Hi all

I've landed a local theatre as a client but the marketing rep would like to see some facts and figures on the bonus VRs bring to ones business.  I have seen such web pages for hotels in the past but can anyone point me in the direction of some other stats pages?  If not - hotel biased pages would do.

Thanks!

Steiner

I have once made a calculator for hotels to estimate a ROI.

http://www.panoramas.ch/preise/roi_e.aspx

Not sure what you really want.

Regards Markus

Hi Mark

Thanks for this - I think this is what I'd seen in the past.  I'm basically looking for printed or web based statements from customers that state how the addition of VR's improved their business.  That - or a stats chart of some sort.

My client (marketing manager) needs to convince her coorporate dept that this technology is necessary.

Thanks

Steiner

When you find this info. please post it here as I would be interested in such information.

Without this information however (since I think it will be hard to find), you can try to convince your client that the panos are an enhancement to their current marketing plan (their web site I assume) not a replacement for it. Hard numbers would be difficult to find.

Look at it this way: If they have a printed brochure, do they ask, "How will I know this individual photo will bring me patrons?" The answer is you can't know. The photo gets people to open the brochure. The brochure gets people to contact the Theater. A person, gets them to the theater.

A VR tour works the same way. How many people are finding their site in the first place? What keeps them at the site long enough to influence their decision to make an inquiry? What does a VR tour show that regular photos can't? Should they wait until their competitors are doing it before they do it?

Over the last 6 years, I too have often asked the question.

To show "cause and affect" I would think one would have to first know

For 1 year before:

The existing website visitor count  and Earned Revenue

>> Install the panoramas on that site

For 1 year after

The existing website visitor count and Earned Revenue.

Assuming no other event was encounterd during the year after then compare the before/after figures and then make an assumption about the affect of adding panoramas to the site in terms of Earned Revenue.  Visitor count would not mean much for the client.. it is only the affect on their bottom $$financial line that means anything.

Dave

I don't think the panos would necessarily draw anyone to any site. Afterall, they don't even know about them until theay have already arrived. I suppose you could generate a report that can tell you how many visitors arrive on the page containing the pano and how long they stayed.

Another thing you could do is survey customers. Ask them directly what they thought of the VR tour and if it had any influence on their decision to buy. But even that would not be scientific.

I think many people consider VR tours as bells and whistles and many VR companies are selling it that way. "Here's a cool accessory to your website."

I think instead of trying to sell VR tours based on increased sales, you should consider also showing their value based on saving them money. VR tours are a great way to qualify customers before you spend time and money sending a rep to them with a breifcase full of color brochures.

I'm pitching VR tours to an associate of mine in the commercial real estate market. He tells me his clients are impressed with the tours but he's not able to get them to commit to one. I tell him it's because they don't see the value beyond the glitz. I want him to ask them (better yet, I want to be there on his sales calls) about their usual sales process to their clients. How do they get clients? How often do they meet with prospective clients? What do they talk about? What do they show them? Then I want him to talk about how VR tours can save them time and money in the sales process.

I'm not sure how your client sells seats -- maybe to groups? More probably based on shows. But you'll need to find that out in order to customize a sales pitch highlighting the value of your product. If you can't do that, you won't make the sale.

Wouldn't we all like to see some more hard nosed stats re VT and the benefits but the Radison Group research is about all there is I guess. From a pure marketing point of view, VT's are all about product differentiation. They provide a depth of detail that is simply not available in any other form of media - even video (as VT's are interactive). Their greatest strength lies in their ability to reduce doubt, in other words, what you see is what you get. This is very important for the generation of NEW business.

I find the biggest problem is convincing folk that they are not a gimmick, but a hard nosed marketing tool. In my experience (nearly 30 years as a marketeer) part of the problem lies in the fact that websites are still not seen as a core marketing activity. Therefore, making them work more effectivly is not seen as a priority!?

Perhaps we ought to be looking at MR that demonstrates the effectivness of internet marketing - and building on that.   

VR's are a cost effective value added technique for getting the clients product to the potential customer.

<on soap box>

Its not about VR's, its about getting the customer to see the product better.

The panorama display is only a middle step in the sales process like the paper brochure that describes the product.  The panorama and webpage description compared to the brochure with small pictures and text possibly makes a better sales pitch.   The customer reads the brochure and files it (like trash mail - in the dust bin).   The web page text description and panorama is not.  The customer can visit the page any time as long as they have interest in the product.  The next step is the actual face to face product sales.

When selling panoramas.. first sell the clients product.

<off soap box>

Dave

Quote: Originally posted by emarts on August-10-2005

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Potential customers will be able to see for themselves their network operations center and that they are not some one-man band operating out of the basement.

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well i don't operate out of the basement, simply because i don't have one  lol. what i do know is that most of us have some type of web experience, with that said check your control panel and see what people out there are looking at.  i.e 360texas can more than likely tell you when i was trying to find my nodal point.  i.e smooth can also probably tell you when i wanted to know about skins.  point is all this information can be found within your control panel (or your clients).  as 360 dave (tex) has stated it will be with this info and time that tells.  just a quick note a lot of us here are selling this product to realtors.  with gas price at 2.30 per gallon here in charlotte nc, i would much rather take a look at the property in the comfort of my own home to decide if it would be worth the drive.  all of this is just my opinion though.

thanx, pix