How to Get the Most Value from Your Google Street View Virtual Tour

Depending on the type of business you run, adding a virtual tour is not simply a matter of having it shot and published by your specialist virtual tour photographer. There are a lot of decisions to be made that will have a big impact on the successful outcome of your virtual tour. Here are example of how you can get the most value from your Google Street View virtual tour.

• Deciding if the virtual tour should or should not be published and hosted using Google Street View

• Whether it warrants or can benefit from being added to your website

• Whether it should have a custom overlay to add additional functionality

• If you’re a multi-location business, how to approach all your locations as a setTo help you with all of these and more decisions, I’ve put together a preparation document that I think you’ll find beneficial.

In fact, you’ll likely find that the principles in this article will likely apply to many other situations where commercial photography or video is being captured for your business.Of course this is not an exhaustive list but rather a guide. So with that in mind, let’s start with understanding what you want.

Understanding Your Needs for a Successful Virtual Tour  

When it comes to investing in a Google Street View virtual tour for your business, it’s important to ensure you get the most value and return on your investment. As an experienced virtual tour provider, I’ve found that the key to a successful virtual tour lies in understanding your specific needs and goals.If you have multiple stakeholders or people you already work with that will be involved in the successful launch and use of your virtual tour, it’s always good to bring them into the conversation. You don’t want to have things go wrong because something that should have been considered, was forgotten.Examples of people to bring into the conversation include:

• Your internal marketing manager or team members

• Your web developer and website maintenance team

• Your social media marketing team

• Your operations manager (especially for coordination of the shoot day)

• If you use a business coach or marketing coach, they’ll likely play a pivotal role too

Anyone else that could impact the success of adding a virtual tour to your businessAs you’ll see in the next section, this is where I get involved. As much as practical, I prefer to go to the site first. In some instances, pre-planning can be done remotely as long as we have all the right information in place.

Conducting a Site Visit  

The first step to getting an accurate and valuable estimate for your virtual tour is to schedule a site visit. During this visit, I’ll walk through your space with you or your marketing manager to get a clear understanding of what you’re looking to achieve. This allows me to assess factors like the size of your location, the complexity of the layout, and any unique features or challenges that need to be addressed.By taking the time to understand your space and your vision, I can provide a tailored quote that accurately reflects the work required to bring your virtual tour to life. This collaborative approach ensures that we’re on the same page from the start, and that the final product meets your expectations.

Preparing Your Space for the Virtual Tour  

Before we even begin the photo shoot for your virtual tour, it’s important to ensure your space is properly prepared. This includes:

• Thoroughly cleaning and decluttering the areas that will be captured. We want your space to look its absolute best.
• Considering any people who may appear in the virtual tour. Make sure you have the necessary permissions and releases in place for anyone who will be visible.
• Reviewing your branding, signage, and decor to ensure it’s up-to-date and consistent throughout the space. This will help maintain the longevity of your virtual tour.
• Thinking about the timing of the photo shoot. If your business has peak hours or is affected by the weather, we’ll want to schedule the shoot accordingly to capture your space at its best.
• Providing clear guidance on any staff members or uniforms that should or should not be included in the virtual tour.By taking the time to prepare your space properly, we can ensure the final virtual tour accurately and attractively represents your business, while also maximising its long-term usability.
• Planning for Success  

Once we’ve agreed on the scope of the project, it’s important to consider how you’ll use the virtual tour to achieve your business goals. Many clients under-utilise their virtual tours, missing out on the full potential of this powerful marketing tool.During our consultation, I’ll work with you to develop a plan for maximising the impact of your virtual tour. This may include:

Integrating the Tour into Your Website  

Ensuring the virtual tour is prominently displayed and easy to access on your website is crucial. I can provide guidance on the best way to embed the tour and optimise it for search engine visibility.This is particularly important if you have an overlay on your virtual tour. We’ll want to work with your website manager or developer to ensure best practices are applied in positioning the virtual tour in context. Ensuring it works well on desktop and mobile devices and even thinking about times where your virtual tour is used as a ‘kiosk mode’ for way-finding.

Screenshot of virtual tour embed on The Foundry CoWork’s website

Promoting the Tour on Social Media  

Sharing your virtual tour on social media platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn can help drive traffic and engagement with your business. I can offer tips on creating compelling social media content to leverage your virtual tour.For example, imagine gamifying your virtual tour by adding hidden content and special offers, or providing platform specific special offers. When leveraging your virtual tour on social media, it’s important to work with your marketing specialist and any influencers you may also be working with.

Leveraging the Tour for Lead Generation and Sales Conversions  

By strategically placing calls-to-action within the virtual tour, you can capture valuable leads from interested customers. I can work with you to identify the best opportunities for lead generation and conversion. These calls-to-action include learn more, book now, buy now & more.This is one of the areas in the virtual tour that can organically change without affecting the underlying 360° photos and navigation. This means we’ll want to stay in touch over time, so planning for that is important too. Here’s an example of how 360° tours should be optimised

Screenshot

Analysing Performance  

Tracking the performance of your virtual tour is essential for understanding its impact and identifying areas for improvement. I can provide insights and analytics to help you measure the success of your virtual tour and make data-driven decisions.I normally encourage you to use your own Google Analytics and other tools but there are a few additions you can request that could help you gauge what’s working and what can be improved upon.

So did you get the most value from your Google Street View Virtual Tour?

Investing in a Google Street View virtual tour, especially one that has an augmented reality overlay, can be a powerful way to showcase your business and attract new customers.By working closely with me to understand your needs and develop a comprehensive plan for success, you can ensure that your virtual tour delivers maximum value and helps you achieve your business goals. this is how you get the most value from your Google Street View Virtual Tour. So it all starts by asking yourself this basic question… “What do you want people to see?”