Virtual Tour Software ~ Virtual Tour Company

The IMAGE | Cannon Rebel Xsi Training Class

2009-11-19T17:17:00.002-05:00

Please feel free to join us for a FREE episode of "The IMAGE" this Tuesday at 7:00 Eastern. This episode will be covering a full RTV training session on the Rebel XSi.

Have you ever wanted to know more about the Canon Rebel XSi? Would you like to get an inside look at the camera RTV recommends and why we recommend this camera for producing your virtual tours?

In this RTV webinar we will be discussing the operation of and settings for the Canon Rebel XSi. This is the camera that RTV recommends and includes in our complete virtual tour software kit. You will see how to operate this camera first hand and learn its controls. Ben Knorr will also go over some photography settings that work well for this camera.

Don't fret if you use another brand or model of camera, this webinar will cover numerous camera settings that you can begin using right away to produce amazing virtual tours!

Previous Webinars

The IMAGE webinar last month, It's Magic 2, continued the topic of photo editing from the previous webinar. There are some great instructions in there on how to edit your photos and I have seen many dealers already implementing these techniques. Check it out when you have a moment. http://www.realtourvision.com/image

The IMAGE is the official photography webinar of RTV
Good luck out there!

Setting up a Virtual Tour Company

2009-11-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

This will certainly be the "Show of the Year" folks. This is the show that so many of you have been asking for. The show of all shows and the show that will have a stronger and more experienced guest panel than ever before!!

Have you been wondering if you're setting up your virtual tour company the right way?

Have you ever asked yourself what you could do right out of the gate to set yourself apart?

Are you a bit confused as to what to do next and where to put your precious company dollars?

Has your business slowed down and do you need to overhaul your product and service offerings?

Do you just need to put a little more steam into your sales?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you MUST attend our next show The FORMULA 17 - "Setting up Shop".

We have arranged to have guest appearances from Graves Carey of http://www.360Visions.com , Alan Fon of http://www.IslandDigitalImages.com , Mike Thompson of http://www.RealVisionStudio.com and of course Jason LaVanture of RTV and http://www.BlueLaVaMedia.com .

This combined panel has produced a total of 6314 virtual tours with "Kid Dynamite" Graves Carey leading the pack with over 2600 virtual tours produced!

Please join us on Tuesday December 1st at 7:00 PM EST as we engage in a round table discussion on "Setting up Shop". This is an Inner Circle Only Event. See you at the show!

Sign up NOW in your TMS!!

Have Camera Will Vacation

2009-11-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

Well, a working vacation that is :-) . . .

Last year I took part in the RTV SEO workshop for Inner Circle marketing members. The boost in Google rank as a result of my training paid off in a big way this summer when a leading Gatlinburg TN cabin rental and real estate company called me for a quote on creating online marketing photography and virtual tours for some of their cabin owners. It's unlikely they would have found my Middle Tennessee virtual tour company otherwise.

After some negotiations, my wife and I ended up staying four nights in a nice log cabin at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She got some much needed quiet time in a Jacuzzi and watching and reading the Twilight series, while I had the unique opportunity of photographing some awesome real estate. These properties are some of those places where I probably would never have visited were it not for being an RTV dealer offering a great virtual tour marketing system.

Before the adventure was over, my wife had enough of solitude and she decided to assist me on the last couple of days of shooting. She now has a new respect for what it takes to create a good-looking virtual tour. I was also exhausted but exhilarated at the end of each day. Best of all we got to spend some time together.

In the "remember to always be prepared" department I have a story. One of the Gatlinburg cabins I photographed was basically at the highest point and farthest from the main highway as you could get on the resort. When we went in, somebody (I still say it wasn't me!) left our vehicle's ignition in the accessory position. You guessed it! The battery was completely dead when we started to leave. Of course we had no jumper cables, but what would we do with them if we had them?

Luckily there was life in the next cabin down the road and they called the resort security who responded quickly to our plight. I didn't take any chances. I left the van running until we reached an auto parts store and had the battery checked out. It was of course dead, so there went some of our profits. Yes, we came home with cash even after staying four nights in a great mountain getaway and buying a new battery. That's what I call a great business!

Since then I've been back to the mountains once by myself and once where we were able to bring along another couple and their kids because the cabins I was shooting were four-bedroom lodges. Talk about having a great time! Again, this great summer was brought to you by RTV.

Brett Weaver
Photographer
Middle Tennessee Virtual Tours
SpotLightVT.com
Order a virtual tour: (931) 201-WEAV (9328)

RTV Announces New Services

2009-11-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Have you checked out your Tour Management System (TMS) Lately? With all the exciting and new things that are happening around here, we have decided to make things a little easier for you to snag and take advantage of. Just log into your TMS and look at the right-hand side and you will find many new buttons that link off to our services and the services offered by our strategic partners. You're just a mouse click away from the following features and services:

Ordering virtual tour credits
Signing up for our latest talk show (Did you know that we do three every month?)
Getting properly setup to receive deals from our national accounts
Setting up your email marketing system
Setting up your elevated photography department
Setting up your floor plan department
Ordering your website
Accessing your virtual tour marketing control panel
Learning all about SEO and Blogging by taking our free 12 week course
Ordering custom made virtual tour CD's and duplication hardware
Establishing a relationship with one of our recommended professional voice talents

Please take some time now, login to your TMS, and visit each of links to become familiar with the new offerings. Visit these links often to stay up to date with us and attend our monthly shows. A big thanks to all of our virtual tour providers out there that have made RTV the World's largest virtual tour company.

Time - A Virtual Tour Photographers Enemy

2009-11-13T04:28:00.000-05:00

Hello out there to all you RTV virtual tour photographers. I must tell you all that things have slowed down just a bit getting my Spokane virtual tour business off the ground. No, not because it is difficult to get this kind of a business started. We all know the amazing part that RTV corporate plays in helping you startup your business!! I'm sure that I'm not the only one making AWESOME use of all the virtual tour marketing materials and the amazing webinars that Jason and his team put out there for us. Anyone going to go to the next episode of the Formula? Setting up Shop? Anyway let me fill you in on what has delayed my startup of Digital Showcase Virtual Tour business by about three weeks...

The first slow down is the Spokane home remodeling and rental business. I have been working my tail off trying to get a rental house of mine put back together. I had what I thought was a real good tenant and they suddenly skipped out on me after a full year of paying their rent on time.

After not hearing from him for several weeks I made it over to the house and what do you think I found?? Yes you guessed it my friends. Before me was an abandoned property totally trashed. Upon entering the domicile I quickly discovered a forest growing in the basement.

After summoning over Spokane's finest and having them clear the place out, I was able to finally get on with the usual clean-up and repairs. Thank goodness I was lucky and able to re-rent the place almost immediately. I am sure that getting to be a good landlord is going to be a work in progress for several more years yet.

So you can see it has really been a rather daunting task getting my virtual tour business off the ground with such little time. I thought I could go right in and start shooting the 360 shots just like I used too. Unfortunately that has not been the case. There is so much new virtual tour technology to absorb and master now that it has taken a little more time than I thought it was going to take originally.

I want it all set up very soon and in a state of readiness that allows me to work without limitations. Deadlines in the distant future have never worked for me, I need pressure to be productive so I have set some crazy deadlines to get this thing off and running, In the past few weeks I've been working out pretty much every night in the studio. I have studied up on everything "photography at Real Tour Vision" and now I have gone on to the finishing touches. I actually got all the software working and produced my very first virtual tour in Spokane!! I am very proud of it, looks to me like the exposure is just the way it should be, there is no light fall off. All and all, mastering my new Canon 50D was a breeze and I am very happy with it. This is the first virtual tour of many to come. Good night everyone out there in RTV Land!

Steve Stephens
www.digitalshowcasevr.com
Spokane Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour - 509 868-4043

Final Call For TxT Connect

2009-11-12T03:49:00.000-05:00

Since the RTV TxT Connect officially went live with all wireless carriers in October, we have already started to see subscriptions start to roll in. I know all of the many dealers that signed up were anxious to get started selling the TxT Connect promo to Realtors and although we took a little longer than expected, all systems go!

We have also made a few upgrades to the sites with the new icons, new "Try Now" bar on the homepage to enter a cell number and click send to get the demo (easier to use than the previous version), some new features within the account/listing area and if you click on the "How It Works" tab on the bottom orange bar, there is a nice illustration that can also be used as a marketing piece (here is an RTV dealer site to see; http://buyidi.txt2look.com/index.php). We are also going to be rolling out a major upgrade shortly that will include a number of new features within the account area.

Our RTV TxT Connect promo ends shortly and although a ton of you have signed up, there is still room for the rest of you if you are now ready. Remember, at the end of the promo the price goes from the $250 annual fee and 50/50 revenue split up to $995 and 20%. Clearly, a no-brainer for anyone interested in making some excellent recurring/passive revenue! (you can all thank Jason once again for his persistence in us offering an extension of this deal!).

The sign up page is here; http://realtour.txt2look.com/subsite_signup.php and look forward to seeing the rest of you join the TxT2Look/TxT Connect team!

Thanks!
Team TxT2Look

RTV Partners with US Digital Media

2009-11-11T07:12:00.001-05:00

We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with US Digital Media, a complete media solutions firm. Over the last ten years many of our virtual tour providers have been searching for the best company to meet their CD duplication and media supplies needs.

We are happy to have found a firm that is large enough to handle our entire throughput while providing the level of sales and customer support that meets our high standards. From a corporate level we are impressed with the response time and product quality from US Digital Media. It is only natural then that we would recommend US Digital Media's products and services to our vast RTV virtual tour dealer base. The RTV network can rely on US Digital Media's proven infrastructure to streamline projects by providing Complete Media Solutions all under one roof. US Digital Media is a manufacturer and distributor of digital media storage products and services.

Some of their products that our network will enjoy include:

• CD/DVD duplication and replication
• Custom USB flash drives
• Duplication equipment
• Blank recordable media
• Media packaging
• Supplies and accessories

As so many of you already know, it is our mission here at RTV to provide you with the very best technology and partnerships to strengthen your property marketing business. Please take a moment now and visit our friends at US Digital Media . We are confident your experience with them will be as enjoyable as our has the past two years. Thanks team!

~ RTV
Virtual Tour Software

Establishing Virtual Tour Pricing

2009-11-10T06:07:00.003-05:00

How should you price your virtual tours? This was discussed in our last episode of The FORMULA so we have decided to bring it up again here for you only this time we wanted to get some concrete numbers together. Some real hard evidence that goes to show when you have a good storefront and a fair pricing business will gravitate to you.

The quotes below are the results of a quick poll to some of our top virtual tour providers in the network. To qualify as a top provider they must be producing at least 500 or more virtual tours a year.

Here’s what a few of the RTV leaders had to say when asked, “How are you pricing out your virtual tours?”

“We base everything by sq.ft. (up to 25 still shots included)
Under 3000 $105.00
3000 to 5000 $115.00
Over $125.00
Beyond that – we discuss
I do have some that only like to have really nice stills – I’ll use those and charge around $65 to $70.”
Jane
-Austin TX

“$99.99. We canned our $59.99 pkg about 18 months ago... We found the clients at that level expected more and were less likely to purchase add ons. We went back to our single pkg pricing of 99.99 for 6 spins 10 stills and $15 for extra spins. Our average ticket is $135.00.”
Cathal
-St Augustine, FL

"We offer our foot-in-the-door tour that comes with 25 stills for $50.00. If you want to step into one of our Full Service Tours you pay $135.00 to $150.00 depending on size of the home and amenities, double tour for $250.00. Then of course you have your add ons!"
Nancy
-Virginia Beach, VA

“Our pricing starts out at $70 bucks for our very basic virtual tour. We top out at about $199 for shooting an entire home. Of course the $70 tour gets us in the door with many of the agents. Beyond the tour it’s really all about selling the add ons. Most of our add ons are 100% profit to us.”
Gary
-Nashville, TN

“I have 3 different packages. The difference is still photos also. I do a lot of that. Most realtors don’t expect to have to take any photos for the listing.
Some I do just photos and no tours. This is what I was doing when I first started and was not with RTV yet. So this all had to come together in the pricing.

Remember my prices are based on the Sq Ft of the home
Residential Photos Photos Only Pak 1 0-1500 sq. ft 69.00
Residential Photos Photos Only Pak 2 1501-2500 sq. ft. 79.00
Residential Photos Photos Only Pak 3 2501-3500 sq. ft. 89.00
Residential Photos Photos Only Pak 4 3501-4500 sq. ft. 99.00
Residential Photos Photos Only Pak 5 4501-5500 sq. ft. 119.00
Stills only 69.00
Tour only with front and back photo. 149.00
Tour and complete photo shoot. 208.00
We have to account for editing time too which is a $15.00 tour charge. I do run 10% off promos on full packages from time to time. This is Alaska cost off business is high.
I split 50% with my people who work for me. Any less and you will not get anybody to do it. I only have one person my son. He is part time while he is finishing college.”
John
-Anchorage, AK

“$99-$129 depending on distance from door.”
Andrew
-Bend, OR

“Short Sale, Still Photos Only: $125
Basic Tour (6 pans, 10 stills): $150 (Photos for marketing are $25 extra)
Deluxe Tour: (up to 50 scenes): $250 (Photos for marketing are $25 extra)
Realtor.com: $30 ($15 with showcase) Floor Plans start at $250 for 3 bedroom…”
Alex
-Washington DC

“Full service starts at $69, if they send me the photos we charge $29.95, deluxe tour $115, discounted based on volume purchased in advance.”
Alan
-Corpus Christie, TX

"Basic Tour - $85 (3 scenes / 10 stills)
Standard tour - $125 (7 scenes / 25 stills)
Deluxe Tour - $155 (11 scenes / unlimited stills)
Premium Tour - $195 (15 Pans / unlimited stills / Sign Rider / Website)
Quick Photos Only (5 photos) - $40
Standard Photos (25 photos) - $55
Photos and Slideshow Tour - $75
Do it Yourself Photos and slideshow - $55"
Myles
-Tallahassee, FL

“$76.00 is where we start out tours out at. Plus anything we get for selling the add ons. The new add ons that RTV has come up with really help the bottom line. I would say when it is all said and done we get just over $100 bucks a tour…if not more.”
Mike
-Detroit, MI

“I’ve only got one package and it goes for $100. Need to get the add ons going but I’m just a one man show over here.”
Graves
Rehoboth Beach, DE

Some very interesting data indeed! All of the above RTV providers are exclusively using RTV Virtual Tour Software. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!

~Team RTV
Virtual Tour Software

We're Outta Here Baby

2009-11-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

The RTV virtual tour provider Blog is officially out of the pit…or the sandbox as google likes to call it. We are very pleased to announce that after a six month run of being kicked down to a Page Rank of 1 our new blog domain www.virtualtourprovider.com is officially on it’s feet again with a PR of 4.

As all of you already know the main reason you would take the time to submit your blogs to the RTV blog is to build strong back links on over to your site and to also bring the google bot back over to your site on a regular basis. Submitting to the RTV blog not only drives traffic to your site but it also drives the spider. It is the combination of these two entities that allows you to rank quickly and easily on literally any keyword phrase you so desire!!! Don't believe me? Google TC Virtual Tours and see for yourself!

If you have not taken the time to submit a blog to RTV please take some time and do so now. If you’re a brand new dealer it’s even worth two free credits to you. We are so confident that you will see immediate results in your SEO that you will continue to submit a blog to RTV and the other various recommended sites on a regular basis.

A big special thanks to all of you out there that keep this blog kicking and alive! Thanks for all of your contributions. It is all of your blogs are truly helping keep this monster going…and of course helping slingshot your site to higher levels at the same time.

Keep the fight!
Team RTV
Order a virtual tour today! Virtual Tour Software

A Walk Around Spokane Washington

2009-11-08T16:14:00.003-05:00

Hello to my fellow RTV virtual tour providers out there shooting virtual tours all over the World. Here it is and another week ends and it is time for the next installment of the Digital Showcase blog. Well, I think today that I will simply take my camera and one speedlite and take a very long hike around my hometown of Spokane Washington.

There are actually quite a few things that you can shoot simply by walking around your own hometown and trying to fill up your digital card with local shots. When I'm not out shooting Spokane virtual tours, I enjoy just sitting on a bus bench and watching people. It has always amazed me what you can capture by just people watching. I always end up with some really natural shots to add to my gallery and have a rather large database because of it.

Another favorite subject of mine is shooting old time billboards, you know the kind that they used to paint on the sides of old downtown brick buildings. My old time collection has become rather extensive and includes advertisements for five cent cigars, old Indian head stout as well as Coca Cola and other products and services from the early 1900's. I have always enjoyed working in the local urban landscape. There of course many many different things you can shoot in the city. I can go an entire day and shoot nothing but hobos. (got some real interesting ones there) Has anyone started shooting city virtual tours to give to local real estate agents?

Here out West, we have some very creative business owners and a seemingly endless supply of commercial material to shoot. One day I keyed on animals and their masters against the backdrop of the city. Got some real award winners there. After a long walk and hundreds of shots to add to my collection it is always nice to come home to my studio and take those shots to the next level with Photoshop.

As most of you know, there is an endless range of possibilities you can apply to your photos with that image editing software. I like to take my best shots and turn them into works of art and have sold them in various events and craft fairs all over eastern Washington state.

You can actually end up with a tidy sum after a long day of selling my creations both by myself or through other friends that have booths set up at the various craft fairs all over the Pacific Northwest. If you have not yet taken advantage of the Photoshop resource, perhaps it is time you gave it a shot. I did and once I got started, I never looked back. Until next time, good luck setting up your local virtual tour company. Please be sure to visit my site for the latest in Spokane virtual tours!

Steve Stephens
www.digitalshowcasevr.com
Spokane Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour - 509 868-4043

New Marketing Pieces From RTV

2009-11-05T11:43:00.006-05:00

Childcare facilities are an often over looked component of today's economy. Parents who work, typically spend a great deal of time researching and choosing the daycare facility that meets their unique needs. This type of business is a great example of a company that truly benefits from a virtual tour. As you can imagine, having potential customers stopping by during business hours not only would be disruptive to the program but could potentially be unsafe. Virtual tours for a childcare facility allow prospective families to really see the physical environment and then schedule an in person tour.

If you haven't contacted or become familiar with your local Chamber of Commerce then you need to get going. The Chamber is a wealth of connections for a community and potentially an organization that could offer your virtual tours as a part of their membership packages. You might consider doing a free virtual tour for a community so they can see first hand how amazing they really are.

The New Angle postcard is a touch more casual and brings the idea that point and shoot cameras do not take professional photographs. It urges potential customers to use your services for all of their professional photography needs. This postcard can use the basic postcard backside.

Not Everyone is a Photographer! That really says it all. People like to think they can take a good picture and really, most likely they can when it come to family vacation pictures. When it comes to advertising or selling, there isn't a replacement for the skills a professional photographer has. This postcard highlights what unique things you can and will do for a client. This postcard can also use the basic postcard backside.

As always, all of the RTV marketing pieces are easily customizable and typically just require you to insert your specific company information and a logo. We do recommend using Vistaprint for postcard printing and other printing needs. They seem to have fast service and extremely great rates. Take a moment to read the text though and make sure your company can deliver the services delineated. If you can't or don't know how to provide a service such a birds eye view shots or nighttime stills contact us and we can set you in the right direction. If you have an idea for a piece, have suggestions, or want to see something in the next few months send me an e-mail. Best wishes, Jill K. Sill Jill(at)realtourvision.com

Thanks and have a great day!!
RTV Marketing Center
http://www.realtourvision.com

Interactive Floor Plans Draw Record Crowd

2009-11-04T11:02:00.005-05:00

Last night's RTV webinar The FORMULA 16 drew a record crowd as Jason LaVanture and co host Steve Street unleashed the new RTV Interactive Floor Plan System. Over 200 people attended the live show and excitement reached an all time high when Steve offered up four "full service" or sketch and fax plans to all those who attended last nights webinar.

Here are just a few comments from last night's event:

Great webinar! Amazing technology!
-Dale Hart

Hey between the new RTV High Definition virtual tour and the new interactive floor plan technology my head was just spinning!!! Thanks RTV for keeping your technology on the move. I'm geared up to knock out 400 tours this year and the new floor plan system will help me take on even more. You guys ROCK!!
-Cynthia Morris

Floor Plan webinar last night was technically excellent. It was very clear, precise interactive demonstration. Thanks for inviting.
- Raju Alagawadi

Wonderful Webinar.... Thanks so much and please thank Steve! Between the RTV Txt Connect program and now the new floor plans, this is awesome! Thanks again for all this amazing technology and keeping us out in front of the competition. Best Wishes....
-Patty

Absolutely FANTASTIC Webinar!!!
-Francis

The webinar was interesting. We are looking forward to incorporating them into our model. Steve answered the question and it is great that they can link to a video. I'm looking forward to getting into the marketing material that you provide and using to move our business forward. Thanks again, we are glad that we have bought into your company. If you are ever in Maui, look us up.
- John Henry

A very big thanks to everyone out there that came to our show last night. Steve and I have worked out some KILLER pricing for the RTV Interactive Floor Plan system. Please visit
http://www.icovia.com/rtv/ for our new pricing packages. Hey thanks again and be sure to keep an eye out for our next show "FORMULA 17 Setting up Shop"

Best regards,

Team RTV

PS. Don't forget that the RTV TxT Connect program expires at the end of this month so sign up now when you have a chance inside of your TMS!

RealTourVision.com
Interactive 2d Floor Plans

SUV-Limousine Virtual Tour

2009-11-03T12:47:00.003-05:00

If you ever need a stretch limousine in Evansville Indiana be sure to visit SUV-Limousine. Here is a virtual tour of each SUV-Limousine limo : http://rtvpix.com/BU-9156-C4NGJI-01

They have five different limousines in different styles from "elegant" to "party time". SUV-Limousine is the premier limo company in Evansville Indiana and surrounding areas. Their website is www.suv-limo.com.

Customtours360, the only virtual tour provider and photographer in Evansville Indiana, is honored that SUV-Limousine chose us to do their virtual tour and photography work for their company website.

Customtours360 is a proud dealer in the Real Tour Vision family of dealers and has been providing virtual tours and website photography in the Evansville Indiana area for over two years.

Brad Hahn
CustomTours360
www.customtours360.com
Evansville Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour today! 812-550-5321

Hot Springs Village Customers SEE Results

2009-11-02T12:24:00.003-05:00

Challenging Designs Inc. is proud to announce “CDI’s S.E.E. Results Package”. S.E.E. stands for “Search Exposure Engine”. And that is what it you do, SEE Results. I was very excited when I attended our bi-weekly seminar online with Jason LaVanture of Real Tour Visions last night. After 2 hours packed with information and 7 pages of notes, I was ready to start putting his teaching to work. I have heard about Exposure Engines and I knew I was going to offer it, but I really wasn’t sure what it was or how I was going to accomplish it. Well, I am a total believer in Jason and RTV!!!

First he gives us a wonderful and free software to make the videos then takes us through the process – twice. Now, I know I made mistakes, but after a couple of hours figuring out the quickest way of choosing the photos, making a title page for one client (my guinea pig), and a finale’ page for my company, then going through the all the options, I was hooked! I made the video, uploaded it to YouTube, went into Postlets, etc. Well, at the end, I emailed my client the e-flyer, pdf version of the flyer, the link to YouTube and let him know it was posted to Craigslist, Google, etc. I checked the numbers on his RTV Tour and then I went to bed.

This morning, first thing, I get an email from my client telling me how much he LOVED the video and the e-flyer. So I gave it a day and this evening I checked the numbers through his report. I was bowled over! I am definitely making a “checklist” so I can do this as quickly as Jason (I can only hope).

CDI's S.E.E.TM Results Package brought almost 20% as many hits in one night just doing the standard (with a few special tweaks) has done in 2 months! The client is thrilled, the seller will be thrilled and so are we.

Jason, thank you. You did it again. You gave me a wonderful product that can help all the Realtors here, if they come to me, of course. Everyone needs to learn how to do this. We just took a giant LEAP in our climb to be the VERY BEST Hot Springs Village virtual tour company!

Donna Haagenson
Hot Springs Virtual Tours
www.challenging.us
Order a Little Rock Virtual Tour: 501-922-8009

What RTV Dealers Say About Our Marketing

2009-11-01T03:32:00.000-05:00

"Thanks for all your kicking marketing expertise. It has really improved my rankings and put my business on the map... Type in virtual tours [town] and I’m there - BAM!... Still need to get my website up toward the top in the left. Only see the active rain blog there. Very pleased with what you have taught us. Anyway just a little success story for you. Now it is time to put the inner circle material into action and start marketing."

"I really appreciate all the very good information and tips that are available on Real Tour Vision's blog and on Active Rain. I have already put some of it to use. It has been hard to find time to do the actual blogging: 1) I write pieces that are too long and take me too much time; 2) Business has been brisk with tours and virtual assistance. I hope to catch up this week! Thanks for all you are doing!"

"I got a call from a major healthcare marketing firm here that wants to partner with me to do tours for the companies that they represent, like assisted living centers, nursing homes, etc. And, guess how they found me, yep, GOOGLE. So my ranking is definitely being impacted by our group."

"Just wanted to give you a quick update. First, I love your assignments – they are very clear and are pushing me to spend more time blogging which I never really did before to any extent. One of the things I would like to get out of this at the end is self reliance. In other words, I am not sure at this point how to prioritize activities to get the most bang for the buck if you will. I am hoping your summary doc that comes at the end will help with that. You are definitely making me aware of all the things I don’t know!!! LOL"

"We are doing fine. I like active rain. I have noticed that our blogs are at the top of Google. Our website seems to come and go on Google. Maybe I need to be linking to more specific articles on our website. Having a little trouble coming up with something new to blog about each week. But, loved the webinar and we are very excited to be learning about SEO."

Thank you all for making the RTV marketing team best in show!
RTV Marketing
RTV Virtual Tours

Turn up the Volume!

2009-10-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of changes in the last few years to our country, and to each of us individually. Myself, I received my real estate license, became a RTV dealer, got married, and quit making virtual tours to move across country. During this time, I had the opportunity to look at a lot of houses trying to find one for my family. Having been both an RTV dealer and a Realtor®, I was in the unique position of seeing marketing from both sides of the fence.

Because I had to find a house, or at least some good candidates before I moved, I found myself looking at houses on the Internet from 1500 miles away! I saw everything from ads that had 1-20 still pictures, slide shows, bad “virtual” tours, to excellent virtual tours. You know what happened to the homes that had one picture – they were dumped without even reading the description. Bad virtual tours made me angry, while good virtual tours were a delight. When I say “bad” virtual tours, I’m thinking of the many agents across the country who have begun using a do-it-yourself company (you know who they are).

The agent buys the software, pays a monthly fee, then makes as many tours as they want. Many brokers have even been persuaded to buy this program as an added benefit for their agents. This company has a very good product which is easy for the novice to use, but what the agent and broker forgot to figure in was the fact that it’s only as good as the photographer and the person stitching the tour. Consequently, the compiler either doesn’t receive good enough training (you hardly ever see a 360 tour), or they didn’t pay attention to training. So, their virtual tour is nothing more than a slide show.

In many cases the picture quality makes it a not so good slide show. Imagine my chagrin as I looked for houses, clicked on a virtual tour button, only to find a slide show showing the same 6 still pictures I just looked at, only now they’re moving in and out, or bouncing back and forth with music! As a home buyer, this made me angry more than anything. I felt like I’d been taken because I wasted my time waiting for the tour to load on my computer and got no added value.

Now that I’m semi-settled, I’m preparing to start my Montgomery virtual tour business. I plan to open my doors on October 25, 2009. The name of my new company will be www.iHomeEvents.com. I chose this name because I think of technology as living the future now. One day I was reading a very popular book about time travel. I thought when you’re many miles away, and you want to see a home immediately, you wish you could time travel.

I noted that when scientist speak of time travel, they use the word EVENT to mean a point in space-time; that is, a location in space at a specific moment of time. While technology can't offer us time travel, as a RTV dealer, I can offer my clients the ability to let their clients “time and place shift” to a specific home. They can walk through a property regardless of what continent they're on, or what time it might be. In other words, a client can shift to anywhere in the world to see a virtual tour of a home at a certain point in time that they choose.

A smart agent will allow their client to view homes at their convenience - WHEN they want and WHERE they want. Technology now allows us to be able to look from most anywhere: at home, at the office, at the beach, in the mountains, on an airplane – anywhere we can take a smart phone or iPod – it’s the client’s choice! Therefore, I’ve used the “i” to represent technology, and then I go to work to create a “HomeEvent” for my clients.

A true, quality virtual tour is obviously the best way to showcase a home other than being there in person. If an agent really wants to sell, now is not the time to forget about marketing. According to Gary S. Shamis, CPA, managing director of Cleveland-based SS&G Financial Services and a member of The Advisory Board:

“. . . knowing that you will be losing revenue and business, aren't you justified in reducing your marketing efforts? On the contrary - this is the time to "turn up the volume" and increase all aspects of your marketing.

“If you are the firm in your region to up the marketing ante, and your competition is hiding in a cave or under a rock, what could be better? Your firm is turning up the volume, and your competition is turning off the radio.” (See the rest of Gary’s article at http://www.webcpa.com/news/Turn-Volume-Marketing-51463-1.html)

We must help our clients understand that even though the economy is bad, turning up the volume and the quality, while others turn the radio off will not only help put them in the forefront now, but will start them at the top of the heap when the economy turns around. It will be their marketing through bad times that gets their names remembered by prospective clients when the good days return.

Jean Bryson
Montgomery Virtual Tours
iHomeEvents.com

The Heartland Property Tours Exposure Engine

2009-10-29T12:00:00.003-05:00

Heartland Property Tours is a Central Illinois virtual tour provider now offering a truly amazing extended service to our customers called "The Exposure Engine"

The Heartland Property Tours Exposure Engine sends your listing and interactive 360 virtual tour to more than 15 websites so your listing can get the MAXIMUM exposure possible. And if you include with your purchase the Submission to Realtor.com your tour will be pushed to nearly 100 sites in all!!!!

With our Exposure Engine your listings will get more views because your listing is on more websites and the Exposure Engine creates back links to your listings and website. What that means is that if any potential buyer would search by agent name or listing address the properties run through our Exposure Engine will return in the search engine results page. Everybody likes a little google juice with their virtual tours!

But that's not all. Included in the New 2010 Exposure Engine is a new Smart Phone Tour and E-Flyer!! Are you putting all of your listings on YouTube? Well don't worry because we are doing that for you. Our Smart Phone Tour allows agents to carry with them at all times their virtual tours on their cell phones for instant viewing. You never know when you may come across a potential buyer.

The E-Flyer is an HTML email-ready flyer that agents can easily send out to potential buyers.

Look us up online today. Heartland Property Tours is ready to take your listings to the next level.

Michael Robinson
Heartland Property Tours
www.heartlandpropertytours.com
Central Illinois Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour : 815-549-6844

It Takes Money to Make Money

2009-10-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

The last thing on my mind when Real Estate on Nova Scotia’s South Shore (my magazine) lost 30% of it’s revenue last fall, was investing money. Anywhere.

In an economic climate where survival of small business is at stake, how should I plan my spending? We are in the middle of a recession, but as a business owner I have one step up on those that are employed by others... I am in control of my destiny. If I truly want to maintain a thriving business I needed to invest in my business. The saying “build it and they will come” is simply not true of business.

In business it is so important that you maintain a “leg up” on the competition. It surprises me that many people fail to grasp this concept. When you consider the revenue cost of losing customers, or the acquisition cost of replacing them, you can make a very strong return on investment case for the appropriate use of limited resources.

It was time to be proactive. And broaden the scope of the marketing services I offered my Realtors. As I considered that 84% of home buyers and 87% of first time buyers use the internet as an information resource during their search for a home (in the 25-44 age group this number jumped to 91%) I concluded, that a compelling use of virtual tour technology would keep visitors on their site, and would also keep them coming back.

I chose to invest and become a full service dealer with RTV (Real Tour Vision). The largest full service virtual tour and property marketing network in the world. Simply put, they had the best virtual tour software, property marketing training and support.

By having a virtual tour, you are effectively demonstrating to your clients that you are not only at the top of your game, but you will serve them best by employing unique and “out of the box” solutions to meet their problems and most importantly, expectations and needs.

The competition is fierce, and so are you. Come out on top, every time - your clients don’t want to settle for less, why should you?

Virtual tours not only appeal to the local market, but to the international market as well. Increase your level of service, Supernova Studios virtual tours integrate easily into any website.

Order your Nova Scotia Virtual Tour Today.
www.supernovastudios.ca

How's Your RTV Virtual Tour?

2009-10-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

Dear RTV,

We recently purchased a virtual tour from Florida Eye Tours. Chris Grumley really did an outstanding job! He was able to capture the unique features of the property far better than any still photos could do. When he added the graphics and the music, the result was nothing short of spectacular! I don’t impress easily, but I was completely blown away by the virtual tour he produced. We got so many compliments on the virtual tour. Our rental inquiries have more than doubled. Thanks for having a great product. You have my highest recommendation."

Best Regards,
Mike Fischer

The Benefits of Entrepreneurship

2009-10-26T10:35:00.005-05:00

The economic changes seem to be effecting everyone I know, but the good news is that my Denver Virtual Tour and Architectural photography company, Denver Image Productions is off and running with great successes!

I started my virtual tour business just a few months ago after being laid off myself from a International Real Estate company that was not able to keep on the staff due to the poor economy and lack of sales. After much thought and consideration on whether to stay in real estate or not, I decided to do the next best thing…stay in real estate in a different avenue and also something that I really love – architectural photography and virtual tours.

After a LOT of research and discovery, I found Real Tour Vision. The reason I chose RTV was that I recognized the advantage of owning your own virtual tour company vs simply working for one such as the Obeo or Circlepix business model is. Although, I may have had a smaller startup and would have been busier in the beginning of this process, the benefits of owning my own company, making my own rules, setting my own pricing far outweigh any benefits of working for somone. The key with RTV's business model is that you have be business savvy and intelligent to make it work not to mention be confidnet in yourself. These are all qualities that I have and finally I really enjoy exploring my own territories and working with clients that I can build a good repore and lasting relationship with.

I’ve found in my discoveries over the last few months that Realtors and commercial businesses understand the value with online e-marketing and Virtual Tours. We are not creating something new, so talking to folks about the product is easy. What RTV provides that so many other companies don't offer is many additional great property marketing tools. It's these additional features that makes attracting new clients easy and fun. I am getting busier and busier and am expanding to new companies everyday. I look forward to seeing how big I can grow Denver Image Productions over the next year.

Tahvory Bunting
Founder, Photographer
Denver Image Productions
Denver Virtual Tours
Mobile: 720-382-8328
www.denverimageproductions.com

Interactive Floor Plans are Fantastic

2009-10-23T12:48:00.003-05:00

Dear RTV,

This your new interactive floor plan software is absolutely fantastic! It does take a little getting used to, but this stomps all over your previous technology.

I was in the middle of creating a plan in your older system the other day when you sent out
the notice about it being live… so we put on the breaks and jumped into the new
program with all four feet!! (My son was working on it with me.)

A little frustrating with the learning curve and all… but will be awesome and I will
Promote the floorplans more now.

Anyway… here is our first try at it…and I think it came out really nice. Please let us know if there is something that can better enhance it.

http://rtvpix.com/RE-7796-MVJ0XP-01

This is going to help me get so many more customers now over a competitor of ours down here offering floor plans with snapshots. When I roll this out I think we are going to get a lot more interest now.

I’m geeked over this update and ALL the other things RTV is doing. I for one appreciate the fact that RTV is always on the cutting edge of technology and grabbing a hold of it… not just watching it take place.

Thanks!
Dawn Frees
Grand Rapids Virtual Tours
www.freesframephotography.com
Order a virtual tour 616-334-9750

New Technology Release | Floor Plan Software

2009-10-21T15:27:00.002-05:00

We're very pleased to inform everyone that we've just gone live with our new Interactive Floor Plan system! We have created an all new system utilizing an amazing space planner technology!

This technology leapfrogs the floor plan technology of the competitors with its unique ability to add photos, panoramas, AND move furniture around!!

You're now able to create unlimited floor plans and link them directly to your virtual tours. We're also very happy to announce, by popular demand, we've brought back our Sketch & Fax service.

Take a moment now and check out the new system by following the link below:

Floor Plan Software by RTV

For those of you that would like to hear about this system in detail you're more than welcome to join us Tuesday, November 3rd at 7:00pm Eastern, while Jason LaVanture and Guest Speaker Steve Street from Icovia discuss the many "bells and whistles" built into the new Floor Plan system.

Sign up now and start practicing so you can be ready for this event!

Enjoy the new system!

Team RTV

Creating Buyer Curiosity

2009-10-20T10:36:00.000-05:00

I believe in competition. I believe that it makes people work harder to provide quality products and incredible services. That is why Listing Solutions is proud to be a Full Service Provider for RTV, the World’s largest network of Virtual Tour Providers. Our amazing technology allows us to create a unique perspective of homes for sale in St Augustine.

There are a number of companies and a few new ones (your welcome for the plug Chris) that are selling “slideshows” under the guise of virtual tours. This method of marketing your property online does not allow the potential Home Buyer to see the actual layout of the home.

Listing Solutions’ virtual tours feature “Hot Spots.” These carefully placed icons appear on the virtual tour and when clicked on, take the viewer to what is behind the door. Kind of like Christmas! Our virtual tours are loaded with features that enable you to professionally market your property and promote yourself online. Contact us today and I will give you 31 Reasons Why Listing Solutions Should Be Part of Your Online Marketing Strategies.

Listing Solutions is laser focused on helping our clients achieve the success online needed to compete in today’s challenging market. We are one of St. Augustine web designs emerging companies and a Full Service Dealer with RTV, specializing in Jacksonville virtual tours. We are one of the premier virtual tour providers in St. Augustine. Our online real estate marketing skills allow us to help our clients dominate the search engines. We would love the opportunity to help you. Call us today!

Dave Hall
Marketing Director
Listing Solutions
Order a virtual tour - (904) 540-9962
View Our Blog

Spokane Virtual Tours

2009-10-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

Even though I am very new to the "Virtual Tour" scene I have already been asked by many friends and family why I decided to start producing Spokane Virtual Tours. I would think back to the time when I first decided to get an AAS degree in Photography. The year was 1998 and I was going to find my niche in the digital photography market. In fact, I decided to add another year of digital imaging technology so I could "Photoshop" those digital images I was about to start stacking up.

I had a great time learning all those things and plying my trade when out of the blue, my College professor told me about these fantastic 360 degree images on the web and that they were being used by most of the major players in marketing and advertising on the internet. That he was actually creating them himself and would I be interested in learning how with him. I jumped at the chance and it was not long before we had everything of interest in our hometown of Spokane Washington photographed and stitched and placed on the net for all to see.

We tried to market to local businesses and we did sell a few, but back in 99 the technology was new and the file sizes were rather large at one to two megabytes per "spin". Additionally, there was not much broadband available so it took quite a while to download each file. In other words, we really didn't get this enterprise of the ground.

Well now, here it is ten years later and things have changed. By total chance, I ran across a company called Real Tour Vision. They happen to be world leaders in the virtual tour field and they offer state-of-the-art technology. I immediately realized that this was the opportunity I had been looking for. Turns out the software had improved tremendously and now everyone seemed to be hooked up to broadband allowing for very fast downloads.

The game had taken a complete 180 and was now a viable advertising option. This company keys on the Real Estate market but can be utilized by many different types of businesses. For example, imagine that you want to take a vacation to the Florida keys but having never been there, you have no idea where to stay. Simple, just plug in your Google search for local hotels and "voila" there they are complete with virtual tours of each individual property. You can see what your getting into before you plunk down your cash. Wonderful. This is an idea that years ago no one even thought about. What a great idea!!

I can only imagine where this is going. I look forward to the future when this application evolves into who knows what. Until then I plan on making many virtual tours in Spokane and thoroughly enjoy my association with RTV.

Remember - there is nothing to fear but fear itself !

Steve Stephens
www.digitalshowcasevr.com
Spokane Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour - 509 868-4043

Welcome to Tour Track

2009-10-18T16:42:00.004-05:00

As many of you who are seasoned virtual tour providers with RTV already know, the RTV tour track system dolls out hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to its loyal virtual tour providers. Anyone that is a part of the RTV network can simply email our Tour Track team a set of architectural images via photo bucket, RTV will grade your images and from that point on you will instantly qualify for one of our many national accounts that provide us with steady work every month.

Because RTV has built up the World's Largest virtual tour and professional photography network many companies come to us each month asking for bids and quotes to satisfy their unique photography needs. From restaurants to hotels to luxury yachts, RTV has enough national accounts to keep their providers busy year round! Below is a nice testimonial from a brand new RTV provider after he received his "Welcome to Tour Track" email. Enjoy!!

Dear RTV,

"Thank you for your introduction. Since joining the RTV network I have been impressed seeing the communication skills and depth of the RTV team. I am looking forward to working with your team as I get up to speed on creating virtual tours.

While I am new to creating virtual tours, my experience in architectural still photography is seasoned. For the last 7 years I've been shooting real estate and portfolios for architects, builders, stagers, and interior designers. You can find a gallery of my architecture work here.

Recently some of my Realtor clients began requesting virtual tours in addition to the stills (they were actually booking OBEO for the tours and then throwing out their stills!). Realizing the need to expand my product portfolio, I began researching solutions to provide virtual tours. I'm very pleased to have discovered RTV. While I had opportunities to partner with OBEO and TourFactory, I'm continually impressed with the resources, skill, and professionalism I'm encountering with the RTV team.

I have much experience shooting small jobs with available light to multi-million dollar homes and commercial properties that require elaborately lit scenes. I utilize professional camera equipment and a variety of continuous light and remote strobes as dictated by the job quality requirements and rate.

In the meanwhile, I will be familiarizing myself with the Tour Track Forum and getting the virtual tour creation process honed in."

Best regards,
Rob

It's great compliments like this that keep our company going as strong as it is! Thanks for the feedback Rob!

RTV Tour Track Team
Order your national photography services today!