Bradenton Virtual Tour Company - How Can A Virtual Tour Benefit Realtors In A Down Economy?

The thought that there are still Realtors out there who have yet to implement a real estate virtual tour and the powerful online marketing tools it provides into their arsenal of Real Estate sales tools has a lot to do with:

1. The misconception of how valuable it is in today's market place
2. What role it plays in the hands of the consumer

So how does a real estate virtual tour benefit both the Realtor and the Client in a down economy? What can it do to help alleviate some of the financial stresses that come with a slow and stagnant economy? Read on and find out how to market your properties online without a huge cost in marketing dollars.

Virtual Tours in Today's Marketplace

There are hundreds of real estate virtual tour providers offering many different solutions. Few understand the marketing aspects of virtual tour technology and many underestimate the value it has for the Realtor. The misconception as a whole is that a virtual tour is just some type of online media. It is much, much more than that. A virtual tour can be any type of media; but, how that media is used to benefit the sale of the home has extremely valuable aspects to it when approached with the right technology and the right tools to market that technology. If you are paying $100-$300 for a virtual tour and it is only distributed to your MLS and Realtor.com, you are missing a huge market of potential buyers outside these practical inclusions and you are paying way too much for your service.

It is no secret that the housing market is rapidly declining. Realtors are not making the commissions they used to and short sales and foreclosures are only paying a very small commission as to what they would normally get. Yet, many Realtors are still dumping thousands into their properties in hopes they will sell. But the hard fact is that most of those marketing and advertising dollars will only pay for so much time in front of the consumer. An ad here or there can quickly add up and the exposure value is very little. Is there a better way? You bet!! Would it be safe to say if 90% of home buyers are shopping online first, maybe that is where you should be directing your efforts? Why would you advertise your products and services in the local newspaper when everyone is looking online, including millions outside your local reach? The only person you are helping is the advertising agent. Now it does make sense to advertise, but maybe it's time to re-think how the rest of the population is thinking. Understand your market and where it is they go to get the information they seek.

Basic observations when considering virtual tour technology and the value it has in the marketplace:

•1. Affordability - Your virtual tour solution does not have to cost a fortune. The average real estate virtual tour should cost around $90-$150 for a good quality tour and hosted for 1-2 years online. It should also have excellent distribution qualities to get maximum exposure.

•2. Functionality - What type of features do you get with your virtual tours? Is there rich media content that is easily accessible? Feature sets are what will keep your potential buyers occupied within your virtual tour. The more features your virtual tour has the more satisfying it will be to the end user. It is a fact that online users are becoming hungrier for rich media content. If your virtual tour provider does not offer real estate virtual tours that are packed with rich media content, it time to look somewhere else.

•3. Informative- Does your virtual tour provider give you the necessary tools to inform potential buyers on all the details of the Realtor and the property? Buyers want data and if your virtual tour does not provide what is desired, you will lose the buyer's interest quickly.

•4. Marketing - Putting your virtual tour on your website or MLS is just the tip of the iceberg. With millions of consumers shopping online everyday, you need to have the tools to put your properties in front of those buyers. A virtual tour with no exposure is a dead tour. It has little reach in the marketplace and the virtual tour holds no great value. Yet, when you combine powerful online distribution tools with your virtual tours, you have opened up a tremendous amount of exposure and the potential to get more interested buyers. Also, combining innovative offline tools to direct traffic to your virtual tours can lighten the cost of traditional adverting and marketing. The focus here is to market your properties online and offline with the intent of driving as much traffic to the property for sale. This marketing strategy is very effective and is cost effective. A good tour package that offers both online and offline marketing tools should average $.40-$1.50 per day. Compare that to traditional marketing, and you are saving a ton of money, getting ten fold the exposure and putting more profit in your pocket at the time of sale.

•5. Flexibility - Your virtual tour should already come packed with tools to make your job easier. A good virtual tour solution should give you the flexibility to do what you do best......sell!

Real estate virtual tours can be the single most important alternative to property marketing in a time when the economy is failing. Time, money and value are so important when the span between commissions is much greater that it used to be. Investing in the choice to use virtual tours as your main tool of cultivating home buyers is a step in the right direction.

Consumers and Virtual Tours

How does the consumer benefit from real estate virtual tours you provide online? Potential buyers play a very important role. It's what they want! Do you give consumers what they want? Are you keeping up with the latest advances in online marketing? The way we do business today has forever changed and if you are not moving in strides with these advances, your competition will move leaps and bounds over you and leave you wondering why. If 90% of home buyers go to the internet to shop for property, you wouldn't put 90% of your advertising dollars into the local newspaper would you? I hope not and I hope you see my point. Consumers know they can find what they want on the internet. It saves them time and money, rather than spending countless hours driving around to each house. Virtual tours put the consumer in control to decide what it is they like about the house. A well organized virtual tour and the right virtual tour company can make use of the advantages of each individual listing and grasp the viewer's attention. You have to immediately engage your visitor with something that will capture their senses. Give them what they want and direct them on what to do. Give them the ability to explore all the advantages of your listings without the headache of having to search too deep. If a visitor can't find what they want within a few seconds, you will lose them.

Statistically speaking, consumers are eager for rich media content when they visit your website or virtual tours. If it is boring and inactive, you are missing the big picture. More people sit at home now because they can't afford to drive around. It is much more cost effective to find what you are looking for on the internet. And, it is a lot less stressful too.

Home buyers are getting smarter. In a buyers market, they are realizing they have the power to search and seek out anything and everything on the web. Including Realtors! If you're not making a huge impression, you're not doing what it takes to get those potential home buyers in the sales seat. Virtual tours are what buyers are looking for. It saves them time and money and that is very important in this economy.

If you need more information on an affordable Bradenton virtual tour company, go to www.e-toursonline.com.

e-toursonline Interactive Media

Bradenton Virtual Tour Company

www.e-toursonline.com

(941) 795-6978