With many businesses realising the benefits of 360° Virtual Tours, it is important to be able to distinguish between the various products and capabilities. A good first step is to establish what type of 360° Virtual Tour best suits a business’s needs. To that end, you need to understand the difference between

• Google 360° Virtual Tours
• Bespoke 360° Virtual Tours

Google 360° Tours

A Google 360° Virtual Tour is a cost effective marketing tool that is displayed under the photographs of a Google Business listing on Google Maps – the ‘go-to’ for business research. The ideal candidate is one whose main aim is to showcase the inside of their premises where additional information points are not necessary. 

These 360° Virtual Tours have become a staple for smaller businesses in the consumer goods sector.

Potential customers can happily roam around a restaurant or dentist from Google Maps before deciding to make a booking or visit in person. Not only that, but Google rewards profiles that give users of their search engine exactly what they want. This will mean more online visibility and ultimately more customers.  

Google 360° Virtual Tours take advantage of the Google search engine and are a cost effective marketing tool offering a lot of bang for buck. It may come with some limitations, however. While it gets your business in front of more people by showcasing your presumably beautiful location, it may not suit some businesses who want to go that extra mile and tell their compelling story. For this, a Bespoke 360° Virtual Tour is what’s needed. 

Bespoke 360° Virtual Tours 

Bespoke 360° Virtual Tours, as the name suggests, come in various shapes and sizes. Unlike Google 360 tours, this tailor made product can be embedded on a company’s website with more advanced functionality, media and design capabilities. In many ways, it is the ‘top shelf’ product in the 360° Virtual Tour product range.

Ultimately, Bespoke 360° Virtual Tours are built from the ground up with every minor detail carefully considered.

Viewers are transported into the world of the story, giving them a much more personal and intimate experience. The end result is an outstanding on-brand experience that will resonate with visitors and achieve a very specific target. 

Fortunately, the ability to add a growing range of customised and immersive media is constantly evolving. The best virtual tour providers have a team of specialists who can carefully select from a huge-array of add-ons and functionality as well as provide professional photography, videography and drone services.