May 2022 - Millennium Agency

We are still at the beginning of the metaverse, but all signs are pointing to it being the next big thing in all types of media, including marketing. Will marketing strategies that worked in a traditional market setting still apply in a virtual world? How big is the metaverse market industry? How big will it be in five years? Is it too early for brands to care about the metaverse? Did Snoop Dogg really put out a music video shot in the metaverse? There is a lot more flexibility and room for experimentation in the metaverse than we have on the web. Virtual reality offers new opportunities for marketing that we can explore and experiment with.

As with any technological innovation, there are going to be hurdles for marketers and consumers to overcome. But the potential for brands who are careful about how they establish their presence in the metaverse is massive. However, it is not just about joining the metaverse, but what happens once you are there. For example, does your brand have a loyal following? How engaged are your customers? Does your brand have a story to tell? Is it already leveraging emerging technology like artificial intelligence and voice-enabled service? These are questions that you need to be able to answer before moving forward with marketing in the metaverse.

So, what exactly is the metaverse?

What is the Metaverse?

A metaverse is much more than an “open-world.” It is a virtual world where you can do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone (assuming you have the right avatar). To be clear, the metaverse is not the same as Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality. Both of those technologies add digital content to the real world, either through a screen or a headset. The metaverse is not just the merging of the internet with VR and AR, it is also their union with 3D worlds in general. The concept of building out virtual worlds is not new. However, some recent developments have made it increasingly feasible for marketers to take advantage of this technology.

What do you need for marketing in the metaverse?

While marketers are excited about the possibilities of metaverse marketing, they still need to figure out how best to harness its technologies. If you have no experience with 3D or immersive design, there are many free tools that can get you started:

Tilt Brush by Google is easy to use and allows you to quickly visualize ideas in 3D spaces. It is a good way for designers to explore their creativity without needing any coding knowledge.
Blender is a 3D modeling tool that allows for more complex creations than Tilt Brush but does require some coding knowledge as it uses python scripting language.
Unity not only lets you create your own game worlds and logic but also lets you deploy onto multiple platforms including web, mobile (iOS/Android), Oculus headsets, PlayStation VR, etc., even though it requires programming skills to get started. While Unity has been traditionally used by developers to build games, it is now being used by marketers like Starbucks and Adidas who are looking at creating immersive experiences for their audiences online and offline!

Do I need new skills for marketing in the metaverse?

Does the thought of learning a new skill like 3D design or web development seems daunting? Well, it is not all bad. Can you still be successful as a marketer in the metaverse without knowing how to design 3D worlds? Yes, of course. Will you miss out on a substantial share of the market if you do not understand how to take advantage of these technologies? Again, yes. Innovation means adapting to survive. Remember before the Internet? Traditional marketing, as it is now called, consisted of direct sales, TV, radio, and print advertising such as magazines, coupon books, billboards, catalogs and brochures.

And guess what? All of these marketing methods are still effective and widely used today! But it would be foolish to ignore the power of digital marketing tools available today that were made possible by the Internet, like websites, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, pay-per-click advertising, and email marketing. In the same way that marketers who saw what the Internet meant for the future of marketing adapted by learning how to harness it to connect with their consumers in creative ways, you too must do the same when the metaverse goes into full effect.

How to Prepare Your Brand for Metaverse Marketing

The metaverse will be huge, and we need to start thinking about its marketing potential now. In a few short years, there could be billions of people in the metaverse. Clearly, the size and scope of this market will be huge. But just as with any other marketing opportunity, there are things to consider before you dive in.

The first is where the metaverse should be marketed. There are three major areas where marketing can take place within VR: games (think Fortnite or Minecraft), enterprise and social applications (Facebook Horizon), and ecommerce platforms (VR and AR shopping experiences). Each area has different needs for marketing success and requires a different approach from marketers.

On top of that, a marketer will need to think about:

How their target audience is going to view their brand story within the metaverse
What it might look like inside a game versus on an ecommerce platform
What kind of assets will best represent their brand
How they can use the potential for interactivity to bring audiences closer than ever before

What will it take to be a successful brand in the metaverse?

Start thinking about where customers are going to want your brand. The metaverse may be the Wild West of virtual worlds, but that does not mean that you do not need to create and execute an effective marketing plan for your brand to succeed. Who knows: the metaverse market may not be as mature as more established markets such as real estate or advertising. Yet, there are still opportunities to make money in your own way. Following the latest tips on how to brand in the metaverse will help guide you down the path to becoming successful in your own niche.

Do not sell your brand short. It takes a lot of work to get people to recognize and buy into virtual reality, so you need to be working on brand awareness, spending time perfecting your product or service and continuously innovating to reach the potential of the metaverse. If you do not push forward, you will be left behind by companies who have been working toward success in the metaverse for a while now (hint: those will be some very big brands).

The Metaverse is Coming

The metaverse is quickly becoming a reality, and it is an opportunity for brands to truly stand out. Do not wait for the metaverse to come to you. That way, you will be able to do what others cannot because they did not take the initiative. Stand out among your competitors by developing your strategy now! This way, you will have time to learn more about the culture of virtual reality and get a head start on the competition. Do not wait for VR to become mainstream before you act. In fact, by acting now, you can position yourself as a leader in VR before your competitors even realize there is something to compete over.

Remember: If someone else is already doing something similar to what you want to do, then you should find another niche where no one else has yet gone. Take a good look at a brand you admire. What makes them different from their competition? How do they make themselves unique? These are the kinds of questions you should be asking about your own brand if you want to be ready to grow your business when the metaverse finally arrives.

Where could the metaverse take us?

Marketing in the virtual world is going to be an exciting journey for brands, businesses, and marketers alike. The metaverse is a new platform to reach customers in an exciting new environment. We will get to build from the ground up in unimaginable ways. The upside for advertisers could be massive — but success will only happen if we provide tools that allow people to easily build their own virtual worlds where they can sell products, market events, or whatever else they want. Providing the community with enough creative freedom will be crucial to the effectiveness of the metaverse as a virtual marketplace and more.

The metaverse may take us places we have never been before, offering unprecedented levels of interconnectedness and delivering information (and, by extension, knowledge) instantly. However, the real power of the metaverse will come from the freedom it provides us and the roles we get to play within it. Whether you are an influencer with a devoted following or an author promoting your next book, the metaverse may offer something for you — but it is up to you to discover what that is. Take the initiative and get your brand metaverse market-ready before your competitive edge disappears.

About Millennium Agency

Millennium Agency is a nationally recognized, top woman-led boutique creative branding, storytelling/messaging and digital marketing strategy firm with a passion for accelerating your business growth. By uniting creative branding and data analytics, our expert teams combine your vision with our marketing expertise and methodology to deliver exceptional results. With offices in Boston and New Hampshire, and a worldwide presence, the professionals at Millennium Agency would like to learn more about your business.  Visit www.mill.agency or book time here.

Since it first began shaking things up in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic inspired us as a society to change the ways we interact, but it also sparked changes in the way we consume. As a result, technology companies and their marketing teams are tasked with keeping up with customers and their ever-evolving identities and preferences on how they receive, engage with, and hopefully buy products or services. Luckily, there are three major technology marketing trends that are sure to boost your technology sales in the post-pandemic market that you can follow to stay ahead.

1. Incorporate AI

Your technology marketing strategy most likely already employs some form of artificial intelligence, and in 2022 your company should aim to expand your use of the technology to boost consumer engagement and streamline your customer service. Many consumers are looking for the most pain-free, user-friendly technology and e-commerce experience possible, and utilizing AI to meet this need is sure to boost your technology sales and make your online technology marketing plan successful. One of the most revolutionary ways this can be done is through the introduction of a cross-device compatible virtual assistant that is exclusive to your products, such as Amazon’s Alexa ® or Apple’s Siri ®. The introduction of this multitasker-friendly technology excites customers, and immediately plays into addressing a common, everyday need. Your marketing team can harness the introduction of your virtual assistant by immediately highlighting the convenience and seamlessness that it brings to users’ lives.

On top of the initial introduction of your AI virtual assistant, there are many different avenues you can take as a marketing team when it comes to cohesively incorporating the technology into your overall brand and customer experience. One of the best ways to boost your technology sales, customer service ratings, and your brand’s customer service experience all in one is by integrating your virtual assistant into your website and app platforms, but also by building it into the technology itself. For example, if your technology firm specializes in security system technology, integrating your brand’s virtual assistant allows for more streamlined troubleshooting of the products themselves. Likewise, being able to control the technology with ease using your technology firm’s virtual assistant to conduct basic functions such as powering on and off or engaging certain settings makes your technology instantly more desirable than competitors who have yet to develop and market similar technologies.

In addition to marketing control features using your virtual assistant in your technology, you may want to begin highlighting its other conveniences, such as customer service and troubleshooting. Being able to market your products as being self-reliant enough to troubleshoot and access customer service via virtual assistance without a secondary device will set you apart from your competitors. As a marketing team, you can really emphasize the convenience it brings to your customers, focusing on how much time and energy your technology users can save on product installation, setup, operation, and everything in between.

2. Focus on Customer Customization

Along with increased automation and the use of self-sufficient virtual assistants, the post-pandemic consumer is increasingly more concerned about their safety and privacy while incorporating new technology into their spaces. Positioning your technology firm as being the best of the best when it comes to user privacy and safety can be tricky, and to do so correctly, you must be able to properly identify your customers’ most common and frequent concerns when it comes to your technology

Although technology has been society’s most valuable tool for staying connected and maintaining some form of in-person operation throughout the pandemic, consumers are more concerned about their privacy online than ever. It has been found that 55% of Americans have stopped using a website or technology product due to privacy concerns. To counteract these general privacy concerns with your technology marketing strategy, it is crucial to highlight all of your core privacy and safety features. Depending on the type of technology your firm produces, your users’ security and privacy concerns will vary. If your technology involves any type of monetary transactions, you are going to need to focus on the measures your technology firm takes to protect your users’ financial credentials. Similarly, if your technology is used to transmit sensitive information such as medical or law enforcement records, chances are your customers are going to prioritize their privacy and the security measures against external breaches or hackers that you have in place.

The best place to begin your research into your customer’s main security and privacy concerns is by listening to feedback and comments from your current and previous customers, as well as the inquiries and interests of potential customers. As a technology firm, your marketing team once again has the advantage of being able to integrate their technological marketing research into your products themselves. This can be done by prompting users to take surveys or give feedback within the technology itself which allows your marketing team to gather feedback and inquiries from users in the event of troubleshooting, non-operation, and many other critical moments during its use. The constructive feedback provided by your customers can then be used to better tailor your technology’s privacy and security measures to satisfy your customers’ needs and concerns.

3. Stand Up for a Cause

Aside from the most modern technology and the safest privacy and security measures, most technology customers are looking to contribute to a company that stands up for a cause. Studies have shown that 77% of consumers are more inclined to do business with companies who have pledged commitment to bettering the world in at least one capacity, whether that be on the environmental or social justice front, or one of the many issues local to the communities in which they do business. Similarly, 55% of American consumers believe that it’s important for companies to voice their stance on social, environmental, and political issues – something there is no lack of in the post-pandemic world. As a result, your technology marketing team can make a lasting impact when it comes to incorporating your views and standpoints on key causes.

However, establishing your stance as a technology firm on controversial or highly debated topics can backfire if done so incorrectly. As a company, you must be aware of the line between supporting and bringing awareness to social and environmental issues and their causes, without exploiting the subject for your corporate gain. To stay on the right track when it comes to your technology marketing strategy, it is important to take social issues as seriously as your potential customers do and think beyond the goal of trying to boost your technology sales; do your research and consult topic experts before vocalizing or establishing where you stand on a controversial issue.

In addition to simply establishing your technology firm’s standing and opinions on social and environmental issues and causes, you can also explore partnerships and collaborations with various social and environmental change organizations to aid or support their efforts. This can be done by providing technology to aid their campaigns, financially sponsoring groups or events, and the nature of your partnerships will vary depending on the type of technology your firm deals with.

Moving Forward from the Pandemic

As we move further and further forward from the start of the global pandemic, every industry is looking to innovate and improve their marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition. As a technology firm, incorporating these three key marketing tools into your technology marketing strategy is a surefire way to boost your technology sales and set your tech company apart from the rest. By harnessing and advertising your AI features and highlighting how beneficial they can be to your customers, you are setting a standard of luxury and modernization that clients can only find with your firm. Likewise, another excellent way to engage and retain customer engagement with your technology marketing efforts is by fortifying your privacy and security features and updating them to meet your clients’ evolving concerns and needs. Finally, showing your customers that your firm does good, and plays a part in bettering the community and world around you is a great way to humanize your firm’s values while also giving back in a positive manner. The 2022 consumer is multi-dimensional, and your technology marketing strategy will need to be leveled up to stay current. If you are unsure about the next best step for your technology firm, reach out to an experienced, professional technology marketing agency such as the experts at Millennium Agency.

About Millennium Agency

Millennium Agency is a nationally recognized, top woman led B2B branding, positioning, and digital marketing firm who knows how to create value that emotionally influences your customer’s buying decision, giving you the competitive advantage. As your trusted partner in B2B software technology and manufacturing, we provide the branding and positioning framework that make an impact – so you can focus on what you do best – run your business successfully. With offices in Boston and New Hampshire, and a worldwide presence, the professionals at Millennium Agency would like to learn more about your business.  Visit www.mill.agency or book time here.  

In 2022, consumers seek an experience that is customizable, appealing, and most of all easily accessible. Voice search not only makes technology more accessible to those with disabilities, but also makes the lives of everyday tech users easier. Between laptops, smartphones, tablets, and virtual assistants, voice search is used regularly by over 135 million people in the United States alone. The rise in popularity of voice search can be somewhat credited to the introduction of virtual assistants by tech companies such as Apple’s Siri®, Google’s Google Assistant®, and Amazon’s Alexa®, and their integration into smartphones and smart speakers. Consumers are using voice search to aid their search and browsing habits, and adapting your tech firm’s marketing strategy to integrate voice search marketing tactics is a surefire way to stay ahead of the competition.

Voice Search Marketing

Voice search has taken the marketing world by storm, with 71% of consumers preferring voice search as opposed to typing their query out, which means tech companies are not only tasked with engineering the technology behind the tool, but they must also integrate voice search into their marketing strategies. Voice search can be integrated into your tech firm’s marketing strategy in multiple ways, including launching advertisements and marketing campaigns that are voice search compatible, providing quick customer service via voice interactions, and even altering your SEO strategy to cater to voice searches.

Advertising to Voice Search Users

When consumers are conducting voice searches, their queries are often longer winded, and more detailed than if they were to type. The benefit of this is that you can learn more about your consumer’s needs than you were able to with traditional typed searches. With nearly one-third of U.S. consumers owning at least one smart speaker and over half of those owners using the devices daily – not accounting for smart phones or other devices – your tech company can advertise and market to your audience quickly and in a way that engages them and leaves them curious enough to inquire more.

Conducting advertisements that are voice search compatible is a great way for your tech company to show off your products’ accessibility and compatibility with smart devices. According to Adobe, 38% of consumers who use voice search feel that the voice ads they hear are less intrusive and more engaging than alternative advertisements such as print, TV, or social media. By incorporating voice ads into your tech firm’s voice search marketing strategy, you are going to reach consumers in a more productive way that is more likely to grab their attention and make them curious enough to inquire more. Additionally, you can include interactive features into your voice ad, such as prompts to request specifics about certain technology you offer, product features, and more information about your services. This leaves a call to action for the listener to embrace their curiosity and quickly learn more at their request, without having to do more than utter a few words – even more efficient than at the click of a button.

Refresh Your SEO Practices

Search engine optimization (SEO) aims to improve the frequency and quality of the traffic your website, or certain web pages, receives from search engines. With the rising popularity of voice search, you must rethink your SEO practices to accommodate the style and preferences of the inquiries that are made using technology. For your tech firm, this means providing more detailed key words and incorporating local SEO to accommodate longer searches that are more likely to be location specific and therefore vary amongst voice search consumers.

Although traditional SEO focuses on securing a place on the first page of search engine results for your relevant content, voice search users only receive the top result – or top 3 results at most. This means that your keywords and SEO strategy need to be competitive enough to show up as the top result to all wordings of the question or request it addresses. When constructing your voice search marketing strategy, it is crucial for your tech company to be able to identify and execute a consistent, clear SEO strategy that is refined by analyzing the behavior of voice search using consumers as their needs – and search habits – evolve. Because users tend to ask more detailed or complete questions in their voice searches, you can gain more information and insight into their specific needs and who they are – with sophisticated voice assistant technology being able to gather whether users are male/female, approximate age, and more. All of the information or data you gain from both initial consumer voice searches and their interactions with voice ads or content can then be used to modify and strengthen your tech company’s voice search marketing efforts.

Streamline Customer Service

Voice search is an excellent tool for tech companies to optimize their website analytics and traffic, and it can also revolutionize your customer service abilities. Voice search allows users to ask essentially anything, and provides them with the most accurate answer that can be retrieved from the web. Incorporating voice search into your technology products can help with set-up and maintenance, and incorporating voice search into your customer service strategy can improve brand perception and customer loyalty. Likewise, integrating voice search technology into your company’s website and digital platforms allows for a cohesive customer service method that is consistent throughout your brand.

Focusing on customer service and engagement in your voice search marketing strategy shows your customers that you are accessible and helpful, and able to assist them with customer service requests seamlessly. Tech companies have the advantage of building voice search into their products, which means that customers can access help and other tools at their command, without having to use a secondary device to get the information they need. With the majority of the current consumer market preferring to conduct their searches via voice search, marketing your technology as having audio search and voice assistant features built-in makes your company more innovative and desirable than tech firms who lack voice search marketing and strategies.

Voice search is the future of consumer queries and content engagement when it comes to the technology industry. Tech firms not only focus on engineering the technology that makes voice search possible but must also consider how to successfully incorporate voice search marketing into their current strategies. The integration of voice search automatically makes your business more accessible to those with disabilities or impairments, also revolutionizes the way in which all consumers interact with your company all that it has to offer – content, advertising, customer service, etc. Tech companies can benefit immensely when it comes to a successful voice search marketing strategy, which can be done by taking the time to refresh your advertising and SEO campaigns, while also rethinking how your firm does customer service.

About Millennium Agency

Millennium Agency is a nationally recognized, top woman-led boutique creative branding, storytelling/messaging and digital marketing strategy firm with a passion for accelerating your business growth. By uniting creative branding and data analytics, our expert teams combine your vision with our marketing expertise and methodology to deliver exceptional results. With offices in Boston and New Hampshire, and a worldwide presence, the professionals at Millennium Agency would like to learn more about your business.  Visit www.mill.agency or book time here.