connect with customers in different ways to stand out from their competitors. It is becoming increasingly popular among brands, especially as VR headsets become more and more available in households around the world.

Prioritizing new forms of interactive content increases the likelihood of starting a conversation with your audience. Keeping your place in the virtual world not only increases your exposure in the metaverse but also increases your conversions in the real world. Marketing in the metaverse expands brand recognition and adapts to the characteristics of virtual environments. While there is still time for the metaverse to be considered “natural,” with changing customer habits, staying relevant means staying present on marketing platforms.

Metaverse capabilities in digital marketing?

In terms of digital marketing, the metaverse offers a number of unique capabilities.

· One potential use for the metaverse in digital marketing is creating immersive brand experiences. Companies could create virtual storefronts, product demonstrations, and interactive advertisements that allow users to engage with products in a more dynamic way.

· Another use is to host virtual events and trade shows, that can be attended by people from all around the world, saving time and resources on travel and accommodation.

· Metaverse could be used for customer engagement, companies could create virtual customer support centers or communities where customers can ask questions, provide feedback, and connect with other customers.

· In the future, with the advancements in technology and increasing adoption of the metaverse, it could become an integral part of digital marketing strategy for companies to interact with their customers and create unique and memorable brand experiences. One important aspect of the metaverse is the ability to gather data and analytics on user behavior, which can be used to improve marketing strategies and targeting.

Overall, the metaverse is an exciting new frontier for digital marketing, and companies that are able to effectively leverage it will have a significant competitive advantage in the future

Conclusion

Investors continue to pour money into the development of the platform at an incredible rate. The popularity is growing, and well-known brands are quickly jumping in to be the first to use the platform for promotional purposes. Not everyone agrees with the metaverse, and many are completely against it. While opinions of this nature will most likely change as the platform gains traction and popularity, I can’t see a world where everyone will be using the metaverse to its maximum potential (except maybe 100 years from now).

Metaverse provides a new kind of platform, but it won’t replace traditional marketing methods, at least for the foreseeable future. Not every company will benefit from what the metaverse has to offer, but others will. I think we’ll start to hear an increasing amount of brands expanding into the metaverse, however, we won’t completely erase reality for a virtual version. Overall, the metaverse presents a wide range of opportunities for digital marketers to create engaging and personalized brand experiences, gather valuable data and analytics, and generate new revenue streams. It requires companies to be innovative and think out of the box to leverage the full potential of this technology.

--

--