Are Virtual Tours Worth it?

Virtual tours are an excellent way to promote your business or service on Google. But are virtual tours worth it for you?

Find out more about the benefits of virtual tours, the best businesses to invest in a virtual tour, and more here.

Benefits of Virtual Tours

There are a huge number of reasons to invest in VR tours, including the promotion of services, showcasing your facilities to people who would otherwise be unable to view them, and for SEO purposes.

If you are wondering whether virtual tours are worth it for your business, you should consider whether your facilities would benefit from it. For certain sectors it is clear that a virtual tour would be beneficial and worthwhile, such as house tours for real estate companies and tours of educational institutions such as universities.

However, many other industries could benefit from a virtual tour, especially if added to Google Maps. See some key businesses and why VR tours are worth it for them below.

Key Businesses Who Can Benefit from Virtual Tours

Nearly all businesses with a physical location can benefit from a virtual tour, but there are a number of business sectors who commonly invest in virtual tours. These include:

Real Estate

360 virtual house tours are very commonly used to boost house sales and improve customer experience. Investing in house tours on your website can help drive leads interested in houses in the area, especially those from further away who may not be able to visit for a physical house tour.

Virtual tours of homes on the market can also free up your time as less people require an in-person guided tour of properties.

360 cameras such as the Matterport also provide exact room dimensions based on a scan of the room, which is another helpful feature to include on real estate websites.

Education Sector

Educational institutions are key investors of virtual tours, whether it is for high schools, university or college campuses. Having a virtual tour of the facilities available can drive people to pick the facility being marketed over others, especially if they can see first-hand what is on offer.

University facilities can showcase student unions, facilities, lecture halls and student accommodation online via virtual tours, which can be massively beneficial for people abroad or across the country who may be unable to visit in person.

Education and university virtual tours can help more people to consider choosing it over other options, making virtual tours worth it as an investment.

Commercial Gyms

An underrated but key business sector that benefit from a virtual tour are gyms, as this is a service that many people research before deciding to buy a membership.

Often pictures do not accurately show the facilities and space available in gyms, so adding a virtual tour enables potential customers to view exactly what is on offer and the building itself.

Museums and Art Galleries

Museums and art galleries commonly utilise virtual tours to showcase what they have on offer and promote accessibility options.

Virtual tours for this sector are worth it for two reasons – it enables more people to be able to view what is on offer and access the facilities who would otherwise be unable to, and it also promotes the place and increases the potential footfall.

Retail and Hospitality

There is currently more competition than ever in the retail and hospitality market, so standing out amongst local competitors is key to increasing sales.

This is a reason why virtual tours are worth it for retail and hospitality businesses such as restaurants and shops – you can showcase your business and market it effectively through a virtual tour.

Adding a virtual tour to Google Maps will also help people searching for shops nearby to see exactly what you have on offer, making your service stand out.

Tourism and Entertainment

Promotional locations such as tourist and entertainment spots can really benefit from a VR tour. For example, arcades, theatres, and tourist areas can be shown in a virtual tour that can influence people to attend for themselves.

Is a Virtual Tour Worth it for Me?

Virtual tours are worth it for most businesses, but there are a few cases where it may not be beneficial to invest in.

To film a virtual tour, a physical location is required to film. If you are a small business which does not have much space or facilities to promote such as a street stall, a virtual tour would not be worth it for your business. Video production or photography would be best suited for these types of services.

If you are a business that is shortly going to undergo renovations, it is also not worth investing in a virtual tour if the look of your service is going to change. The virtual tour will quickly become outdated and lead to confusion from visitors who have arrived as a result of the VR tour.

If your business location or facilities are not very appealing, it may also not be the best option to market your service via a virtual tour.

Despite these factors, virtual tours are worth it for the vast majority of businesses.

Do Virtual Tours Take a Long Time?

A key consideration when deciding whether to invest in a virtual tour is how long it will take to complete. The time it takes to film a virtual tour depends on the size of the area being filmed and the preparation required for it.

For example, a house tour would take a few hours, whereas a full university tour would take a number of days to complete due to the scale of the project.

If you have a few hours to spare for the filming of a 360 virtual tour, it is definitely worth investing in.

Find Out if a Virtual Tour is Right for You

If you are considering investing in a virtual tour but aren’t sure if it is worth it, get in touch with our team today to learn more and discuss your options.

We can help you find the best method to promote your business, just phone today!