Virtual reality is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of the media industry with brands globally investing heavily in creating various forms of virtual reality content including both standalone VR apps, 360 videos, and other interactive VR media.
Overtime the number of VR devices and even smartphones that can plan VR media has drastically increased to the point where brands are finding the ROI is becoming heavily positive to create VR media, which is MUCH more interactive and engaging than basically any other form of marketing content.
Building a closer connection and spending more time with a brand is the major goal of VR, VR content can also be incredibly creative which means that users are highly likely to share or recommend it to friends.
While some forms of virtual reality can be quite expensive, the level of engagement for full on virtual reality interactive experiences is well worth it for many brands. Small businesses and local businesses can opt to use 360 videos as a more cost-effective option that still will be very engaging and vastly ahead of nearly anything your competitors would likely have.
Here are some of the top ways to use virtual reality in marketing in 2020!
1. Trade shows and Expos
If you want to have the absolute top booth and be the talk of the show, a VR experience is near mandatory. Many of the larger tradeshows we’ve been to have a handful of VR content from brands. These booths always have a huge line and numerous people waiting to try the VR experience. This content can be anything from game like experiences custom built or 360 videos detailing case studies, products, or as a 360 branding video.
2. New Products or Services
Making a VR experience to show off a new product or service will garner more engagement than nearly any other form of product promotion. You can use a combination of live-action and CGI components to put together an incredible promo.
3. Live Events
Using 360 equipment to capture an event such as a concert, race, press release day etc, is one of the easiest ways to near guarantee that everyone there will watch and share the content after. 360 videos of this type can be quite simple or very complex and long. If your brand was a sponsor at an event, this is another great way to share how important your participation was. By creating a 360 video of how your brand was apart of the event, you’ll keep an audience much more engaged than with standard media.
4. Travel
If your brand travels or is working on location at a unique spot whether a mountain, new factory, new logistics center, or office, making a 360 video is the most real, and life like the location will possible be without actually being there. You can create a video to share with potential customers, employees or stakeholders to really let them get a feel, in a very memorable way, for the new location! Often brands will make fun travel 360 videos as well for social media or web use.
5. Automotive
Capturing new vehicles driving, in a dealership or on a test drive is really fun with 360 video production and VR. Mercedes has been a leading example of using 360 content to promote new model launches. Smaller dealerships and automotive groups can also leverage more basic 360 video production to create promotional content. Again, whether filmed on a racetrack, open roads, off-road course or simply driving through town, we guarantee your viewership will be higher than any normal piece of content you’ve created.
6. Hospitality
Give your customers a virtual visit with a 360 video of your hotel, restaurant or inn. You can put travelers in the experience and atmosphere of your business using 360 videos to show a walkthrough of facility highlights. Using a combination of live-action footage and CGI graphics, and optionally a voice over, you can provide a very detailed tour of what their next trip or meal will be like!
7. Real Estate, home improvement and Architecture
360 videos are the absolute most effective type of media content to show off interior or exterior space and design. Particularly when you can provide a viewer VR headsets like an oculus, you can legitimately give them a very realistic feel for the layout of a building or landscaping project. This is perfect for larger real estate, construction and design projects, let your design sell itself! For smaller real estate projects and building sales, creating 360 video walkthrough are a great way to let a customer fall in love with a property before ever setting foot inside.
8. Medical VR Video Production
We’ve worked on numerous VR projects related to the medical industry. These can be all sorts of content, whether showing off a new facility, a new treatment or provide a first hand preview of what treatment will be like for patients, helping to alleviate any apprehension they might have and answering any questions they might have.
9. Sports
VR has become an increasingly popular way to show off and promote sporting events, with 360 promo highlight reels, putting you where the action happens! For venues or event sports event promoters, using VR is another way to get a much deeper level of engagement from your audience.
10.Education
Educators are also turning to virtual reality video production and virtual reality experiences as a way to better engage with students. Particularly during the covid19 pandemic, remote learning is incredibly important to a huge number of students. For some schools and firms, virtual reality has become much more important than ever to better teach and help students grasp the material.
So how much does virtual reality cost in 2020?
The short answer is that it depends heavily on what you want to create. A more basic 360 video that is shorter and uses limited graphics can be under ten thousand dollars, while an interactive virtual reality experience can be over 100k, with content generally falling in the middle. We’ve worked with clients that had a specific budget requirement to maximize the level of content for that budget.
If you are interested in how your brand can use virtual reality, get in touch for a no-obligation, completely free consultation! Volan Media is a top Knoxville tennesse virtual reality production agency and 360 video production company that has made hundreds of pieces of content with numerous ADDY awards. Our team can help you craft VR and 360 video content that will take your brand to the next level and out-compete your competitors!
Volan Media is a video production, augmented and virtual reality, web design and advertising agency for small and large businesses. We’ve worked with companies across the country ranging from tech startups to large automotive franchise groups. Check us HERE.
