Coronavirus has made everything more difficult—travelling, shopping, visiting friends and family. There is hardly an aspect of life that the virus hasn’t affected. This includes choosing a school. Whether you’re a parent searching for a private school for your child or a prospective college student, coronavirus has presented a big challenge when it comes to choosing a school.
An important factor in deciding on a school is visiting the campus itself. It gives the student and parents a good sense of the school, beyond merely images and text on websites and pamphlets. It’s during tours that decisions about enrolment are often made. But if parents and students can’t visit due to coronavirus, what can schools do to help them make a decision? Many schools are getting creative by turning to Google 360º Virtual Tours. Institutions like Branksome Hall and The Rosedale Day School have implemented virtual tours to attract more students online rather than relying on in-person visits.
The Benefits of Google 360º Virtual Tours for Educational Institutions
24/7 access from any location. This is a huge benefit during coronavirus. Students and parents can tour your facility from wherever they are, whenever they want to. Virtual tours, unlike photos, give students and parents a more immersive experience and allows them to get a better sense of your school. And because of the ability to access the tour from anywhere, this opens up your school to a wider range of prospective students—not just local ones. Taking a trip to visit a school might be costly for some prospective students. A tour saves them that money and allows them to seriously consider making the move for your school.
Improves your SEO. Because 360º Virtual Tours are powered by Google, they help improve your online search visibility. This means your school will show up in more peoples’ searches. More people viewing your institution, means more people enrolling.
It helps you stand out. While some schools have started implementing virtual tours, they’re still a relatively new thing. Creating a virtual tour for your school will help it stand out from your competitors. While your competitors may have some nice imagery and words on their website or Google My Business (GMB) profile, a virtual tour creates an immersive experience for prospective families.
Showcase your amenities. Does your school have state-of-the-art facilities? A new gym? An advanced learning center or library with new technology? The best way to show them off is through a Google 360º Virtual Tour. Students and parents can get a good sense of what you have to offer. Another little bonus for first-year students is that they can familiarize themselves with the layout of your school before arriving, ensuring they don’t get lost.
Safe, Effective and Engaging
While coronavirus has put a damper on a lot of things, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to push forward and plan for the future. Schools that invest in 360º Virtual Tours will give themselves a leg-up on competition by making themselves more visible online. At aperi media, we’ve worked with schools like The Country Day School and Ryerson University to create immersive 360º Virtual Tours to help them market their facilities. If you’re looking to increase the online visibility of your school, contact us today.
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