Have you started thinking about marketing for the metaverse? It’s not as far away as it seems.
What’s the metaverse again?
The easiest description of the metaverse is that it’s a virtual shared space where people are represented through virtual avatars. These spaces are open-ended and expand as users join. Their purpose is to combine the virtual with reality.
Per the Influencer Marketing Hub, a few of the Key Characteristics of Metaverses, outlined by Matthew Ball, are that they are always active, exist in real-time, players have individual agency, they are self-contained and fully functioning universes, a mix of different platforms, and they have user-generated content (UGC).
Knowing and understanding what the Metaverse is and what it’s capable of will give digital marketers a leg up. The first thing to recognize is which target markets are expected to use the metaverse. Millennials and Gen Zers currently use games like Roblox and virtual reality technology making them the expected users although that may change over time.
Below are some ideas Influencer laid out explaining what some brands are currently doing.
Parallel Marketing
Simply expand what you’re already doing in the real world to the metaverse. As an example, the beer brand Stella Artois is known to sponsor horse races so they partnered with Zed Run to create a platform where the user can trade, race, and breed NFT virtual horses.
Immersive Experience
Of course, you can consider virtual billboards, but you can also use that as a touchpoint for an interactive experience. “We have seen early movers offer immersive experiences to their users such as a Lil Nas X concert in Roblox, the Gucci Garden experience visits, and the virtual rendition of the Washington Heights neighborhood as part of Warner Bros.’ promotion of In the Heights.” Creating a more engaging brand is key for the metaverse advertising experience.
Collectibles
People love to create collections of things and your business can take part. One idea is to make limited-edition items only available in the Metaverse. The Gucci Garden Experience is twofold. One part experience and the other part collectible. The Roblox blog announced, “The Gucci Garden experience on Roblox is divided into themed rooms, where visitors can immerse themselves into Michele’s creative vision and his multifarious inspirations, and share the captivating experience of the exhibition with their friends.” Once you complete the experience you can then purchase from the gift shop featuring exclusive limited-edition avatar items inspired by Gucci’s archetypal campaigns. The Gucci Garden Experience hits on two touchpoints, the immersive experience, and the collectibles.
Engage with Communities
Influencer recommends partnering with the Roblox developer community or other such creators on the platform to give your business a better chance at a positive reception.
Whatever your strategy is don’t sleep on getting started. Because the metaverse is a new platform without generally established rules, there’s lots of wiggle room to experiment with your method and perfect it over time.
