Hello everyone

I am about to seriously start trying to market myself (well my VT business anyway, if that doesn't work I really might have to start marketing myself!!).

I was wondering if any of you would be willing to share your marketing strategies? Do you get more business by knocking on doors in person? Blitzing everyone with emails? Telephoning? Do you find much busines simply through your web site?

I hope you will not mind sharing your proven methods, if you do errr...well then don't!

I'm hoping to target property owners who advertise their villas/gites/B&B's for holiday rentals, via the internet. Also real estate agents (still an almost virgin market in the South of France). I'm sure there are some great opportunities here because the market is really in it's infancy as far as VT's goes. I just don't want to waste my opportunities by applying poor marketing methods.

I look forward to hearing your words of wisdom!

Thanks in advance
Glenn

hey Glenn,

do a search for marketing here in this forum.  i remember reading some

pretty good advice before regarding this particular topic.

Basics: Have a decent website with good panos that explains what ur doing, hwy they should use panos, what the benefits are... (funny thing is that my own site doen't really sell panos that highly... yet). The websites panos should offer industry specific solutions: Hotels, holiday resorts, real estate.... followed up with specific panos.

You might try and speak to the local press and see if they're interested in the odd pano or two for they're online reporting for which u get credit and maybe freebie advertising.

Personal contact is a very good way of generating business. I've found that walking into a business, having a brief chat with the owner/manager, taking a couple of images for 1 pano, then showing them the one pano and having looked at their website try to show how it would work with the site.

Consider a few CD's to have as a show and tell.

Company broshure is always cool.

Checkout some local websites that have good visitors and do some freebie/cheapo work to get on their sites.

Talk to everyone u know.

One of my best successes has been down to me going to the local business typs pubs with my laptop and me doing some work there. Funny thing is that people get used to the odd guy with the laptop and start looking to see what he's up to. It's well worth being freindly with the owner who'll see loads of people and will deffinatly plug u for free. I've made 8 websites and 12 panos this way.

Theres bound to be some kind of business peoples group of sorts... speak to them. Also approach ur local council/city and speakl to them.

These are the basics that I can think of... on the fly at least.

Make a stack of smart looking business cards.  Give everyone with in 1 meter of you one of them.  If they don't use it.. they might give it to someone who can.

Expect a 1 firm lead to every 10 you get.   So if you have 100 leads only 10 of them will actually generate work.

If they sound remotely interested - do one free one if they will buy a set of ten.  Make them think they are getting something for nothing.

At first do panorama work only for secondary income, until panorama work starts taking more of your time.. and your income from it is = to or greater than your day job.

I think there are several threads that discuss everything from what hardware, software you need    to   how to price your work.

Dave

I just started my business about 3 months ago in my local area.  I do about 10 Virtual tours a week and hope to get that to 20 a month.  I have tried everything from mailers, flyers, brochures cold call door sales.  I purchased a data base of emails that contains all of my local real estate email address.  I send out a weekly special once every week  to about 10,000 email addresses.  So far, the emails are the only things that keeps me busy.  Of course, I get about 25 unsubscribes every week, but most of the people that order a tour from my email are very thankful for the weekly specials that I run.  Nothing else has paid off as much as the email campaign.  Best thing is the email campaign is free.  Every other type of marketing cost!

Oh man you are working way too hard. LOL

Double your prices and spend a little more time in post processing. You will loose a few but you will  make more money per hour this way. Try it out. Send out an email offering a "high quality...the works with cherries on top" virtual tour and charge say...$500 dollars or mabye even $350. Cheap is good to get cash flow and make contacts. But you got to work em baby. Get em up to the $250 range for there good listings. I always ask the square footage of the house and the selling price. When they have a "hot" listing that is going to make them a nice chunk of change they will be really wanting to sell it. Appeal to that.

Real estate agents are a "clicky" group. They all talk to each other. Most real estate companies have monthly sales meeting where they invite speakers from related companies to come and make a presentation. Ask you agent clients if they have a sales meeting and If you can make a presentation to the meeting. Bring your cards and price/product sheet and your laptop. Talk about 10 minutes and your done. This is a very good way to penatrate the market.

Gen. Lee

Gen. Lee

Wish I could!

I have companies offering as little as 50.00 per tour.  Any time I offer something over 100.00, I get no calls.  I have done 5 Million dollar homes and it was like pulling teeth to get the agent to spend 125.00.  It is a very tough market.

Agreed.  That is exactly why we don't do real estate. 

Target the market that has the largest advertising budget. Take higher quality images and up your pricing to match.  Your pricing structure might include a "Minimum Order"  like minimum of 10 panoramas for a single price. 

This will tell your small clients your target market is big business with big advertising budgets.

You are not selling panoramas - you are helping to sell your clients product. 

"Follow the money".