We build VR applications that make our clients successful. They use the applications we develop to win new business, and showcase their products, ideas and services. How do they do it? Below are 6 ways you can use virtual reality to win new business. But first, an obligatory call to action, just in case you want to cut to the chase and get us started on your VR experience. 😉
At a Pitch
Every industry is different, but everyone knows the importance of ‘the pitch.’ There’s inevitably a high stakes moment when you’re trying to win a new project, or close a big sale, when you need every advantage you can muster.
Bringing virtual reality to the table is like having a magic wand that captivates attention and showcases your work in an unforgettable and engaging way that wins new business.
The truth is, if you consider how fast VR is gaining momentum, there’s a decent chance your competition is already using VR, and getting better at it with each new project. If they aren’t now, they probably will be soon. If you can put a pair of goggles on a potential client and give them an amazing experience they won’t soon forget, you’ll invariably enjoy a competitive advantage.
If you’re selling a product, you can show that product in a unique and engaging way. This is particularly useful if you sell very large products that aren’t easily transported, or very complex products that are difficult to explain. In either case, you can use virtual reality to show off your product to great effect.
Once we have your product ported into VR, we can animate it, or we can slice it in half to show what the inside looks like. We can create highly realistic environments to showcase it. We can make the product huge so you can walk around inside of it. We can show what it would look like in the context of where it will be used or installed. We can incorporate a multi-player element to it with Immerse Collaborative that enables you to join your client in the VR experience, where you can give them a personal guided tour.
The possibilities are limitless; quite literally anything you can imagine. The bottom line is, if you can bring this type of experience to your big pitch, you’ll enjoy a competitive advantage and help win the project or sell the product.
At the Office
Many of our clients necessarily bring potential buyers or customers to their office. In this case, it often works well to have a VR Experience Station set up in the lobby, where visitors can enjoy the virtual experience. This can be the same application you bring to the pitch, such that you can effectively double-up on the value of your VR application by making use of it in multiple destinations. You might even advertise this capability, and invite potential customers to stop by your office to try out VR for the first time.
At a Trade Show
We’ve created quite a few virtual reality experiences that were used very successfully at trade show booths. This is a great way to attract a crowd to your booth, and engage potential customers. In a setting like this, you obviously want to do anything you can to differentiate your product from the rest. Even as VR experiences become increasingly common, if you can offer a truly fun and engaging experience, it will attract people to your booth.
As a Free Download
Depending on your client or customer profile, you may be able to gain some traction by offering a free download of your virtual reality application that anyone can access. People who own VR hardware are still looking for cool content to explore, and with a unique experience, you can generate some buzz this way – especially as consumer VR hardware hits the market over the next several months. There are lots of different strategies around what type of content would be interesting to this demographic, and how you can design a virtual experience that will attract downloads, but if you can design a compelling enough experience, this method has potential.
As a Give Away
Google Cardboard wins here. We’ve created VR experiences where the client is giving away free Google Cardboards. The advantage here is, people are more inclined to take it back to their home or office to share with their friends and family. You can even order custom branded Cardboards with your logo and other graphics printed on it to help reinforce your campaign message or product imagery.
To Make a Better Product
This is a largely undiscovered treasure trove of value we can gain from VR. Instead of focusing on it’s use as a way to showcase your final product or design, you can also use VR for r&d toward making better products, designing better buildings, or increasing the efficiency of the same. Immersive visualization holds the potential to significantly improve the efficacy and value of your product or service. For manufacturers or engineers, we can take your Solidworks or Inventor model and bring it into VR to look at it, walk through it, and try it out. If you’re an architect, construction company or real estate developer, we can take transform your Revit, Sketchup, ArchiCAD or any other BIM file and transform it into a VR experience you can inhabit. Use it to find mistakes, discover opportunities, then rinse and repeat until it’s perfect. It’s a lot easier to revise pixels than it is to revise bricks or metal.
To Generate Buzz
I said I’d list 6 ways to use VR to attract new business, but in keeping with the spirit of exceeding expectations, here’s 7. =) It’s worth adding that VR has a significant coolness factor, and it doesn’t take much to build a compelling enough story to attract attention from the press. Many of the applications we’ve developed have helped our client find their way into mainstream press and articles that increase traffic to their website and attract attention to their product or service.
How Will You Use VR to Attract New Business?
We’re here to help. Drop us a line and we’ll get you a free estimate, and as much strategic insight as you care to hear. We’ve successfully delivered more enterprise VR application than any other studio, and have the experience it takes to create truly compelling and useful VR experiences that will make you successful.
