3 tricks to help make your virtual tour shine

The impact of digital technology on the daily workflow of a real estate agent continues to grow. Virtual tours are one of the most valuable digital tools agents can use to market a property.

According to a 2022 report by the National Association of Realtors, nearly 40% of home buyers found virtual tours very useful when looking for properties online and a top 10 tool agents use to market homes. In its most recent Consumer Housing Trends Report, Zillow found that 60% of sellers say that a virtual tour is very or extremely important for marketing their homes.

Today's virtual tours are created with automated software tools and marketing platforms, making them ubiquitous: they look and feel the same. And while 3D immersive tours with floor plans give potential buyers greater insight into the home's features and layout, it doesn't provide context: how the property may be different or better than others listed for sale.

If you want your virtual tours to stand out from the competition and increase potential buyer engagement, there are a few things you can do to create context about each property you list for sale.

3 Tricks That Can Make Your Virtual Tour Stand Out

1. Add Captions

In this era of silent auto-play videos on social media, captions are not merely an add-on but a necessity. The mute start feature of social media videos makes it essential for your virtual tour to have captions – your viewers should understand the essence of your tour even without the audio.

This simple addition has a two-fold benefit. First, it ensures that your message reaches even those viewers who cannot turn on the audio, maybe because they are in a public place or a quiet environment. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it makes your content more inclusive.

There are some 48 million Americans who have disabling hearing loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By adding captions, you instantly make your tours accessible to this significant demographic, thereby broadening your reach. You also create videos compliant with state and federal regulations by providing comprehensive captioning.

Research also shows that captioning videos improves audience comprehension. A national study conducted with Oregon State University found that 98.6 percent of students said captions were helpful overall, and 52 percent said they were helping specifically by improving comprehension.

Moreover, captions offer a way to highlight a property's unique selling points. The spacious living room, the Italian marble in the bathroom, the view from the bedroom – all these details can be emphasized through well-written captions, making your property more appealing.

2. Provide Neighborhood Context

Buying a house is not just about the building itself; it's about the entire community and the amenities that come with it. Prospective buyers want to understand the new environment they might be moving into. Video that can put a property in perspective can give the listing a better context.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by using drone footage in your virtual tour to showcase the neighborhood. This can be one of the most effective strategies for making virtual tours more comprehensive and engaging. From the house's proximity to local parks, schools, libraries, and shopping centers, to its location concerning major roads and transportation hubs – all these can be showcased spectacularly via drone footage.

Nearly every professional real estate photographer offers drone video and image capture as an add-on at a reasonable fee.

Imagine your viewers looking at the property from above, realizing how close their potential new home is to a community dog park or a top-rated school. It could be the deal sealer, adding an extra dimension to your property's appeal that still photographs simply cannot capture.

3. Tell a Story

Every home has a story, a history that makes it unique. Traditional property listings with just photos and descriptions often fail to convey this story effectively. However, with a virtual tour, you have a unique opportunity to tell the story of the home and make your listing more engaging and memorable.

Perhaps the house was built by a prominent local builder, the neighborhood was established by a group of artists in the 1960s, or maybe the home was the first in the area to have a certain architectural feature. Including such details in your virtual tour adds a narrative element that helps your listing stand apart.

Even better, by using storytelling, you create an emotional connection between the viewers and the property. Potential buyers start imagining themselves as a part of the home's story, picturing their lives unfolding in those spaces. And that can be a powerful motivator for potential buyers.

Make your tours unique

Each of these three strategies to help make your virtual tours stand out can work independently – or combined. The goal is to make your virtual tours more engaging, comprehensive, and memorable.

By adding captions, you make your content more accessible and ensure that your key selling points are not missed. Using drone footage, you provide a broader context of the property, showcasing its connection with the local community. And by telling a home's unique story, you engage viewers emotionally, making your listing more appealing and memorable.

Making your virtual tours unique can be one of the best ways to engage more sellers and your listings faster.

Remember, if you need help with any of the tools or software you are using to create virtual tours and have any technical challenges, Tech Helpline can help. Analysts are available by chat on their app (Apple or Google) or just an email or phone call away.

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• 3 stand-out video hacks: making videos that get clicks!
• 5 common tech mistakes real estate agents should avoid

To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.