If you're having trouble recruiting students and marketing your college, a virtual college tour may help set your school on the right track.
Thinking about creating a virtual college tour?
A virtual campus tour provides a lot of benefits for higher ed recruiting when you are trying to attract more students; A virtual tour can allow prospective students and their families to get a good look at what your campus has to offer in a very simple, effective, and convenient way.
Below we'll look at the top reasons that you need to have a virtual campus tour for marketing purposes.
1. A Virtual College Tour Can Be Seen Anywhere
One of the greatest things about using a virtual tour is that it is so easy and convenient to use.
Along with an active social media presence, a virtual tour video can allow students to know a lot about a school before visiting in-person.
The added convenience of a virtual tour can be great because coming to campus for an in-person tour can be a big investment for students. They may have to go across the state, country, or even world to get a good look at your college.
With a virtual tour, however, a great look at your campus is only a few clicks away.
2. You'll Expand Your Recruitment Reach
Because your campus can be so easily showcased anywhere in the world, a virtual campus tour can be a great way to get new types of students to apply. You'll be able to start getting international applicants more often or students from across the country.
If you're really trying to expand the type of students who study at your college a virtual tour can be a great way to help. People from anywhere and everywhere can get a glimpse into college life at your school, especially if they otherwise wouldn't have been able to.
3. Bring the Family In
One of the biggest struggles of choosing a college can sometimes be that students and families have a disconnect between what they think a great school is.
A virtual college tour can allow students and families to both get an idea of what life will be like in the community. This can help sway parents or family members who are unsure about the college.
It will also allow family members to get a good idea of what their son or daughter is up to even if they're never able to visit the school in-person themselves.
4. You Can Reveal Important Information
A video or virtual tour of your campus can be a great opportunity to let prospective students know about a few specifics about your college.
Are there any statistics that make your college stand out? Are there any facts or figures students should know?
While facts and statistics on a web page can often go ignored, a virtual tour is a great place for bringing those important selling points of your college to the front and center.
5. Showcase the History
In addition to citing different statistics and facts about your school, a virtual tour is also a good spot for you to boast about the history of the school.
With a virtual tour video, you shouldn't be afraid to highlight special landmarks and buildings on campus. You can also let students know about anything which ties the school into important moments in history.
This can be a great way to create and tell a story about your institution and make it more interesting in the minds of potential students.
6. Give a Taste of Campus Life
A virtual tour can also be a great way to paint an accurate and exciting picture of what college life would be like for anyone who attends your school, in and out of class.
A virtual tour gives potential students an insight into the other side of being in college, not just the numerous exams and classes. You can easily showcase your on-campus coffee shops, recreation centers, sports complexes, or green areas where students can hang out.
It may also be a good idea to add in some student or alumni interviews to enhance your video even further.
7. Promote School Spirit
If your college has some amazing sports teams or other important clubs or organizations, a virtual campus tour is a great way to give prospective students and families a good glimpse into what it's all about.
A video can be a great way to showcase a few clubs, sports teams, or athletic facilities. It can also be a good spot to showcase any special events that happen throughout the school year.
Using a virtual tour video, you'll be able to give students a bit of extra school spirit very early on.
8. Supplement In-Person Tours
The great thing about having virtual tours of your campus is that you will be able to use it along with real in-person tours.
While real tours can be a great help in getting a student interested in a college it also requires additional resources. You'll need somebody to give the tour and it will also require a lot of coordination. In some cases, students will also have to travel a long way from home for the in-person tour.
A virtual tour, however, can supplement normal campus tours. It can give those students that otherwise wouldn't be able to easily come in for a real tour a great view of your college.
9. Become More Than Just a Name
When students are looking at many prospective colleges, the names keep piling up in their heads. They see the names of many different colleges they could potentially apply for or attend.
Having a virtual tour available that is just a few clicks away can allow them to start seeing your college as more than just another name on a list.
When they view the video tour, they'll start seeing your college as a living, breathing, place filled with students, faculty members, and staff, along with plenty of things to do and see.
10. Give a Look at the City and Local Area
In addition to giving prospective students a great view of the college campus, a virtual tour can also allow you to showcase other things in the area or city of your college as well. This is not so easily done with an in-person tour. However, for a virtual video tour, it's easy to do.
You'll be able to showcase local landmarks or highlight other important activities students in your city like to do around town.
Final Thoughts
A virtual college tour can be a great help for marketing your college and it can do so in ways that you aren't able to with other channels. Nothing quite beats getting a "real" look at what your college has to offer students, even if they're on the other side of the world or country.
Looking for help with creating engaging student recruitment videos? Click here to learn more about Interactive Campus Maps from StudentBridge.
