A virtual tour could be a video of an apartment. It could also be a video of the community’s amenities. It could even be a video of the neighborhood. Virtual tours, also known as video tours, encompass a wide range of video types, but typically video duration should be consistent.
We analyzed the Realync database to answer the following questions:
- On average, what is the length of a virtual tour and live video tour?
- What types of virtual tours are popular?
- On average, what is the length of a pre-recorded video tour?
Before we dive in, let’s get on the same page about virtual tours and how it works in multifamily.
What Does Virtual Tour Mean?
Virtual touring is an online community tour rather than an in-person tour of a multifamily community. Over the past few years, how leasing teams engage with and tour prospects has changed significantly and now includes an experience that encompasses a variety of options, such as in-person, self-guided, or video tours.
How Long Should a Virtual Tour Be?
We assessed Realync types of virtual tours to determine the average length. To understand the average lengths of the virtual tours, it’s important you know the types of tours we refer to.
Realync is a multifamily engagement platform where leasing teams create pre-recorded and live virtual tours of their communities. With live tours, clients have two options — Live Tour Sessions where a leasing agent is seated at their desk and shows pre-recorded tours on screen to a prospect during a live session experience.
The other option is Live Virtual Tours where a leasing agent is physically touring the prospect around the community on a phone or tablet. Realync clients can also create pre-recorded videos to communicate with prospective renters and current renters through email, social media, ILS, and portals.
Now, that you have an understanding of the types of online tours, we used the Realync database to answer, what is the average length of a virtual tour?
From January 2019 until July 2022, Realync users completed 11,057 Live Tour Sessions. On average, a Live Tour Session is 18 minutes. From January 2019 until July 2022, Realync users completed 33,752 Live Virtual Tours. On average, a Live Virtual Tour is 14 minutes.
From September 2019 until July 2022, the average length of a pre-recorded video is 2 minutes. This is for all video types (unit, amenities, Internal, etc.). From September 2019 until July 2022, the most popular type of video created is unit-specific videos. Below are other types of popular pre-recorded videos:
- Amenities
- Area/Neighborhood
- Internal
- Resident Events
Realync users chose a “type” of video. This is how we learned which videos were popular amongst our database.
What Do You Need to Make a Virtual Tour?
You’ll want to consider angles, lighting, equipment, and personalization when creating a virtual tour. Start by doing a practice run before you film, and walk slower than you think you should. Also, make sure you have the best lighting by opening the curtains. Here are a few other considerations:
- You want to ensure you have the right tools like a high-quality stabilizer or gimbal to keep videos steady.
- You don’t need a professional photographer if you have the right application on your phone.
- You’ll want to shoot videos in horizontal mode with a wide-angle lens attachment.
- You’ll want a WCAG-compliant and multifamily-specific video platform like Realync (why Zoom isn’t the answer!)
Don’t forget to share your videos. Creating a video tour is not valuable without getting it out there in front of prospects. So, ensure you have a promotional plan built out (e.g., are you posting those videos on your website or social sites?).
Virtual tours do not have to take up a lot of your time as a leasing agent. It should save you time and money! Learn how Realync is helping multifamily communities all over the country market and lease more memorably.
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