Consumers have more choice than ever before. To make your business stand out online, you need to offer them something truly special.
A walk-through video can be the answer. Here’s what it is and why you should be using it to showcase the best elements of your business.
What is a walk-through video?
A walk-through video is a video tour of your facility or business premises. It allows visitors to your website to virtually enter your business at any time, literally walking them through and showing them everything your business has to offer.
Some of the types of businesses which find walk-through videos most beneficial include:
- Hospitality businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars, wedding venues)
- Medical facilities (doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries, aged care homes)
- Leisure businesses (sports centres, gyms, beauty salons, day spa’s)
- Educational facilities (schools, universities)
- Real estate agents (showcasing property listings)
However, almost any business can benefit from including a walk-through video on their website. Here are some of the reasons why.
1. Walk-through videos add authenticity
When consumers are researching businesses, they want to know they’re buying into something they can trust. Today’s consumers are savvy and cynical – they know that online reviews can be written by the businesses themselves and that photographs can be manipulated to make things look better than they really are.
Video offers more authenticity. Viewers can get a full, 360-degree picture of your business, seeing featured areas and equipment. They can check that restaurant kitchens look clean and medical facilities offer state-of-the-art technology. They can imagine themselves sinking into that comfortable bed in your hotel.
This is how a walk-through video increases consumer trust – it gives a more realistic representation of your business so consumers can imagine themselves there. Here a sample video for Star of The Sea – Residential Aged Care.
2. Video attracts more visitors to your website
Including a walk-through video on your website is a great way of making sure more people become aware of your business. Websites which feature video receive 157 percent more organic traffic from search results than those without.
Additionally, once visitors arrive at your website, they will spend 88 percent longer there if your site includes video. A walk-through video is particularly effective here as many people will want to take the whole tour.
This gives more opportunity for your brand message to sink in, meaning you will be top of mind when that visitor is making a purchase decision related to what you do.
3. Walk-through videos save you time and money
A walk-through video allows people from anywhere in the world to take a tour of your facility, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without having to make an appointment. This is particularly valuable for businesses that deal with international clients, such as hospitality and real estate businesses, but it can benefit any business owner.
The less effort you have to spend marketing your facility in person, the more time you have to perfect your offering, so nobody is disappointed with their real-life experience of your business. Here is a second example video for the Residential Aged Care facility – Corpus Christi.
4. Video is highly mobile-friendly
Currently, over half of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. People are increasingly planning their lives on-the-go, which means your website needs to be as mobile-friendly as possible.
Major life events are increasingly being researched and planned from mobile devices. In Australia, 45 percent of travellers will research and plan an entire holiday using only a mobile device. In addition, approximately 60 percent of brides now do their wedding research on their smartphones.
Including a walk-through video tour on your website can make the difference between you and your competitors when it comes to winning business. It creates aspiration, as people who see and like your facility online will want to visit it in person.
Capturing exterior features
It can also be extremely helpful for bringing in customers from your local area. If someone is looking for a beauty salon or restaurant nearby and they can gain an idea of what you offer before visiting you, this will work in your favour, compared to local competitors who don’t offer virtual tours of their businesses. It’s worth remembering that 78 percent of local mobile searches result in offline purchases.
Find out more about walk-through videos
A professionally-produced walk-through video can be one of your most powerful marketing tools. If you’d like to find out more about this topic, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help you further.
For more details on Rockmans Creative Media start on our home page or contact us to discuss your next video production project.