3 Ways to Leverage AR Content

This article from fishbat, a full-service digital marketing firm, explains 3 ways how restaurants and hotels can take advantage of digital content and AR.  

AR, or augmented reality, is a relatively new technology with an incredible potential. By integrating digital content into an offline world, hospitality companies can provide a valuable and engaging service to consumers and increase conversation rates for their brand.

Here are just a few ways that including AR content in marketing can effectively promote a brand.

Increase Engagement Through Gamification. Augmented reality is an effective marketing tool, and one of the main reasons that it's currently so powerful is a combination of two main factors. First and foremost, and it's a new technology that many customers have only experienced a few times. The other main reason that it's a valuable part of a marketing campaign is the entertainment factor.

There are a lot of creative ways that brands can create a fun experience through AR that leads to appreciable results. For example, a shopping center could lay out a visual guide of the most efficient way to grab all the items on a shopping list, or restaurants could show what the food looks like on a digital menu before customers place their order.

By making interacting with the business more fun, it's likely that engagement will increase by a noticeable margin.

Experiential Marketing. While it might not be possible on a grand scale for smaller businesses, taking a physical advertisement and adding in AR tech is a valuable way to capture the attention of customers. While billboards and the like definitely have their place and can be a valuable way to increase brand awareness, advertisements that focus on incorporating augmented reality may actually have customers giving the content more than a passing glance. With customers intrigued by an entertaining AR experience, it's likely that their interest will drive them to look more into the company and what they have to offer.

The Magic of Snapchat. It's hard to talk about the benefits of marketing through AR without talking about one of the primary ways that companies have been able to use the tech to get their products in front of millions of users. Snapchat marketing is unique in that companies can create custom lenses that make for more interesting selfies while increasing brand awareness for both the poster and their contacts.

This sort of lens technology is rapidly developing and could soon greatly improve the shopping experience for the average user. Being able to overlay digital content onto the physical world opens up a wealth of avenues that a company can pursue to provide value to the customer. Show someone what a shade of lipstick might look like from within the app, or help them see what a pair of glasses would look like on their face before they make a purchase. These examples are just scratching the surface of what AR has to offer.

As a cutting-edge technology, there are bound to be advancements that make AR even more accessible and commonplace. Being ahead of the curve can help further establish a brand as a technological and industry leader.

fishbat is a full-service digital marketing firm that takes a holistic business approach to their clients' digital marketing programs.