Augmented Reality in Social Media Marketing

When scrolling through social media, you may have probably seen impressive digital effects. It could be a fun filter on Snapchat, playing with a cool AR effect on TikTok, or trying on makeup through Instagram. In recent years, augmented reality, a.k.a. AR has become a part of social media, and marketers are using it increasingly to garner more attention. Businesses of all sizes are using it for various purposes, and it has become a popular tool in the world of social media marketing. 

It is greatly affecting how brands engage with their audience and boost their sales in many creative ways. In this post, we talk about how augmented reality is shaking up social media marketing. We will explore the history of AR and how it is helping brands connect with their audience. We also offer helpful tips on how you can leverage this technology for your business along the way. So, let’s get started!

What is Augmented Reality?

The idea of being able to merge the digital world with our real one may seem futuristic to most. However, this is exactly what augmented reality does! It augments your real-world environment with digital elements such as graphics, videos, or sounds.

Instead of immersing you completely in a digital world as virtual reality does, augmented reality overlays digital content on top of what you are already seeing through a device, like a smartphone, tablet, or smart glasses. 

For the average user, it is easy to get lost in the magic of augmented reality. Be it virtual try-ons or interactive face filters on Snapchat, augmented reality has the power to completely change the way we interact with different forms of digital content. Then, we have social media! With the advent of so many AR tools and applications, a brand can now give interactive, immersive experiences to users with just a simple swipe or a tap.

History of Augmented Reality in Social Media

The journey of augmented reality in social media marketing began to take off in 2015 when Snapchat introduced Lenses. This feature allowed users to add fun effects to their selfies. The face filters introduced on the platform were a huge hit and turned Snapchat into a fun and creative space where users could express themselves through different animated effects and have fun with the process. Soon, platforms like Facebook and Instagram also took notice of this and began experimenting with augmented reality tools to improve their user experience. 

By 2017, both Facebook and Instagram had introduced their AR filters, which allowed brands to create custom effects and reach out to wider audiences. TikTok also joined the trend a bit later and incorporated AR into its user-generated content in the form of various filters and interactive effects. This evolution of augmented reality on social media made way for an explosion of a plethora of creative marketing opportunities. 

According to a report by Statista, in 2022, around 50 million people in the U.S. were using augmented reality on social media regularly, a number that increased from 43.7 million in 2020 and continues to grow. 

Today, augmented reality is no longer merely a fun gimmick; it is a marketing tool that allows brands to engage with their audiences in a personalized and interactive way. 

How Does Augmented Reality Help in Social Media Marketing

You may be wondering how augmented reality helps businesses on social media. As it turns out, there is more to AR than just some playful and fun filters. Let’s look at how this technology is facilitating social media marketing. 

Boosting Engagement

We all know how challenging it can be to get noticed on social media. But AR offers something that most regular posts and ads cannot—an immersive experience. AR quickly grabs attention by enabling users to interact with content. Whether it is a fun filter, a product try-on, or a branded effect, AR keeps people engaged for longer periods, which is exactly what every marketer and brand wants.

For instance, AR filters and lenses on Snapchat and Instagram are highly shareable. People love to create content with AR effects and share it with their friends. This organic sharing then helps increase your brand visibility and reach. The more users engage with your content, the more likely they are to remember your brand and eventually make a purchase.

Creating Memorable Brand Experiences

Think about the last time you interacted with social media. Was it a standard video or a static image? If yes, it might not have been quite memorable. Now consider that you are interacting with a 3D object like placing a product in your home or trying on a dress or a pair of sunglasses via your phone, it can be quite an immersive experience and way more memorable and impactful.

When you incorporate AR into your social media strategy, you give your audience a unique and interactive experience that enables them to connect with your brand on a deeper level. For instance, beauty brands like Sephora use AR to let their customers try on makeup virtually before they decide to buy. This improves the overall experience and helps the customer to make an informed purchase decision. 

Improving Customer Decision-Making

If you have ever hesitated to buy a product online because you could not first try it on or touch it, you are not the only one. Many shoppers feel the same way and would rather prefer to buy from a brick-and-mortar facility. Then, there are those who love the experience of going into a store to try things before they buy. 

However, AR is changing all that as it allows the customers to try before they buy. With AR, you can give your prospective customers the chance to try clothes, see how makeup looks on their faces, or even visualize how a furniture item would look in their home. 

One example of this is Instagram. The platform is even testing an AR feature for ads that lets users do just that. The AR shopping feature allows users to see how products will look in real life before they make a purchase. This eliminates guesswork and makes users feel more confident about their purchase. 

This technology, hence, makes the decision-making process much easier and less stressful. It helps improve conversion rates and fewer abandoned carts. 

If you run a business, adding augmented reality to your social media ads might be the game-changer you need. In fact, by 2022, AR ads were predicted to rake in around $13 billion a year. This is pretty impressive, right?

Increasing Impulse Buying

We have all done it—clicked “buy” on something we never planned on buying in the first place! This is impulse buying, and it happens more often than you think. In 2018, a study from CreditCards.com showed that 80% of young people made an impulse purchase online during the previous year. With the increasing trend of online shopping, we can imagine where the figures stand presently. Now, this is where AR comes in to turn that merely browsing moment into a sale.

With AR, things get real quite literally, removing any doubts you may have. For instance, you see a stylish sofa online and think it looks great but probably out of your budget, or you may be unsure about how it would look in your space. Enters AR—the sofa appears in your living room, right on your screen, and suddenly, it all looks very nice and not so out of reach. So, if you are selling something, AR can help push those impulse buys and drive up your sales. 

Personalized and Targeted Marketing

One of the biggest advantages of AR in social media marketing is its ability to offer personalized experiences. Using AR, you can tailor your marketing efforts to meet the needs and preferences of individual users so you can make more targeted content. 

For instance, brands can use AR to offer personalized recommendations like virtual try-ons or custom filters according to an individual's preference or their unique style. 

Encouraging Social Sharing

If there is one thing that drives social media, it is sharing. People generally love to share fun and interactive content with their friends and followers. Augmented reality filters and effects are perfect for this. 

When users try your branded augmented reality filter or an interactive experience, they are likely to share it with their network, thereby giving your brand more organic exposure. This kind of sharing often goes viral and helps spread your message far beyond your initial audience.

Events and Brand Launches on Social Media

Launching a new product or promoting an event can feel quite daunting, particularly if you are trying to create demand without a strong basis of social proof. This is particularly true if you are a new brand or it is the start of your campaign when social proof is usually hard to come by. Augmented reality can be quite helpful in such an instance. 

AR helps you bring a product or experience to life before it is even available in stores. You can offer people a virtual experience of the product or event and build excitement and anticipation long before the official launch.

The good thing about AR is that it is interactive and scalable, which can be very helpful for brand activation. Unlike conventional marketing methods, AR offers an immersive and engaging experience that can grab the audience's attention and keep them engaged. AR is also versatile, as you can easily adapt AR experiences to fit different markets by changing elements like visuals, messaging, or themes to suit different regional preferences or cultural differences. This flexibility makes AR an ideal tool for worldwide or multi-market campaigns. 

Moreover, you can also integrate AR into your in-store promotions or digital marketing efforts. Whether it is an interactive AR experience in a retail store or a fun filter on social media, adding AR to your campaign will amplify its effect and increase engagement too. 

Sharing Exclusive Content with AR

Everyone loves to feel special, and one way to make your audience feel special on social media is with exclusive content. You can offer your customers access to something unique that is not available to all to create a sense of exclusivity and offer value that encourages more engagement. It could be a sneak peek of a new product, a limited-time offer, or anything that builds excitement.

When you add AR into the mix, you can greatly add to that experience. For instance, you can give your customers a chance to interact with a product virtually before it even exists in the real world. This kind of exclusive experience makes them feel like they are getting special seats to a preview or VIP treatment. It is a great way to build anticipation ahead of the official launch.

AR-based exclusive content is not only great for getting the audience excited, it may also help you gather valuable data and insights. As users interact with the AR experience, you can track their preferences, engagement, and behaviors. This data can help refine your marketing strategy and ensure that you are targeting the right audience with the right message. With this data, you can better understand customer preferences, which may help guide your future product launches or marketing campaigns. 

Some Examples of Augmented Reality in Social Media Marketing

Still not convinced about what augmented reality can do for your business? Earlier, we mentioned how Sephora is using AR to help customers try makeup virtually before they buy. Here are some more examples of brands that are doing it right with augmented reality:

Taco Bell’s Snapchat Filter

Taco Bell took AR marketing to the next level with its custom Snapchat filter. The filter would turn the users’ faces into tacos, complete with Taco Bell’s logo. This fun filter quickly went viral as people shared their Taco Bell-inspired selfies all over the platform. This was a simple but very creative use of augmented reality that helped generate quite a lot of buzz and increased brand awareness significantly. 

Sephora’s Virtual Artist

Sephora’s Virtual Artist is a prime example of how AR can enhance the shopping experience. Through this augmented reality tool, customers can upload a selfie and virtually try on makeup products like eyeshadow or lipsticks. This interactive feature makes the shopping experience quite fun and also helps customers visualize how products will look on them before they decide to buy. 

Domino’s Pizza Filter

Domino's, at one point, created a fun AR filter on Instagram that allowed users to add a slice of pizza to their photos. The filter featured the brand’s logo, thereby ensuring brand recall while engaging people with a playful experience. This campaign helped boost engagement greatly and increased Domino’s brand visibility. 

TikTok’s AR Effects

TikTok’s AR effects are a major part of the platform's creative content. These effects range from face filters to interactive stickers and background changes. These effects enable users to add their personal touch to the videos they make, which then increases the chances of their content going viral. As a brand, you can also collaborate with influencers or users to create custom AR effects that help promote your products, services, or campaigns.

The Future of Augmented Reality in Social Media Marketing

Augmented reality is only going to get bigger and better when it comes to social media marketing. Many brands have already realized its potential and have integrated it into their strategy. Meanwhile, many others are following suit and exploring ways to incorporate it into their social media marketing efforts.

As augmented reality technology continues to evolve, we can expect more brands to adopt this innovative tool for engaging their audience in new and creative ways. With the advent of AR shopping features and interactive experiences, we are entering an era where social media will no longer just be a platform for browsing or shopping. We can expect to see it becoming a space for fully immersive yet personalized brand interactions.

Final Thoughts

There is no denying that augmented reality is changing the way we experience social media. Be it boosting brand engagement or creating an immersive brand experience, augmented reality offers you many possibilities. 

Whether you want to use augmented reality to promote your product or service, engage with your audience in a better way, or build greater brand loyalty, this technology is quickly becoming a rather essential part of any social media marketing. It is up to you to choose to ignore it and lag behind or ride the wave and leverage it to facilitate and improve your social media marketing efforts.

As you think about using augmented reality for your social media campaigns, do remember that creativity is highly important. The more fun, engaging, and interactive your augmented reality-based content is, the more likely it is to be received well by your audience. So, start today! Explore the world of augmented reality, experiment with it, and watch your brand jump ahead and stand apart from the rest in the digital space.