How to Use Augmented Reality in Social Media Marketing

The advertising world is jumping into an entirely new reality —  one that embraces AR, treats it like business as usual, and prepares for the metaverse. 

AR… AR… I know what that is, pretty much, I mean not totally, but I’d know it if I saw it, I think? We did a poll and it turns out, most of you feel more or less like that about augmented reality (AR). You get it, sort of, but also how does it work? 

Let’s face it, the easiest way to understand it, is to see it. Before we get there, though, here is a need to know rundown. 

Augmented reality is an “immersive technology.” These types of technology extend reality to essentially bridge the physical and digital worlds. According to Business Insider, “Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive 3D experience that combines a view of the real world with computer-generated elements.” You can access this view in a number of ways, most commonly through your smartphone or AR goggles.

AR actually isn’t all that new! It was first invented in 1968, but wasn’t widely discussed or experienced until… the summer of 2016. Enter Pokémon Go.  

How did that Squirtle get into your living room? Augmented reality! Things moved quickly from there to the experiences we can now see all around us. In 2022 alone, there are 1.1 billion (with a B) global users of augmented reality, expanding to 1.7 billion by 2024. 

First comes organic, then comes paid! AR is not only a cool way for consumers to engage with your brand virtually, it is also a business opportunity. According to AR Insider, revenue from mobile AR ad placements in the U.S. will grow from an estimated $1.3B in 2020 to a massive $6.7B in 2025. Plus, most social platforms now offer AR as part of their advertising tactics, making it accessible and achievable for all marketers. Take a look!

• Snapchat: The AR gurus. Snapchat’s lenses create immersive AR experiences and are already used by over 200 million Snapchatters every day. They even have them categorized into six categories with specific development, management, and analytical tools available for advertisers to fully customize the Lens experience.

• One of those tools, the Snapchat Lens Web Builder, makes building your own lenses easy. Easy, easy, and we’re not even using that word lightly. Within Snapchat’s ad platform, the tool gives you the power to create AR Lenses, customize templates, add 3D assets, and connect your product catalog with no coding or 3D skills required. It sounds like a trick, but it isn’t! Check out our case study featuring the Lens Web Builder and Ulta Beauty for proof and the remarkable results.

• Meta: Use Meta’s AR camera effects for people to interact with your products by partnering with a producer on Meta’s Spark AR Partner network. Then, create your AR ad in Ads Manager.
  
  

• When someone taps your ad on the mobile feed, a visual overlay tells them how to interact with your product, brand or effect. 

• Include a call to action to encourage them to make a purchase or visit your website to learn more.

• Pinterest: Pinterest AR is doing what Pinterest does best. Their AR Try On technology allows you to manifest your best life through images.  For example, Try On for home décor lets you envision home décor and furniture items in your home and “try before you buy.”

• YouTube AR Try-On 
  
  

• YouTube knows that consumers want to do more than just watch videos. They want to try, while they watch. YouTube’s AR Try-On lets makeup shoppers see trusted faces demonstrate products while trying them on themselves. Paired with a YouTube video, the pre-roll ad allows consumers to “try-on” and easily shop the product after the experience. These Try-On ads are starting with makeup brands only so be on the lookout for way more AR to come from the video powerhouse!

Now that you understand augmented reality, there’s only one thing to do: Add AR into your advertising portfolio! If you embrace AR now, you will be ahead of the game for the future of advertising in the metaverse. Check out a full recap of our event with Meta that teaches you how to do just that, Prepare for the Metaverse Through AR Advertising. 

Plus, Rise’s Paid Social experts are here to make AR advertising more impactful and easy to implement than ever before. Contact us to learn more about how we can help!