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A website is a great tool for any vacation home, bed and breakfast and inn. You can bring in potential visitors to the site and get them interested in staying with you.
There is all kinds of technology you can use to enhance your website to entice more visitors to choose you when they visit your city.
One of the tools that can have a positive impact compared to others in virtual tour technology.
Take Website Visitors On A Virtual Tour Of Your Property
You’ve probably seen virtual tours before. They’re common on real estate websites. People interested in buying a home can click on the virtual tour and walk through the house from the comforts of their desk or couch.
For you, virtual tour technology gives you the ability to further sell potential customers on the idea of staying with you.
Great text and descriptions can work wonders. Photos add to the effect, but a virtual tour puts the person right in the house. They can see all the various nooks and crannies and they can imagine themselves right there.
Using Photographs To Create Virtual Tours
There are a variety of options for virtual tour technology. One of the first steps many businesses take is to use the existing photos they have along with some additional photos to create the tour.
The technology stitches your photos together and allows the user to choose where they want to go in the property.
For example, you can take photos of various angles and perspectives in your bed and breakfast. The virtual tour will be organized based on each room in the home. The user can take themselves through the entire house looking at all the angles you provide for each room.
It gives them a more three-dimensional view that they wouldn’t get with just a few photos.
To add to the experience you have panoramic photography, which is available on most phones today. You can take photos in 180 degrees and sometimes more. This creates the feeling for the user that they’re standing in one spot and getting to turn their head to view the entire room.
Using Video For Virtual Tours
Some tourism businesses are taking virtual tours to the next level with video. Some are using the now-popular GoPro cameras to take potential customers on a virtual tour. You can strap a camera on your head and walk through the entire property commenting on all the aspects.
You don’t need to wear a silly camera on your head, however, to create a good virtual tour with video. You can take a series of videos with a video camera or even with your phone. Then you can use virtual tour software to turn the videos into one video your website visitors can watch.
A Few Last Tips On Virtual Tours
Talk to a few of your current or past customers. Ask them what their favorite aspects of your place are and focus on those for your first virtual tour. You can show all the areas of your location, but to start focus on the things that really stand out with past customers.
You can take photos and videos yourself, but if you don’t have time or if you’re worried about quality then it’s worth it to have a professional do it for you. You can often find a freelance specialist that can work cheaper than an agency.
Have a videographer or marketing agency help with getting the virtual tour setup. They may also be able to help with the editing of the tour. You might be able to do it yourself, but you’ll want the editing to be well done including any voiceovers, music, etc.
A virtual tour can be a great addition to your tourism website. It can really sell your potential customers on choosing you for their stay.
Image: Christy Bright
