Augmented reality (AR) is a powerful way to engage your audience, whether the goal is to tell your product story in a deeper way or to simply create a moment of delight for your customers.
The Harvard Business Review concluded that “products having AR content showed a 94% higher conversion rate than products without AR” making it a great strategy to drive sales.
AR technology and content can be so uniquely compelling that digital marketers occasionally fall into the trap of thinking “if you build it, they will come.” That is, fans and customers will somehow magically discover great AR campaigns by themselves with little to no effort around promotion.
Nothing could be further from the truth, but we’re here to share a few simple best practices you can follow to give your next AR marketing campaign the best chance to be a smashing success.
Whatever your goal, it’s important to consider the customer experience - how will people discover and interact with the content you’ve created?
For traditional marketing campaigns, the QR code is typically tied to a physical object. This could be product packaging, a magazine ad, mural, trade show booth, direct mail, or any other branded, physical object.
When designing these experiences, make sure to include a clear call to action (CTA). "Scan here for AR" "Watch this {package} {billboard} come to life!" Also, if using a QR code, make sure it’s printed at a size that is easy for people to scan.
For digital-first marketing campaigns, customers or fans discover the content through app notifications, social media posts, digital ads, email blasts, and more. To market a digital-first augmented reality experience, we suggest recording a video, gif, or taking a photo that teases the content.
We’ve seen that showing people interacting with the AR gets the most engagement! As always, include a clear call to action within the copy/post/email. "Swipe up/click here for AR" or “Tap here to see AR”
Balti Virtual’s HypARlink platform is the perfect tool to create an experience that looks great across all devices and platforms.
TLDR: Our general rule of thumb is the fewer steps it takes to access an AR experience, the more engagement it will receive. Lower that barrier to entry! The use of a QR code is always encouraged as a clear (if not beautiful) visual call-to-action!
About Balti Virtual: We are a full-service, cross-disciplinary AR/VR team including engineers, modelers, animators, technical artists, sound designers, and the supporting staff of project management and quality assurance to ensure a smooth and successful launch of any AR/VR campaign.