If a picture is worth a thousand words, an enhanced virtual representation is worth much more. That’s why many colleges and private schools use virtual tours and other forms of interactive media to improve their marketing campaigns.
Many students are not able to visit campus in-person before admission. Virtual tours are a powerful way for schools to entice new students to enroll, wherever they may be.
What are virtual tours?
In a virtual tour, the viewer experiences your school's culture and campus through videos and other media on your website. For example, an interactive map can link to different areas on campus, with additional information, videos and photographs about each location. You can also create video tours with narration and other audio effects.
Top 3 benefits of virtual tours for campuses
With prospective students looking for virtual tours more every day, there's more than enough reason to include a virtual tour on your school's website. The advantages of virtual tours include:
1. Enhances user engagement
Prospective students are more likely to feel connected to your school when they view a video of the buildings and campus rather than photos. A video tour creates an immersive experience that encourages visitors to interact with your website.
2. Highlights your unique campus
Virtual tours allow you to showcase the uniqueness of your facility, whether it's a unique architectural feature or a landmark on campus that other schools don’t have. When students are making an enrollment decision, small details matter. Sharing unique, memorable aspects of your campus can help increase your registration numbers.
3. Provides vital information quickly
More students will catch on to what makes your school special in a virtual tour, rather than reading impressive statistics in writing. Include a video of students taking part in sports to show your school's prowess in extracurricular activities. If you excel in academics, include clips of students engaged in class activities.
How to make the most of virtual tours
Virtual tours are highly effective at increasing viewer engagement. To help you get the most out of out of them, here are a few tips:
- Highlight the history of your school: In addition to showcasing the school's layout, add details about your institution's rich history. Talk about how the school has progressed since it started, any famous alumni and a few fun facts about your school.
- Use less text and more people: Visitors don't want to read too much on a virtual tour. Include brief talking points for each section, but focus more on imagery. You can start by including clips of students and teachers engaged in activities.
- Offer genuine testimonials: By including positive testimonials from teachers, students and parents, you can improve the effectiveness of your virtual tour.
Get more value with virtual tour experts
Our team loves to design and create virtual tours that offer tremendous value. Learn more about CGI virtual tours.