You don’t have to be truly tech savvy to appear as if you are. You and your clients can appear to be “innovative” and help the brand stand out even more with some of the technologies that are moving more mainstream.
Virtual Reality Technology is Bringing the Experience to Your Target
Over the past couple of years Virtual Reality (VR) technology has moved way past the “gamers” use and is an element that can now be branded with a logo and used to help further a marketing message. Not only do the VR headsets themselves brand the company, but the ability to use the VR technology to actually allow a type of “trial” experience is huge.
If you are unfamiliar with the technology, it’s time to learn. First, VR headsets are not expensive (the app you may need to develop can be) and come in a wide variety of styles (cardboard that you hold to your face to fully hands-free plastic options). Basically you are using 3D technology, imagery and sound effects (think those realistic games) and you are transported to the experience.
We have recommended and produced a number of different Virtual Reality (VR) headsets over the last couple of months.
VR Helps Your Brand Stand-Out
One company used them to highlight new innovations at trade shows. They developed the VR app and inserted smartphones into the VR headsets to allow people at the show to experience the new innovations first hand (sort of). They were a huge hit with a line of people waiting at their booth at each show. No one else at the show had this much attention and exposure. They were the talk of the show.
Another company wanted to introduce their newest hotel concept to their employees worldwide. We sent 3,000 VR headsets to all the employees with a note asking them to download the app and watch it at a specific time on a certain day. Talk about a statement to your employees! A great way to make sure all felt valued and included. No whining from remote offices that they weren’t included in the big reveal announcement.
As you can probably see, the possibilities are truly endless for VR technology.
Video Brochures Tell More of the Story to Your Target
Another innovation that’s been around awhile but took great strides forward this year has been the video brochure. If you haven’t seen the new ones you are missing out on a very powerful marketing tool. Video is so much more persuasive than just the written word. It is much more emotional and caters to the brains’ visual and auditory systems. It lets you pick up the nuances of body language, facial expressions and even maybe tap your foot to music. It becomes much more interactive (not so much as VR, but it is effective) than just a printed page.
The videos in brochures used to be very limited in screen size, resolution and the length of the actual video itself. Now, you can do longer videos or even multiple videos on the same screen in the same brochure. And the screen size and resolution has improved as well, making your story even easier to tell (and sell).
Don’t Limit Your Brand Story to Just One Video
I have one client that we are currently producing a video brochure that will be included in all their responses to proposal requests. There will be multiple videos within the brochure. One will have a message from the President, one will detail some of their more innovative product features and one will be testimonials from satisfied clients. They want to stand out in a very crowded proposal field and I can pretty much guarantee they will! Think about it. Instead of reading about how great their products are and seeing static images they will be able to “meet” the president and see the innovative products in use!
Another client is sending video brochures to the media to introduce their new resorts as they open. Talk about being able to stand out a bit more from your more typical emailed press release and getting the attention of a great travel writer. The response so far has been immediate. They are getting requests immediately to do stories on the properties.
Technology Will Continue to Expand Our Branding Opportunities
The technology is improving and will continue to do so where soon you’ll be able to produce the brochure and then upload your own videos on a case by case basis. This will eliminate the need for large scale video shoots. You could be more simplistic and actually use your smartphone. They can also be much more personalized. For instance, you could personalize to the individual receiving the brochure. Now that’s a way to stand out!
Neither of these options are inexpensive, but with the short-term results and the long-term branding appeal I think the return on investment makes them more than worth it.
Check them out!
Danette Gossett is the founder of Gossett Marketing, co-founder of Promotions Rescource LLC and co-author of the best-selling book "Transform" with Brian Tracy. Danette utilizes her more than 30 years of advertising agency and corporate marketing experience to develop effective promotional campaigns and products for her clients. Visit GossettMktg.com or SalesPromo.org and follow us on twitter @MarketngTidbits.