In today’s world, parents are busier than ever. They’re juggling work, family, and social obligations. They want the ability to explore and experience a potential school for their children. Still, for many reasons, they are unable to attend in person. In addition, schools are often looking at different ways to connect with potential parents. Schools are using technology in new and innovative ways to connect with parents. A school virtual tour is a smarter way to do that.

School Virtual Tour: A Smarter Way To Connect With Parents

How A Custom Branded School Virtual Tour Helps Connect With Parents

A school is an educational institution that provides instruction in various academic disciplines for students ranging from Kindergarten through to year 12. A school allows students to pursue their educational goals by providing a place where they can learn together.

At Simply 360, our team has years of experience in digital and traditional marketing. We understand the importance that whatever content is created for a school has to be brand specific and designed with a purpose. Therefore, we focus not only on high-end imagery but also on your requirements and expected outcomes for the 360 virtual tour. This way, when designing the 360 virtual tour, we know exactly what you want and design it to achieve what you want, whether it is enrollment, sales, band awareness, and more. As our founder Dimitri likes to say:

“Technology for the sake of technology is meaningless… unless it is understood and implemented correctly”

– Dimitri Cassimatis

While we create high-end 360 imagery for your school virtual tour, you may already have existing traditional digital assets that add a tremendous amount of value. By implementing hotspot information such as high-end DSLR photos, videos and written content, you help add value to the virtual tour and give it a well-rounded and meaningful experience. It becomes an all-inclusive and multi-faceted digital asset by bringing in all these assets and combining them into a virtual tour.

Double click in the school virtual tour for Kinross Wolaroi School to make it go fullscreen, or click here

Virtual Open Days

Virtual Open Days are an excellent way for schools to connect with parents. They provide an opportunity for parents to see/explore the school and meet the teachers and students. Virtual Open Days also allow the school to extend their digital reach and connect with prospective parents who cannot attend in person. While many parents will come in person to the open day, having a virtual tour of the school extends the school’s reach as not all parents can attend on a specific day/time (especially during a weekday).

Not Everyone Can Visit The School In-Person

People who cannot visit the school in person can explore the school through a virtual tour. A person may be unable to attend the school in person for many reasons, such as working, medical reasons, living far away and many other reasons. A school virtual tour allows parents to see the school, experience its facilities and find out what their children can learn.

Showcase The Best Of Your Facilities

Schools have a vast array of facilities to help their students reach their full potential. These can include classrooms, science labs, music/art facilities, sports facilities, farmland, industrial technology, computer rooms, etc. While a school may have photos or videos of their facilities, the truth is that there is no existing format aside from a virtual tour that can make it feel like you are seeing it in person. Give your parents the ability to feel like they are onsite, seeing and experiencing the best your facilities have to offer.

Virtual Reality (VR) Is Built Into Our School Virtual Tours

Virtual Reality (VR) is a fantastic technology that allows people to explore and experience environments and experiences that are not physically possible. Fun fact: VR is built into our 360 virtual tours! This means that you can take a tour of your school in VR, which will allow you to connect with parents in a more personal and immersive way than ever before.

You can literally feel like you are on the campus exploring the school as though you are there in person. With a VR headset or Google Cardboard, you can bring your school into anyone’s living room. While you do not need a VR headset to view a virtual tour, it definitely adds to the experience of any school virtual tour. Check out any of the embedded virtual tours on this page; they all have VR integration and can be experienced on your smartphone or VR headset.

Improve SEO and Page Time With A School Virtual Tour

At Simply 360, we have a digital marketing background and understand the importance of SEO. Improving SEO is the process of making your website as search engine friendly as possible. This means that your website will appear higher in search results for relevant keywords, and users will be able to find you more easily. A virtual tour further strengthens your SEO by increasing multiple metrics such as Dwell Time.

This metric is essential for web pages as it refers to how long a person is on your website. By increasing the duration people are on your webpage, you tell Google that the page is more meaningful and relevant to the search. This helps improve ranking. In addition, we also optimise the website for SEO keywords and location relevance in the tour. In short, a virtual tour can help improve your website ranking in the long term.

Additional Digital Channel / Use Alongside existing marketing channels

One of the benefits of using a school virtual tour is that it can be used alongside other marketing channels to connect with parents. For example, a virtual tour could be posted on the school website and shared on social media. Additionally, a virtual tour can be included as part of an email campaign sent out to parents. By using multiple channels, schools can ensure that all interested parents can learn more about the school.

One of the unexpected advantages of a virtual tour is at an expo. It’s hard to showcase your location when you are somewhere else trying to tell someone about it. By using a VR headset or iPad/Tablet, you can literally bring the school anywhere you go. A virtual tour solves the long-standing issue when you present at an expo where you are trying to promote your space/facility by letting people experience the school and its facilities first-hand.

Double click in the school virtual tour for Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview to make it go fullscreen or click here

Improve your Google Map Ranking

Google Maps is a well-known application that allows users to explore their surroundings. However, if your business isn’t well-represented on Google Maps, potential parents may not be able to find you. Improving your Google Map ranking can help improve your visibility and accessibility to potential customers. By adding the 360 images from the virtual to Google Maps / Google Street View, you can improve your Google My Business profile which will help you rank on Google Maps. Simply 360 is a Certified Google Maps Photographer.

How Virtual Tours Keep Your School Ahead Of The Competition

Schools that use virtual tours often find they are more popular and have higher engagement than schools that do not. The word that no other digital channel can compare to virtual tours is ‘Experience‘. No photo, video or article can give you a first-hand experience the way a 360 virtual tour does. Providing potential parents with an experience creates a meaningful and lasting impact. Schools that provide these experiences are always one step ahead of their competition.

Double click in the school virtual tour for Davidson High School to make it go fullscreen, or click here

Conclusion

A virtual tour is a great way to connect with parents and give them an informative and meaningful experience of your school. It allows them to see the school differently, making it easier to see what your school has to offer and what it is all about. It also adds value to your SEO and works independently and alongside your existing marketing channels. This way, schools can stay one step ahead of the competition and ensure that they always provide the best possible experience for anyone looking to attend your school.

Are you a school / educational facility looking to create a school virtual tour? Contact us on 02 9674 9090, schedule a consultation, or fill out the form on this page to start a conversation for your school virtual tour project. Happy to discuss how we can create a high-end virtual tour for your school and design it to your needs.

Do you think we left anything out regarding school virtual tours? Have you seen any virtual tours of schools that you like? Does your local school use virtual tours to showcase their various features and facilities? Join the discussion down below in the comments section and let us know your thoughts :)

Dimitri Cassimatis( Founder )

Dimitri is the founder of Simply 360, which specialises in creating immersive, interactive and engaging 360 / VR virtual tours, AR integration and marketing consultancy. He has worked in the digital marketing industry for over 15 years and has a passion for creating virtual tours with a key focus in strategic implementation.