It has been said often, but the COVID-19 crisis has affected us in nearly every way. One big way that we are affected is through in-person shopping or business in general. This highly infectious disease has exposed the need for change in the shopping industry. It has shown us how effective virtual tours can be for various types of businesses. This informative post will walk you through what a virtual tour is, why you should have one, and some benefits of utilizing one.
What is a virtual tour?
A virtual, or online, tour is a 360-degree image of a store or other business that allows a customer to virtually “walk” through their store via smart device. A virtual tour also allows customers to stop when they please and take a long look at different items because the tour does not have a time limit. This can be very helpful for highlighting the most important features of your business. A virtual tour is also an essential part of a fully optimized Google My Business listing, which can make or break your local business.
A virtual tour is composed of numerous panoramic images that are edited together to flow smoothly. Depending on the size of the store or space, it may take over 100 panorama images to create a tour for an entire store. This type of tour is not a new concept, having been around for years now. It has gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic for its amazing benefits for businesses of all types. That all may sound great, but you are probably wondering how to get an online tour for your business.
How to get a virtual tour
There are various ways to get a virtual tour for your business. Fortunately, Focused Engagement creates amazing online tours that will have a positive effect on your business. Visit our informative virtual tours page to learn more about our services and contact us here. We have examples of online tours that we have done and would be happy to discuss them with you.
Benefits
Believe it or not, an effective virtual tour may be the last thing standing in the way of long-term success for your local business. Here are some of the benefits of a virtual tour for you to consider before making your decision.
Improves your local SEO
Local search engine optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of an efficient online presence for a local business. Granted, it does take a while before you start to see results from a local SEO campaign. According to a case study completed by a company in Montreal, a virtual tour can help increase your organic search results quickly as well as raise your local SEO profile. You can get featured in the “local pack” results for local businesses and gain more customers if you have a virtual tour. Learn more about the importance of local SEO here and the outstanding and effective local SEO services we offer.
Saves money and time
A huge benefit of virtual tours is the return on investment (ROI) that they provide. Virtual tours are fairly cheap to have created and have the ability to bring numerous new customers, and sales, to your business. By hiring out to professionals rather than creating your own online tour, you are supporting another local business and allowing them to create extraordinary work that will benefit you for a long time.
Customization
As mentioned earlier in the blog post, customization is key for customer engagement. With a virtual tour, a potential customer can go at their own pace throughout your store and zoom in on specific things as they please. They can ponder what you offer and think of questions on the spot, something that may be harder with an in-person tour if they feel pressured, nervous, or anxious. You can also take their suggestions for your online tour into account and make necessary changes.
Shareable
Social media is of the utmost importance these days, and an online tour can also help improve your social media. Virtual tours are easily shareable on the various platforms and allow your tour to reach many more potential customers. You can also reshare your virtual tour multiple times as you make updates to it in order to draw more customers in.
Visual information keeps attention
While some people enjoy reading walls of text on webpages, a lot of others do not. You can combat this by including more visual content, especially a virtual tour, on your website. This visual content can provide as much information as a webpage with paragraphs of text. The added interaction potential of a virtual tour can keep potential customers locked in and curious about what you have to offer.
Conclusion
If you have not caught on yet, you absolutely need a virtual tour for your business. The positive effects they can have for you are numerous as this is not a comprehensive list. Try out a virtual tour and you are certain to see an increase in virtual engagement, in-person traffic, and impressions. Take advantage of our virtual tour and local SEO services today and get your local business on the right path to succeeding!