It’s still very early days in the metaverse. In fact, if you’re reading this now, in March 2022, you’re very early to the metaverse and NFT train – so no need for FOMO. While it’s a term being thrown around everywhere, very few of us really know what it means or how it will change our brand to consumer interaction. Let’s unpack that.
Think of the metaverse, for now, as a future-state vision. It’s a belief that the web is evolving into a single, connected global community that’s more experiential, more immersive, and more decentralised.
This version of the Metaverse doesn’t exist just yet. It’s coming, but today we have a bunch of super-hyped but disconnected digital worlds that seem more like games and playgrounds which the metaverse will eventually become. These spaces are where Megan Thee Stallion and Little Nas X are hosting live streams, for example.
In terms of branding in the metaverse, it isn’t as common as one may think. The secret to succeeding in this new digital world is to treat it just like the physical world. Start every exploration and play-session with a problem. Ask yourself, what’s the problem that most needs solving for my customers or for my business? When you look at the metaverse through the eyes of a real person with real problems, you’ll see possibilities to do things for customers you’ve never been able to do before.
The same goes for developing a community in the Web3 space. It’s similar to building a following on social media; you follow pages, you DM for advice and you connect person to person on individual and group levels. The point is, ideas and experiments will be based on delivering real value to people through the unique capabilities of the immersive web, and not – like many metaverse concepts today – just technical solutions in search of a reason to exist.
The beauty with the metaverse is that it’s early days which means you have time to test and prototype. Deploy small, fast, self-directed design teams to experiment and build out possible solutions to your problem. Test them with customers and try to prove your hypothesis. Most importantly – go fast. No team is always right. So it’s always better to be wrong quickly. That way you can move to the next experiment without wasting any more time.
Finally, remember that when it comes to Web 3, community is everything. Identify and work with partners who are also experimenting in the space. Build on each other’s ideas and see where the adventure takes you. You’re not alone in this. Everyone is trying to find their way in this crazy new virtual world – and the adventure is often more rewarding together.
