360 Virtual Tours help UK Holiday Makers

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Jan 062012
 

Hi Readers,

As we all know, once Christmas is over, the TV is full of Holiday Adverts. (well apart from money lenders, claims lawyers etc. )

Well to help put some figures on that, in relation to 360 Virtual Tours and Holiday Cottages, we can report a 50% increase in viewings of our 360 Virtual Tours since the beginning of January. Not bad and we are only at January 6th.

360 virtual tours are a great way to showcase holiday cottages, enabling potential holiday guests to have a detailed view before they book. It is like “open house” 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year. The 360 virtual tour clearly demonstrates the confidence of the owner in the quality of the cottages and gives the potential holiday guest confidence in the suitability of the cottage for their needs. Look before you book….

In addition, the figures are 25% up on the same period in 2011.

So despite all the Mayan 2012 Doom merchants, the “half full brigade” here’s wishing you all a busy 2012.

Lets all work to a better 2012.

Do 360 Virtual Tours Work?

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Dec 302011
 

Hi,

As it approaches the end of the year, we have been looking back over 2011 and looking at what has been achieved. It is always easy to sit back and congratulate yourselves on a job well done, but in the end it is not what we think that matters, it is what the property owners think.

So with this in mind I took a little peek at the viewing statistics on The Virtual Cottage Company, which as you know is part of the 360Virtual-Tours family of websites. Do 360 Virtual Tours work?

This chart make some interesting viewing, and demonstrates the value of having a virtual tour on your website. (The property Number is the Listing number as shown on The Virtual Cottage Company )

Average Monthly Viewings

As time goes by The Virtual Cottage Company increases in its visibility, via Facebook, Twitter as well as organic Search Engine optimisation. We are already on page1 Google for a number of search criteria. Viewings will continue to increase and with more viewings come more bookings.

As someone once said, having a website, without promoting it, is like having a fancy TV advert, without buying “air time”. So it is with Holiday Cottage owners. If you have a website, HAVE A 360 VIRTUAL TOUR and have it listed on The Virtual Cottage Company to help in your cottage promotion and gain more bookings.

With that in mind may we take this opportunity to thank our customers for Virtual Tour commissions in 2011, and wish you all a prosperous 2012.

Calling ALL 360 Virtual Tour Photographers! Latest.

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Jul 192011
 

Hi Readers,

As you will recall, we recently invited fellow 360 virtual tour photographers to join us at The Virtual Cottage Company.

Well, Welcome to Alba Virtual Tours. who have just joined us, and posted their first clients listing in Scotland. Briar Steading at Lochearnhead We are sure this will be the start of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Welcome Alistair.

Now, all other fellow Virtual Tour Photographers, dont be shy. Contact us at The Virtual Cottage Company for more information.
You have nothing to lose.

Calling ALL 360 Virtual Tour Photographers!

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Jun 172011
 

Hi,

As Im sure many of you fellow Virtual Tour Photographers have provided 360 Virtual Tours for Holiday Cottages, Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouses Hotels etc, please take a look at The Virtual Cottage Company.

Someone once said “Having a website and not promoting it through Search Engine Optimisation, is like having a fancy TV Advert produced, without purchasing “air time” – How true is this. So many Holiday Cottage or property owners have a website, but without promoting it, it simply sits there on the web, with few hits.

The Virtual Cottage Company is a directory of UK holiday accommodation providers where EVERY property has a 360 Virtual Tour, thus making it quite unique.
Since starting in March 2011 we have already reached page 1 on Google.

The concept is to help independent owners to get their website and properties greater exposure, and consequently more bookings. With combined Tweets and Facebook posts our cottage owners are now receiving up to 100 viewing per month and in time this will continue to grow.

Whilst at present all the virtual tours have been provided by 360virtual-tours.net it is not exclusive, and we welcome ANY virtual tour providers to invite their clients to advertise their properties on The Virtual Cottage Company. In encouraging your clients to advertise, you will also be in effect advertising your own business for free, and will become a contributing Virtual Tour photographer, listed on a new page on the Virtual Cottage Company of Recommended Virtual Tour photographers.

Don’t be shy, contact The Virtual Cottage Company and let us discuss how we can work together.

Busy, Busy, Busy

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Mar 242011
 

Hi Friends,

We have been busy adding listings to our new website The Virtual Cottage Company. Spring is here, and here we are at the computer. Such is life.

We now have 80 listings, and more are being added almost daily.

We have always said Virtual Tours are a great way to showcase your properties, but if your website is not seen that much, then as someone once said regarding Search Engine Optimisation, “if you dont do SEO, its like paying for a fabulous TV Advert, without buying “air time” … How True!!! So that is why joining the fellow advertisers on The Virtual Cottage Company, and letting us worry about the SEO, is a great way to get your property seen.

Bye for now.

New Family Member Introduced.

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Mar 162011
 

Hi All.

As mentioned in our earlier post we have been “expecting” and finally our new arrival is here…..

Say hello to….. The Virtual Cottage Company

The only cottage directory in the UK where ALL the properties have 360 virtual tours.
So have a look around, we will be feeding this “baby” frantically and watching it grow.

If you want your property listed, call us, “early bird” discounts available.

Holiday Cottages still coming!

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Dec 102010
 

Hi all
It seems holiday cottage owners are taking the bull by the horns (or sheep by the tails!) and realising that a Virtual Tour helps sell their property so much better in a very competitive business regardless of the weather, bearing in mind that a lot of visitors book for these times particularly because they enjoy the challenges and natural beauty that nature provides!

We completed 11 cottages last week in the Lake District, despite the snow, and we think that the outside snow scenes combined with the warm, welcoming interiors is a real eye-catcher. Coming back into a cosy, warm cottage after a days walking and outdoor activities is a delight! At the end of the day, virtual tour viewers and prospective customers are surely most concerned with what’s inside the the cottage ie. comfort, facilities, quality and value for money. With a virtual tour they know they are seeing the full picture and can see exactly what they are booking.

We are off to Norfolk this week with another 10 cottages and houses waiting to be done.

We hope that during the Christmas holidays, when people are thinking about their holidays and breaks for 2011, they will enjoy the experience of viewing our Virtual Tours and be confident that what they see is what they get!

Here’s an example of a snowy exterior, cosy cottage…… Rose Cottage, Satterthwaite

Business “savvie”

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Oct 312010
 

Hi
I have a little story that I think shows the importance of moving your business forward – or letting it stay the same while the competition gains the lead (actually it is pinched from Dale Carnegie – the USA sales maestro LOL)

A shoe manufacturer in the UK decided to try and develop business in a relatively poor part of the world, so they sent their salesman out there for a “recce”, to see what potential business was like. After a few days of visiting towns and villages he reported back to his company in the UK ‘ there is no business here unfortunately, because no-one wears shoes’ so the company pulled him back to the UK. After a few months they thought they would try again, so they sent another guy out to the country…….. he reported back ‘send as many shoes as you can! the potential is enormous – no-one has shoes out here!!’

Is the glass half full or half empty? Property owners might take something from this – invest in your business, market it to its full potential and put yourself up above your competition who are relying on the old and trusted ways of promoting their properties!

A quality 360 virtual tour can help you do just this!

Just a thought!

Are 360 Virtual Tours effective in gaining more business?

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Oct 292010
 

Hi, Richard here.

I have just been reading a brief article regarding the effectiveness of Virtual Tours in attracting more business. I thought I would share it with you.

Posted on April 14, 2010, 3:40 pm, by VFM Leonardo.

Did you know?

Travel shoppers who view photos, virtual tours, and video of your hotel
are 115% more likely to book than travel shoppers who view photos alone.1 Use a combination of media types to represent your hotel online. Here’s why…

Video serves as an overview of the property and location and helps establish an emotional connection with travel shoppers.

Virtual Tours help tell your story by demonstrating size and scope of features and amenities.

Photos show your hotel at a glance and can highlight finishing touches in detail.
A combination of all three types of media give travel shoppers a comprehensive view of a hotel and what they can expect during their stay.

1 VFM Leonardo, Report on Results of Consumer Hotel Rich Media Viewing & Booking Conversion Study, April 2008.

http://blog.vfmleonardo.com/did-you-know/

Marketing a holiday property!

 Blog Entries  1 Response »
Sep 082010
 

Hi

Richard is back on the Welsh trail again this week, doing more 360 Virtual Tours of holiday properties.

Its good to see that some people are already thinking about next years bookings and of course Christmas and New Year, so by having a Virtual Tour they are making the most of marketing their properties!

There must be thousands of holiday properties throughout the UK, let alone the rest of the world. Many owners think that by just having a Website with a few images and some text, its going to bring customers flooding in! Not necessarily! Only this week one of our clients told us that many visitors have commented on their Virtual Tour, how it gave a better indication of the size and facilities than just photos.

In Wales, we work with some of the major Holiday Rental companies and they work hard at promoting their website and therefore benefiting their owners. They will all attest to the positive benefits of a Virtual Tour.

Remember, booking a holiday is a major personal decision and the more information we can give potential customers the better. Half the fun of booking is the LOOKING!

So well done those owners who are thinking ahead and giving their potential customers the visual impact and booking confidence of a Virtual Tour. ………..and remember a POOR Quality Virtual Tour is worse than none at all.

We are not the dearest, or the cheapest BUT we are one of the best!

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