In many ways, VR and AR are a logical extension of 3D modeling capabilities to serve marketing use cases. Before 3D modeling revolutionized the way products are designed and manufactured, engineers used 2D drawings and physical models for prototyping, but to truly understand the scope and impact of a product — you had to build it. VR and AR are now enabling marketers to gain similar efficiencies by enabling buyers to “experience” products that are expensive to ship, complex to visualize, or just too dangerous to test.

It’s not often that B2B marketers get ahead of our B2C peers in technology innovation and adoption, but that’s clearly the case with VR and AR. While the use of these technologies in B2C is held back by the lack of mass adoption, B2B marketers in a small but growing number of industries have already realized the relatively small incremental expense in VR/AR solutions and headsets is easily offset by a few more closed/won deals.

1. Consider your audience. VR isn’t for every audience, so evaluate your audience first before making the leap. Are they currently using VR? Would they be open to using this technology?
2. Create a “try before you buy” experience. For example, IKEA released an interactive VR kitchen experience in which customers could virtually remodel their kitchen. Using VR, they got a 360-degree view while switching around kitchen colors and styles to truly understand what the finished outcome would look like.
3. Engage your customers in a story. For example, the popular television series “Game of Thrones” created an experience that allows viewers to fully immerse themselves in a VR experience related to the show. Within three hours, the VR video captured over 1.7 million views. So if your brand’s story is highly visual and can include movement, tell it through VR.
4. Create really amazing content. VR offers brands an opportunity to capture attention and engage with their audiences. But to reap the full benefits, you must create amazing content. For example, Tom’s Shoes used VR to highlight the company’s mission. The company created a short, inspirational VR clip that connects customers with a Colombian child who benefited from the purchase of shoes.