Virtual tours are still the best interactive way for businesses and organizations to market or show the facility they have to offer online 24 hours a day. Video has become more and more popular but file size, cost of production, quality and difficult interaction are hurdles many web searchers are faced with. Virtual tour photography and software have improved over the years, providing great representation of not only real estate property for sale but can also be used to market meeting space for rent, points of interest in a community, Parade of Homes or Showcase of Homes, hospital facilities, vocational schools, recreational sites, etc. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Here are some key points to consider when choosing a virtual tour photography service:
- Download Speed – As with all web media, people have no patience. The virtual tour must load quickly or your prospect may leave the page.
- Ease of Navigation & Full Screen Capability – Navigation should include zoom in, zoom out, left, right, up, down & full screen capability. Many more functions are available today but these basics should be present.
- Window Views – Many virtual tours are photographed with only the interior light in mind, leaving the window view as a bright white light. Techniques today allow for the exterior to show through, helping to entice a client to the property.
- Copyright & Royalty Free Photography – Make sure there are no monthly or yearly hosting fees. The files should be able to be embedded to your own web site, eliminating the need for future costs.
- 360 Degree Photography – Many companies call their still photos, slideshows and videos, virtual tours. None of these allow the prospective client to “tour” the room as well as actual 360 degree virtual tours.
These are the main points to consider when deciding on marketing your facility with virtual tours. This photography has been around for some time now with varying degrees of quality. Some are even higher quality than most images on the web but keep in mind file size to load to a screen. If you have seen poor quality virtual tours in the past, try viewing some more recent examples. The quality and applications have greatly improved.
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Wayne Sturm is the Owner and Virtual Tour Photographer at Alaskarama.com and mobile marketing specialist and developer at MobilePlusLocal.com.








Making a mistake on a business blog may not ruin the company or business, but it can certainly be a waste of valuable resources, and leave potential consumers with a bad taste in their mouths. Most of the following errors are fairly common sense, but hey, when did your common sense fail you last?
from authoritative sites as good as a personal reference.
