We believe so and for a number of good reasons. In today’s blog post we will outline some of the ways in which having a 3D virtual tour can provide a fantastic return on investment to smaller, local businesses.

Local SEO, Behavioral Signaling & The 3D Virtual Tour Effect

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as the name suggests, involves optimizing your businesses digital footprint, so that search engines such as Google, display and prioritize your business to people searching relevant terms.  Most business owners, be they smaller or larger enterprises, understand the importance of being visible to their customers online but a large number still employ no local SEO strategy. This is reasonably unsurprising, as SEO sometimes seems something of a “dark art” with actual results being not black and white, and taking a minimum of three months to show. However, recent updates in Google’s analytic tools, such as Google My Business (GMB) pages, are making ‘understanding how your business is performing’ in SEO terms, much simpler and easier. Businesses who have embraced these tools have been able to gain real insight and valuable knowledge, as to how to be more’ visible’ (and therefore accessible) than their competitors.

Local SEO is an effective way to market your business online. It helps businesses promote their products and services to local customers at the exact time they’re looking for them.

Google determines a business’s search ranking through a variety of factors – one of the more important of these factors are behavioral signals. Behavioral signals produce data that help Google understand what characteristics of a business to focus on, and how to better match them to users searching online. For example, through information gathered via click through rates (CTR), mobile searches, online check-ins and other data, Google will understand that someone searching ‘where can I get a coffee?’ will want to see the closer proximity coffee shops at the top of their search results.

So, how does a 3D virtual tour impact behavioural signals to improve local SEO?

As with all things SEO, the answer is a complex one. To help explain how 3D virtual tours impact behavioral signaling, I will continue with the coffee shop scenario:

When someone searches in Google for a place to get a coffee, they are presented with search results consisting of the Google My Business (GMB) pages of cafés in the local area. If a local café has a virtual tour linked to it’s GMB page, the person searching will be able to click on an image & explore the Café. As virtual tours are proven to triple the amount of time someone interacts with a business, Google will understand that people are spending longer looking at this Café compared with the competitors, so will then improve the Café’s local SEO ranking. This has also proven to have a direct effect on increasing bookings, as Google offers a ‘contact now’ button, and so those interacting with the virtual tour are able to express interest directly, without having to go to a different page and are more likely to do so, as they have spent time looking around the tour and immersing themselves within the premises.

This is an overly simplified example as to how, by having a 3D virtual tour, it will help a business provide behavioural signalling data, and is by no means the only way of using a 3D virtual tour to improve local SEO. Google’s algorithms are complex and intelligent and having this type of interactive and engaging content benefits local SEO rankings in a variety of ways

3D Virtual Tours Encourage Interaction And Engagement

Providing digital content that generates high levels of engagement is one of the most important and cost effective ways that a business of any size can connect with it’s customers, with each new comment, like and share, opening the possibility of a new network of potential consumers being exposed to your brand. This is especially vital for local businesses, who may not have large budgets to churn out a huge amount of hit or miss media, and instead must focus on key pieces of impactful content that ensure a high return on investment.

3D virtual tours are a perfect tool to display other media

As mentioned at the start of this post, 3D virtual tours are a new technology that provide an interactive experience for the end user. Due to the interactive nature of the content, having a 3D virtual tour embedded on a website has proven to triple the amount of time a user spends on that page, and the longer a visitor interacts with a businesses website, the more likely they are to connect with that business and convert into a new customer.

3D virtual tours can also act as a hub for a business’s other multimedia and sales content, with interactive data-points offering the opportunity to embed video, text, images, music and hyperlinks into the 3D space, creating a 3D “virtual library” of content that an end user can explore.

They’re a completely new form of immersive 3D media that invites you to explore a place as if you were really there.

Besides being embedded on a website and acting as a hub for other media, 3D virtual tours also offer the opportunity to create a potentially limitless amount of content with hi resolution snapshots taken of, or in the space that can be shared across social media or added into print media designs. A range of impressive video content can also be created using the 3D virtual tour, from video walkthroughs that would usually require a videographer to visit the business to “God’s eye” overviews of the 3D model, this level of impressive video content can be a powerful way to generate traffic and showcase a brand when distributed across platforms such as Facebook and Youtube.

To find out more about how a 3D virtual tour can provide a good return on investment for your business, and how much they cost, the process & how we can support you, send us a message here

Quote 01 – Bright Local

Quote 02 – Matterport

The post Marketing for small business that gives return on investment, a virtual tour is the way to go. appeared first on Scene3D.

So how can you make sure that you really maximise the potential value in your home and speed up the sales process? We looked at how some of the top local property investors and agents prepare their homes before being photographed, put on the market & viewed by potential buyers.

Make Sure The Home Is Clutter Free But Still Has Some Personality

After living in a property for some time it is normal to accumulate an assortment of all kinds of junk, especially if it is a family home. So clearing away items that usually cover kitchen sides, living room carpets & children’s bedrooms not only showcases the available space of the property in much clearer way, it also offers potential buyers a semi blank canvas to then imagine turning into their own home. Sheffield’s pro sellers will even go as far as to remove bulky pieces of furniture and replace them with smaller more lightweight items to help key rooms appear bigger.

People need to be able to envisage what the property would look like if they were living there

However, it is possible to go too far and turn what was once a warm and inviting family home into feeling like South Yorkshire’s most drab and soulless bed and breakfast. So don’t be afraid to leave some personal touches around the house that help the property feel lived in, if nothing else this will help spur the imaginations of less creative potential buyers. Fresh flowers or a fruit bowl displayed in key parts of the house such as the kitchen are an easy way to inject some life into a property.

Little details can make a big difference

Sell The Lifestyle As Well As The Home

One of the greatest assets available when selling a property in South Yorkshire, is the abundance of cultural history available. Finding out some information about local museums, heritage sites and attractions along with recommendations of nearby delis, restaurants and cafés can help a potential buyer picture the life they could lead by living in your property.

Understanding more about the wider area in general is also another great way to showcase the benefits of a home beyond it’s four walls and roof. For example, Sheffield has recently been voted one of the happiest places to work in the UK thanks to the range of tech, sport, green, cultural and research businesses that have set up centres in the city.

South Yorkshire also boasts the peak district, arguably the most beautiful national park in the north. With its range of walking trails, country pubs, scenic roads and climbing routes, the peak district offers something for all those looking to move to Sheffield and being located in a relatively close proximity to this stunning natural landscape is an asset that Sheffield’s top property sellers are keen to highlight. Some will even make sure to have photographs or paintings of the peak district around a property as a talking point and organic way of bringing this into conversation while showing potential buyers around during a viewing.

Make The Outside Is As Nice As The Inside

The first “real life” impression of your property a potential buyer will have is the walk up to the property, so ensuring that your home is looking as attractive as possible will give a powerfully positive first reaction. Top agents in Sheffield strongly recommend trimming back unruly vines & plants, cutting the grass, killing weeds and giving any outside furniture a wipe to help present an idyllic picture. Giving windows a good clean, both inside and out, will not only make the property look nicer from the outside but will also help more natural light enter the home.

Help give your home the best first impression

Present Your Home Correctly Online

With the majority of potential home buyers starting their property search online it is now more important than ever to make sure that your home is displayed properly on property portals and agency websites.

The first and arguably most important part to get right are photographs of the property, images taken on your smartphone will not do the property justice. Make sure to use a high quality camera with a wide angle lense that will make each room appear as large as possible. Lighting also requires careful consideration, ensure the property appears flooded with natural light by opening all blinds & curtains. One of Sheffield’s pro agents claims he will even replace bulbs in lamps to bulbs that simulate natural light in an attempt to make a property appear as open and breezy as possible.

With more than 98 percent of buyers clicking on to the internet to search for their new homes, the first few seconds’ viewing has become make or break.

It is also very important to make sure that your property has a well written and in depth description highlighting key features, important considerations & surrounding attractions that may not be visible with still images. This will not only answer many potential home buyer’s questions prior to any viewings but will also help your property “rank” better on property portals.
Some of South Yorkshire’s best property investors & sellers will employ the use of a 3D virtual tour as a powerful way to properly display their properties to a digital audience. 3D virtual tours allow a potential buyer to explore the property, room by room, from a smartphone, tablet or computer (read more about virtual tours click here). This type of content has been proven to substantially decrease the amount of time a property spends on the market, although do often require an additional cost.

Quote 01 – Home Owners Alliance

Quote 02 – The Telegraph

The post Add more value to your estate agent portfolio with innovative virtual tour marketing. appeared first on Scene3D.