Whether you’re starting your business, or you would like to see further development and customer interest. Your business needs a virtual tour. Virtual tours not only drive customers to your business; they help people find where you’re located and paint a perfect image of the environment. So that they know that your business is the right choice for them. Read on to learn the major benefits of 360 virtual tours for Australian businesses.
What is a Virtual Tour?
First up, what exactly is a Virtual Tour? A 360º Virtual Tour starts with a single 360º panoramic image from inside a business. Online it looks a bit like a photo, except you can easily spin that photo around to look in any direction.
Within that 360º image are links to more 360º panoramas of the same space, from all the other angles. If you want to see what’s behind a door, simply click in the doorway. You are transported into the next room.
The entire tour will take you to every location that the business wants to be publicly visible. Along the way are information points called mattertags. They can contain text, images & even video to add details about items along the tour.
At Pitch Visuals we specialise in providing Matterport 3D Virtual Tours in Australia. Matterport are the worlds leading creators of 3D Virtual Tour camera solutions.
1. Why Customers Prefer a 360º Virtual Tour Over a Marketing Video
Virtual tours are self-guided, which means that your customers choose their own adventure through your business. They learn what they want to learn by exploring your space. And for that reason, studies show they want to spend more time on your site.
A video is an edited view of your business. Which often feels to a customer like they’re being shown an overly polished version of your space. Whereas with a 360º virtual tour you feel like you’re inside the space & seeing it entirely. It gives your clients and customers extra confidence in your business. As they can see from the inside how your business operates and gain insight into your workflow. With a regular video you can’t create the same level of empathy.
Virtual Tours are Fully Immersive
Virtual tours are fully immersive. With a virtual tour, your customers feel like they’re in your business, looking around and understanding how your departments fit together. In a picture, you just see it. In a 3D tour, you get a virtual experience of it.
As I mentioned, Virtual Tours allow us to use mattertags. Which display pop-out information about the areas or items they’re seeing. As though you were there with them explaining all the key insights about your business.
2. A Virtual Tour in Australia Increases Your Chances of Being Seen
What better way to market your Australian business than to showcase it? This is your brand! A project you’ve put a great deal of time and effort into. A 3D virtual tour will ensure that each of your potential customers are taken on a grand tour of your entire business. So they can see it entirely from the comfort of their armchair.
A 3D virtual tour provides a level of convenience and accessibility that other marketing methods can’t match. Prospective customers can tour your business from the comfort of their own armchair, and at their own pace. This can be especially appealing for customers who are short on time. Or who are researching multiple businesses and don’t want to waste time visiting each one in person. With a virtual tour, they can quickly and easily see what your business has to offer and make a decision on whether to visit in person. This can lead to increased engagement and conversions, as customers are more likely to visit your business or make a purchase after experiencing it through a virtual tour. Overall, a 3D virtual tour for your Australian business is an excellent way to attract more customers and showcase your business.
3. Virtual Tours Build Trust
If trust is created by demonstrating openness & transparency then the best way to build trust would be to show all your customers through your physical business. But that can be impractical, and time consuming. A 360º tour is the next best thing.
In fact it’s arguably a better option for building trus. Because people get to see your entire space & take in all the important learning points in their own time. At their own pace. Without feeling like they’re being marketed to.
A Unique Experience
A virtual tour offers a unique and immersive experience for prospective customers. Unlike traditional advertising methods such as brochures or photos. Virtual tours allow customers to explore and interact with your business in a way that feels real. This can be especially powerful for businesses that have a physical location. As customers can walk through your space and get a feel for what it’s like to be there. By providing this level of interaction, virtual tours can help build trust and credibility with prospective customers.
The trust that customers build with a virtual tour can be even more powerful than with traditional advertising methods. When people see something with their own eyes, they are more likely to believe it and trust it. This is why virtual tours are such a powerful tool for businesses. By giving customers the ability to experience your business, you are allowing them to form their own opinions and build trust. And do it in a way that is not possible through traditional advertising methods. This can lead to increased engagement and conversions. Ss customers are more likely to visit your business in person or make a purchase after experiencing it through a virtual tour.
4. Visual Marketing Draws The Customers Attention
People love looking at visuals. They’re intriguing. Images encourage your audience to stay on your site, which means they’re more likely to make a purchase. If your business has visual appeal, then a 3D virtual tour is not an opportunity to be missed. All marketing messages need to keep people connected to your brand. Great visual content helps your audience remember what they’ve learned.
4. A Virtual Tour Will Enhance Your SEO
Google themselves published research (https://imagineerconsulting.io/virtual-property-tours/google-statistics-prove-virtual-tours-boost-seo-search-rankings/) showing that virtual tours boost SEO search rankings.
One of the most crucial SEO metrics that Google Analytics tracks is average Time On Page. 360º Virtual Tours are fascinating to people & they’re easy to use. But they take time to explore an entire space. For this reason, people spend a lot more time on a website if there’s a virtual tour to keep them exploring.
Extended Time On Page
According to Markitors.com, the top 25% of websites have an average ‘Time On Page’ almost twice as long as the bottom 25%. Also 360º photos convert viewers to customers 20% more than they do for standard photos.
We also recommend adding your Virtual Tour to your Google My Business listing. As well as your home page. A Google Virtual Tour looks just like your average 360º Virtual Tour except it’s embedded into your Google My Business account.
5. Virtual Tours For Any Business
Your virtual tour will be a digital representation of your business’s physical space. By creating a virtual tour, you’ll be able to give prospective customers an immersive experience of your business. From the comfort of their own device. This can be especially useful for businesses that have a physical location. Such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and more. With a virtual tour, potential customers can get a feel for your business’s atmosphere and layout before they even step foot inside.
Additional Benefits
Having a virtual tour on your website can provide many benefits for your business. For one, it can help increase the visibility of your business. As it can be easily found through online searches. Additionally, virtual tours can help build trust and credibility with prospective customers. Seeing a virtual representation of your business can give them a sense of security and confidence in your business. As they can see for themselves what it looks like and what it has to offer.
Convenient for Customers
Another advantage of virtual tours is their convenience. People are often short on time, and they don’t want to waste it visiting multiple businesses just to find the right one. With a virtual tour, they can quickly and easily see what your business has to offer. And make a decision on whether to visit in person. This can save them time and increase the chances of them visiting your business. As they already have a good understanding of what it’s like. Overall, virtual tours are an excellent way to showcase your business and attract more customers.
6. What Businesses Benefit From A 360º Tour?
In reality, all businesses with a physical space can benefit from showing their place to the public using a 360º visual tour.
Here are just a few examples.
- Virtual tours of travel and tourism. Virtual tours attract people to their desired destination because they get a taste of what it’s like to visit where they’re travelling.
- Virtual tours in childcare centres. Parents can get a sense of the area and whether it’s suitable for their child to play and interact in a calm, relaxed environment.
- Virtual tours in restaurants and retail. Many times the environment is as important to the customer as the products or cuisine respectively. The immersive nature of a virtual tour gives people a much better sense of the experience they might have. Building their expectations.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that all businesses will benefit from a 360º virtual tour. As long as your business has a physical location. Then people will be able to understand your business before they even walk in the door. This creates confidence and trust for customers. It allows them to get a head start by visualising for themselves what it will be like to be your customer. Before they’ve even been through the front door.
Reach out to Pitch Visuals to give yourself a competitive edge and stand out from the crowd while saving time and money!
Feel free to call Craig directly to discuss your photography needs or get a fast quote. You can also send an email, complete a quote request form below, or view Craig’s Portfolios.