Metaverse Marketing: Strategies and Examples

You’ve probably heard about the metaverse. However, it’s still something so new, that it’s easy to feel confused and don’t understand what’s the fuss about it.

That’s why today we’re going to briefly explain what it is and how you can use it in your digital marketing strategies. Plus, you’ll find plenty of examples to draw inspiration from.

What is the Metaverse?

The speed of technology seems to have increased a lot over the last decades, especially compared to previous centuries.

However, plenty of experts have pointed out that actually, the pace of technology isn’t faster than before. What’s different is the way we interact with technology in our day-to-day lives.

We carry our phones wherever we go, we use them for every aspect of our lives: work, love, health, politics, hobbies. The Internet has become more than just a tool we use, it’s a whole universe and the lines that separate it from “reality” are more blurred than ever.

That’s why now people refer to the Internet as the “metaverse”. It might sound like something from a science fiction movie, and in fact, Wikipedia still defines it as a “fictional world”. But, as we know, science fiction often predicts the future, and we are living in that future right now.

The convergence between artificial intelligence (AI), edge cloud processing, and 5G has allowed augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to mature. Participating in these experiences is now easier and more cost-effective, and it’s what we called the metaverse.

Although Mark Zuckerberg made the word “metaverse” popular last year by changing its company name, the metaverse is bigger than Facebook, of course.

Moreover, it’s important to keep in mind that these connected digital worlds still need some work to do around children’s security and safe spaces for minorities.

Metaverse and SEO

Now that you know what metaverse is, it’s time to use it in your digital marketing strategy.

As we cover multiple times in this blog, an essential part of SEO (Search Engine Automation) is keywords. Facebook understood the assignment by putting the word “meta” in its company name. Every time that you need information about this world, they are the first in the search results.

But of course, besides keywords, there are other ways to optimize your SEO for metaverse.

Use augmented reality

Let people try your product virtually

VinFast E-Scooter did this fantastically on TikTok, where users could “virtually” test their products using a branded effect. We made a post explaining the perks of using this TikTok feature.

Use Snapchat

Snapchat, like TikTok, is very popular among young generations. The app has many tools to help brands engage users:

Free lens builder. It offers an easy, fast way for anyone to build compelling, professional AR Lenses in minutes either through templates with a pre-selected combination of 3D assets or from scratch.

For some inspiration, check out what Prada has been doing. Users can actually use a hands-free try-on to see how various Prada purses would look on them. Inside the lent, they’ll also see the option to shop for that purse at the moment!

Snapchat trends. A web-based tool for advertisers and partners to learn which words and what’s driving buzz for our community of 500 million monthly active users.

Spectacles: The Next Generation. Last year, Snapchat introduced a pair of glasses that bring augmented reality to life. Creators can visit this page and get their spectacles to capture the world. Share your perspective with the hashtag #SnapSpectacles, and Snapchat will feature your content.

Release an NFT

Dolce & Gabbana launched a 9-piece NFT collection during Venice Fashion Week. Buyers of each NFT also received the physical versions of the items, as well as exclusive access to D&G events.

Playboy did the same with 11,953 unique 3D rabbit characters in NFT form that sold out in three minutes. Each NFT came with special perks such as a membership to the Playboy Club and other exclusive benefits.

Establish yourself in the metaverse

Showcase your products in the metaverse

Last month, the fashion industry mimicked New York Fashion Week on Decentraland, a decentralized virtual reality platform. The Fashion Week offered an immersive shopping experience where buying virtual clothing in Decentraland also sees a physical twin shipped for your real wardrobe.

But selling in the metaverse isn’t only for clothes.

Unbelievably, McDonald’s will offer you a virtual restaurant in the metaverse. The idea behind it seems to be the following: Users that are hanging out in the metaverse and get hungry can order food without needing to put down their headset.

Your order will simply arrive at your door a little while later.

Organize a virtual reality event

You can also conduct a VR event in the metaverse. Right now, the best platforms for that are Horizon (a Meta product) or AltspaceVR (owned by Microsoft).

Establish your office space in the metaverse

Very recently, Gorilla Web tactics became the pioneering law firm marketing agency in the metaverse. They help law firms to get found by, for example, running advertisements in the metaverses.

This tactic allows them to increase digital visibility and traffic for law firms around the globe.

Similarly, J.P. Morgan, a banking brand, set up a lounge in Decentraland.

Its monthly active user base?

About 300,000 people and 18,000 daily users.

Remember your old training

The truth is, you don’t have to go insane trying to figure out how exactly to optimize for search engines in the metaverse. At least not if you’re already following Google’s guidelines.

If you have been keeping up to date with our posts on UX signals and Core Web Vitals, you probably count with:

• Fast loading content.
• Secure environments.
• A sitemap.
• Quality content.

All these things will remain important because chances are search engines will evolve to deliver their Metaverse experiences.

Moreover, remember that objects in videos and metaverse spaces can still be incorrectly labeled, so schema markup is very relevant. How exactly to do this is still being discussed but some people point towards structured data markup like the 3DModel schema.

You can always test your final creation using Schema Markup Validator.

Visual analytics

As the metaverse is all about immersive environments, you’ll need to focus on collecting visual analytics. This means rethinking your strategies around recorded eye movement behavior.

Optimize your images

With more images and videos and less text, this part is a must. Keywords will probably be more relevant here, where you can implement them in your alt-text indexations.

For the future:

Snapchat will keep on taking steps towards the metaverse. Vogue Business informed there will be “a new “shop” page where Snapchatters can browse and buy, and a tool called “Screenshop” lets users scan a real-life outfit or upload an image to generate shopping recommendations from integrated catalogs”.

Meanwhile, Apple Glasses, which have been in discussion for over 3 years now, seem to be something we’ll soon see in real life. There isn’t a lot of official information but plenty of rumors have leaked. And it has been suggested that Apple has plans for third-party apps for the glasses and will have a dedicated app store for the same.

Finally, we have come a long way but there’s still a lot ahead. In the far future, we can picture a complete sensory experience for the consumer, including not only visual and voice search but also sensory search.

Mark himself tried some tactile experiments late last year with gloves that let you feel objects in the metaverse!

As for NFTs, experts explain they are about to change how we live, work, and play. There won’t be only art pieces but land deeds, birth certificates, ticket stubs, medical records, certifications of education, and more.

To keep in mind

The metaverse, like everything, has its pros and cons. Meta and other big tech companies would do anything to convince you it’s paradise.

However, not everyone will be into it. And that’s important to remember when considering your target audience.

Moreover, although metaverse is advertised as a cost-effective platform, virtual reality requires a budget, not all companies can afford. Just look at what kind of brands are the first to dive into this world.

You need more technology as well as a new team, a new vision, and a new approach.

What I’m saying is: metaverse is awesome, but before jumping straight to it, make sure it’s the best option for you.

Final words

The metaverse isn’t here yet. This new stage of the Internet is just getting started. But it’s exciting, and I hope some of what we talked about today helped you understand it.

Are your digital marketing strategies already considering metaverse?

Tell me in the comments!