FEBRUARY 25, 2013 BY Rainer Hildenbrand & Cynthia Gale
This past autumn, my wife and I contracted with Gery Petrof, a Google Trusted Photographer to create a VIRTUAL TOUR of our 22 year-old art gallery, All Matters, on Main street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Although we were somewhat skeptical at first, we decided that the benefits of having our place easily accessible on the web in all its 3-D splendor was at least worth a try.
The procedure to have this done by Mr. Petrof was simple, straightforward and painless. With a small deposit, Mr. Petrof proceeded to take the necessary photographs and within three days, the tour was on the web. We were able to place it on our own website with a simple link.
We were so pleased with the activity the virtual tour brought to our business that we arranged to have a HOLIDAY VIRTUAL TOUR created for All Matters Gallery as well so that patrons and customers could see the how our space was decorated for the Holidays. Eventually we decided that to have seasonal VIRTUAL TOURS made for us as our exhibits change with the seasons.
We considered the VIRTUAL TOUR to be the wisest PR advertising dollars we’ve spent in two decades of business. Some of the benefits we have experienced are:
The VIRTUAL TOUR doubled the number of gift certificates we sold during the Holiday season.
The VIRTUAL TOUR brought in customers who had seen a specific item on the tour they wanted to purchase.
Customers emailed friends and family who were going to be visiting the Chagrin Falls area for the holidays (and other special events) and invited them to take the VIRTUAL TOUR to see if they would want to visit our business during their stay. This also resulted in increased sales.
All Matters Gallery’s artists were able to send their patrons, family and friends to our website and take the tour to see their work on display at the gallery.
We can send potential suppliers, artists, and employees the link to take the VIRTUAL TOUR to give them a sense of our business in advance of negotiations.
You really have to take a VIRTUAL TOUR to appreciate the scope of this technology. On a computer, smart phone or tablet, you can begin from a 360-degree panoramic street view, then enter the gallery through the front door and proceed at a leisurely pace throughout the business, stopping wherever something catches your eye, zoom in, pan up or down and rotate a full 360-degrees from multiple points in the space.
We highly recommend a VIRTUAL TOUR for any business that wishes to expand it’s exposure to the public in a favorable, yet inexpensive, way.
© 2013 All Matters Gallery. Used with permission.