Impact of Augmented Reality on Social Media Marketing

A strong social media presence has now become an inescapable winning digital marketing strategy for success. However, with millions of marketers and products swaying over social media, it is daunting for marketers to stay ahead of the curve. This is why marketers are constantly looking for new ways and tactics and augmented reality or AR is one of the striking new possibilities.

Often mistaken as virtual reality, AR is a potent and versatile technology that is changing the game of social media marketing while providing the marketers with unique opportunity to be creative in their marketing strategies.

What augmented reality exactly mean?

Augmented reality is a powerful technology that overlays an image generated by a computer on a user’s view of the real world. That means you can see virtual items or information while viewing real things. If you’ve ever played with the Snapchat’s lenses for a selfie, you get a general idea.

The Social Game

Although the hype of Pokémon was the first thing that caught our attention to the augmented reality, the truth is we have been seeing this trend for years now. With smartphones in the hands of 5 billions of world population, AR is a smart tool for marketers to make it more interactive for their users.  

Millennials like Faincarter are also approaching the technology to market their products. The brand invites the customers to try out different lipstick shades through LipArtist, a Facebook Messenger bot. If they like the look, they can visit their website to make a purchase. This is no doubt a smart and winning marketing move for a brand.

Snapchat is leading the way with its interactive lenses that opened the door for a new form of marketing. The social networking site has set a new standard by integrating AR lenses for users to play with.

However other major networks like Facebook have no intention to lag behind. Facebook is gearing up its game by partnering with more than 700 brands and agencies to develop AR-based advertising. A new suite of AR tools for Messenger named “world effects” was launched by Facebook that allows the user to add real-time 3D objects into photos or videos within the camera frame.

IKEA is also tapping into the trend by rolling out an app that allows consumers to preview how the selected furniture will look in their living environments.

What does AR have in store for the future of social media?

The growth of augmented reality is showing no sign of slowing down. Thanks to the biggest tech players like Apple who has introduced ARKit to create augmented reality platforms for iPad and iPhone. Meanwhile, Google dukes it out with the launch of Poly, a website where users can search and share augmented reality objects.

“Seeing is believing” is now the common phrase in social media that brought to life with the renaissance of AR. This marvel of modern technology is having a big time, and with the top dogs already seeing success with AR, It is a kind of do or die situation for others that leave them with a choice to either shape up or lag behind. The Impact of AR is going to increase in 2019 and beyond. So it is essential for the social media marketers to leverage the technology right now to achieve a competitive edge.

Wrapping up

With the numbers of AR users hitting 200 million and AR advertising spending on the rise, it is high time for social channels to leverage AR. The technology is catching on at a higher speed, and many big brands are showing interest in the technology. So, if you really want to gain a competitive edge with social media marketing connect with any professional, augmented reality is the trend that you need to keep your eye on.

About the author: Deborah is the “secret” SEO ninja and internet marketer from the very beginning (and sought after by the legendary Corey Rudl and other industry pioneering greats).

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