We know that your photographs are incredibly important when guests are looking for a place to stay. So even if you do already have great snaps, how about taking it a step further with a virtual tour of the property? Last year Apprentice 2014 winner and owner of marketing agency Climb Online, Mark Wright spoke to eviivo about why your business shouldn’t ignore Google Business View. He explained that not only does it get you more direct bookings, but may even be a vital service for your property as the businesses that are currently using the service are ranking a lot higher on Google than those that are not.
So with this in mind we spoke to Nathan Brown from Cube Online who specialise in creating stunning 360 degree tours of your business.
So, firstly can you explain what it is?
Of course, Cube Online is one of the fastest growing Google-trusted agencies and we specialise in providing local businesses throughout the UK with beautiful, high-quality 360° virtual tours of their premises. Essentially, we take Google Street View and allow prospective customers to have a virtual look right inside the business so they’re even more likely to step inside in reality.
That sounds great, but why should the properties we work with get it?
Well in a nutshell, because it vastly improves your visibility online. An optimised Google listing, with a virtual tour and HD imagery, means viewers twice as likely to be interested in using your services – according to an online Google survey of 1201 businesses in 2015.
Recent case studies from eviivo show that B&Bs, for example, are losing out on £8.9m a year due to poor photography. In fact, 82% of Brits are put off solely by poor online imagery and 1 in 3 believe this equates to poor service. With Cube Online, our clients not only get high-quality images of their property, but also a virtual tour, meaning your customers are 66% more likely to engage with your online listing according to Google 2016.
And do properties that already have it see an increase in bookings? If so by how much on average?
Yes – we know that our 360° virtual tours are boosting our clients’ sales. According to a Best Western case study, hotels with a virtual tour have a 48% higher reservation rate than those who don’t. In fact, 18–34 year–olds are 130% more likely to use your services based on a tour (Google online survey of 1,201 businesses in 2015).
That’s great, so who is actually using it already?
Although we’re just starting out here at Cube Online, we’re already doing very well, which is largely down to the expert team we have in place and our excellent team of Google-trusted photographers. We have already provided our services to more than 5,000 clients – which is something we’re really proud of. Our clients range from B&Bs and pubs to beauty salons and toy stores. You can check out some of our favourites on our website.
One of our eviivo suite users who has teamed up with Cube Online for their virtual tour is Thorpe Guest House. Owner Stuart said ‘it’s absolutely brilliant, I love the quality of the images and my guests love that they can take a walk around the property before their visit.’
And furthermore, we’ve teamed up with Cube Online to get our customers an incredible 50% off so all you need to do is call them and let them know you’re an eviivo customer.
For more information please contact Cube Online’s Corporate Sales Director, Robert Gibbs, directly on 07932 603434 or email [email protected].
And if you’re not with eviivo yet, click here to see how we can work with your business to help share your story with the world.