When the pandemic hit, it felt like the world stopped for a lot of people. Given that there are travel restrictions in place as well as in terms of socializing. But even though those have eased up a bit in some places, a considerable amount of people still continue to self-isolate and practice social distancing. And for good reason, because the virus is still very much around and vaccines have yet to be available.
But then again, most industries are back on business while observing safety measures. Real estate industry for that matter is one that didn’t let the pandemic put a damper on their business. Properties are still moving despite how everything and everyone else is taking a pause. They managed to do that by adapting to change and being flexible in times of crisis. They were able to increase buyer confidence and hold open houses and showing by utilizing technology like 3D Matterport tours.
When you combine creativity with the proper technology and the right marketing team, you’ll find that your business can actually thrive as the industry doubles down on online efforts! You’d even notice that more buyers expect to see 3D Matterport virtual tours now when they’re looking at property listings. In fact, more than half of the people who participated in a survey by Google—specifically 67% of respondents, appreciate virtual tours and want more businesses to include 360° photos and virtual tours on their websites. And another research done by the National Association of Realtors presented shocking statistics that a little over half of the buyers won’t even consider checking the property unless it has virtual images.
This is not only because of the convenience it provides but as well as the feeling of being protected that it gives. After all, they’re able to join in open houses and showing without the health risks that come from physically visiting the property. So for real estate agencies that adapted to this, they’re not only helping potential clients feel safe while doing business with them, they’ve also managed to get ahead of other companies who have not done the same thing already.
Aside from impressing current customers, there are ways to spread the word better so that it can reach more people who could turn into clients in the future. Here are some tips that will help you efficiently promote your virtual tours online.
Make Sure Your 3D Matterport Tours Are On Your Website Too
It’s not enough that you put the virtual tours to promote your listings. You have to put it on your website as well so that when online shoppers find your listing and decide to check your website, they can retake the virtual tour on it too. This makes people stay longer on your page which is great because it lessens your pages’ bounce rate. Aside from that because virtual tours are fun, it reinforces the same mood whenever a viewer sees your page or your listings which then makes people remember your brand more.
And with your bounce rate drop, user engagement and site visit duration increases which all leads to higher search engine ranking. The more search engines see how informative your content which your customers enjoy, the more they give you credit and elevates your query rankings among your competitors. This makes it easier for people to discover you online. It would even be better to research and implement tools that will allow you to track website activity to really get an idea of how your page is doing, what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. Installing Google Analytics into your site is a great way to get started!
Share The Tour On Social Media
Let social media do the heavy lifting for you! We all know the power of social media today. With an eye-catching virtual tour, more people will like it and start spreading it around their family and friends. This means, again, more traffic for your website and improved ranking in search results.
Keep in mind that virtual tours are interactive 3D spaces that you can’t upload on YouTube or the same platform. But, what you can do with such platforms is upload a video property tour and then share the link to the 3D virtual tour on the description box. You can also post mini video clips and GIFs of your 3D virtual tours on your social media as previews or teasers to get your followers curious and excited to see the rest of your Matterport tour. As your views increase, so is the chance of your property getting sold.
Add Your Virtual Tours On Your MLS
Since you have a great and effective tool to catch consumers’ attention, then make sure you make the most out of it. You can do that by including them on your MLS along with your professional quality images and catchy description.
Not all listings have a 3D Matterport tour, so this is a good way to stand out from those. Since the general public will most likely continue to self-isolate, they would appreciate it if realtors make it easier for them to check out properties online as if they’re actually there. That’s what 3D Matterport tours are great for, not to mention driving them to start imagining themselves owning and living in one of those houses. People are sold before they even see the property in person!
