It’s 2022, people thought we’d have flying cars and teleportation by now! Unfortunately, we don’t have that quite yet, but we still have some incredible technology that you can use for your business.
Virtual tours have been around for some time now, but it’s really just starting to catch on and create conversions in just the past few years for business owners. You see, videos, still photos, etc are great for promoting your business, but that’s what the average business owner is doing in your niche.
You don’t want to be an average business…right? That’s what we thought!
Why Virtual Tours Elevate Marketing
We’ll discuss why virtual tours can elevate your marketing strategy to attract new prospects and seamlessly turn them into customers before your very eyes.
The Stats to Back It Up
Like Chris Vasilakis talked about in his interview with Entrepreneur, virtual tours for businesses are more popular now than ever! Businesses of all kinds are resorting to virtual tours to show off their restaurant, retail store, airbnb property, gym, school, etc.
We’ve compiled some stats to show you just how popular these tours are:
- Customers aged 18 to 34 are 130% more likely to book a place if there is a virtual tour.
- 50% of adult users on the internet rely on virtual tours in their research and decision-making process.
- Customers spend 5 to 10 times more on websites with virtual tours.
- 67% of people want more businesses to offer virtual tours.
There you have it, virtual tours are absolutely crushing it right now.
Best Platforms to Post Your Tour On
For many entrepreneurs out there, once you have your virtual tour already created, posting your virtual tour to the website seems like a no-brainer, right? But where else do you post this magical piece of content? Here are some other cool places to post this epic new lead machine:
- Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, you can embed and share your virtual tour on all your social media platforms to consistently elevate your brand.
- Newsletter – Inform your most loyal followers about your new incredible marketing tool so they can spread the word to get you more referrals!
- Ads – Instead of boring text and mundane video, spice up your digital advertising by embedding your virtual tour as the advertisement itself.
- Google My Business – Other than your website, this is the most important platform to post the virtual tour on. Google is prioritizing these 360 tours to help you rank higher for your niche keywords to get you more calls and clicks!
High-quality content matters for your business, but don’t just take it from me. Take it from Jessica Wong, who wrote this incredible piece on why you should only invest in content that is going to give you a solid return on your marketing dollars!
Tell Your Story to Drive Emotion
You create customers when they:
- Like you
- Trust you
- Believe in your product
In order to do this, you need to let your future customers know who you are and where you come from, your story of how you came to be!
Believe it or not, but people care more about the person they’re doing business with, rather than the product itself. Let that sink in. The best partnerships come from a great product, and even greater people!
You can showcase your story inside of the virtual tour. The building, artwork, staff, etc, use all of it to your advantage to tell your story and build trust immediately. If you can drive people to your website, social media, etc and have them buy into your brand from the get go, then you’re on your way to getting more hot leads from your virtual tour.
At the end of the day, we’re dealing with human beings, not robots! Emotion will always build a deeper connection to people than statistics, albeit they’re important as well.
Dr. Greenberg posted an incredible article talking about brands and stories, you can read that one here after this one!
Pay Once, Earn Unlimited Leads
One of the best things about using virtual tours for your business is that it only requires paying one-time for the shooting, and that’s it! Sure, maybe there’s an annual hosting fee that gets paid once a year at the most, but other than that it’s just a one-time thing!
You’re saving so much time and money on getting a virtual tour to create an emotional trigger in people so they like and trust you, rather than spend it on something else such as Google ads that you’ll have to continually pay for. You can also include descriptive tags and voice overs to further show off your brand’s story, creating even more of a presence that people will want to follow.
Moral of the story, if you haven’t gotten a virtual tour for your business yet, it’s time to take a look at getting one. They’ll only continue to get more popular as time goes on! So do your business a favor, google your nearest virtual tour company, and invest in this digital asset today!
Frequently Asked Questions about 360 Photography for Marketing
What is 360 photography and how does it benefit businesses?
360 photography creates immersive virtual tours that allow potential customers to explore a business’s premises online. This technology can elevate marketing strategies by attracting new prospects and increasing conversions.
Are virtual tours effective in attracting younger demographics?
Yes, customers aged 18 to 34 are 130% more likely to book a place if there is a virtual tour available.
How do virtual tours impact customer decision-making?
Approximately 50% of adult internet users rely on virtual tours in their research and decision-making process, indicating their significant influence.
Can virtual tours lead to increased customer spending?
Customers tend to spend 5 to 10 times more on websites that feature virtual tours, suggesting a positive correlation with higher spending.
Where are the best places to post a virtual tour for maximum visibility?
Beyond a business’s website, virtual tours can be effectively posted on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), in newsletters, as digital advertisements, and most importantly, on Google My Business to improve local search rankings.
What is the long-term cost-effectiveness of using virtual tours for marketing?
Virtual tours offer a one-time payment for the shooting, with potential annual hosting fees. This is often more cost-effective than continually paying for other forms of advertising like Google Ads, providing unlimited lead generation potential over time.
