Classes may have temporarily shifted online but students, teachers and colleges alike are all looking forward to getting back to in-person teaching. Its not just for a better learning experience but also for the social camaraderie. Thus, when students seek admission, they want to get a fair idea of what their college experience will be like before they start classes. They may not be able to physically travel to the campus so, many university campus tours are now being made available online. This virtual experience is comparable to the experience of physically walking through a campus. For students, it’s a glimpse into what the next few years may look like and for universities, it’s a way to increase the admission conversion rates.
So how can you make the best of this service?
Show more than just buildings with University campus Tour
Prospective students can see pictures of campus buildings with a simple online search. So your university campus tour must offer something more. As in a traditional walk around the campus, the virtual experience must include interesting tidbits about the buildings. Its not enough to only talk about when the buildings were built and who built them. You could get a student to talk about the buildings and how they spend their time there. Include details that spell out the heritage of the university.
Use old and new footage
Your college may have a lot of stock photography and video reels. Use these. Some content of course will need to be shot specifically for the tour but you can always use old stock footage of events to showcase the college experience. You can even use old stock footage to show how the university has evolved over the years. Think of it as a then and now. With the first point in mind, when you talk of the campus facilities, you can use old photographs to highlight changes that have happened over the years. If you have students who are children of alumni, this can be an interesting experience for the prospective students as well as their parents.
Make it interactive
Rather than look at the video in isolation, look at it as a tool to show prospective students what their experience will be like. Think of how you can incorporate other communication and marketing tools into the tour. A chatbot can be used to answer queries prospective students may have. They can also be used to highlight aspects of the tour. Alternatively, you could allow prospective students to book slots where they could talk to students currently enrolled in courses just as they would in a traditional campus tour.
When you walk through a campus, you can look left, right, up and down… if you want to make your virtual experience this realistic, you may want to build in a VR session.
Give a clear call to action
The aim of making a virtual tour is to entice Prospective students to apply for admission. So, there must be a way for students to apply directly from the tour itself. Incorporate buttons and forms within the video with links to proceed with admissions. These should be clearly visible but not too obtrusive. They should not interfere with the viewer’s experience. When it comes to the forms, keep the format short and sweet. Capture only the most critical information needed. The remaining can be gathered later when you speak to the students. A simple registration form at the beginning of the tour can be used to capture names and contact details for follow up conversations.
Promote University campus Tour
Lastly, it isn’t enough to make an exciting virtual tour, you must make it visible to everyone. So, promote it. Publish the video on your website and make it a prominent link. You can also publish snippets on social media platforms and include the same in your email newsletters. The more people see your tour, the more encouraged they will be to join your university.
In conclusion
A virtual university campus tour is beneficial to colleges as well as prospective students. Its the safest way for campuses to make themselves accessible to students in the current time. For students, it’s the convenience of being able to visualize themselves on campus without taking the pains to travel there that matters the most. Making a google virtual tour may sound daunting but it isn’t really so difficult. What you need is a plan and good footage. As a university, you may not have access to professional video equipment or people with the skills required to edit and stitch the video together. Rather than take a DIY approach with amateur skills, it’s always better to outsource the task to a professional company. You’ll get a cleaner, crisper tour that helps your university put it’s best foot forward. So, are you ready to get started?
