In an increasingly digital world, it is imperative that your virtual tour meets the needs of today’s students. Based on EAB’s work with more than 600 colleges and universities, we’ve compiled a comprehensive evaluation to leverage as you explore prospective virtual tour solutions.
The evaluation spans five key areas of consideration, which can be used to ensure your prospective solution goes beyond buildings and maps to provide a compelling virtual experience.
Preview the questions and examples for yourself, or share with your team using the button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. You can also download an editable version of the audit below, which includes a scoring grid.
An exceptional virtual tour tells a relatable and authentic story about your institution and creates an emotional connection with your audience.
Question
Does my prospective virtual tour solution include creative consultation with an award-winning studios team?
Example
Example: A discovery phase to ensure brand fidelity and alignment with institutional goals
Does my prospective virtual tour partner leverage years of experience to craft the best story possible?
Example: Apply data and insights from over 600 virtual tours
Does my virtual tour allow me to incorporate existing creative assets to tell more a robust story?
Example: Layer YouTube videos and/or photos from social media throughout the tour
An exceptional virtual tour combines the right types of content, in the right places, to keep visitors engaged.
Question
Does my prospective virtual tour solution combine a variety of media types to create an interactive experience that encourages exploration?
Example
Example: Weave together photos, videos, audio, and text in each scene
Does my prospective virtual tour solution utilize 360 photos and videos to create a lifelike experience?
Example: Allow a student to step inside a dorm room to get a true sense of the space
Does my prospective virtual tour solution include audio narration that orients visitors to the experience?
Example: A student guide welcoming visitors to the tour and telling them what area of the school or community they can visit next
Does my prospective virtual tour solution have an introductory video to capture visitors’ attention?
Example: A short highlight reel that provides an exciting overview of your school
Does my prospective virtual tour solution include a dedicated Partner Success Manager to recommend strategic engagement and promotion strategies?
Example: Ongoing support to align virtual tour with marketing initiatives
Does my prospective virtual tour solution allow me to easily add additional content at any time?
Example: Add relevant content such as COVID-19 communications and images of new campus buildings
Does my prospective virtual tour solution prompt students to take action based on their engagement level?
Example: Prompt a visitor to register, schedule a visit, or apply
An exceptional virtual tour is user-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate.
Question
Does my prospective virtual tour solution allow visitors to choose tour stops in any order?
Example
Example: Jump right to residence-life tour stop
Does my prospective virtual tour solution allow visitors to correlate tour stops to physical locations on campus?
Example: Support an interactive map
Does my prospective virtual tour solution make it easy for visitors to take the next step in their journey?
Example: Call To Action buttons visible in a fixed location throughout the tour
Is my prospective virtual tour solution optimized for mobile viewing?
Example: Gyroscopic control
Is my prospective virtual tour solution updated regularly with product enhancements that improve the user experience?
Example: A registration form that enables users to pick up where they left off when they come back to the tour
An exceptional virtual tour is accessible anywhere and everywhere. It should be available across all devices and provide equal access to all people.
Question
Is my prospective virtual tour solution ADA compliant?
Example
Example: Accessibility mode
Is my prospective virtual tour solution accessible on any device?
Example: Desktop, mobile, tablet, and in virtual reality
Does my prospective virtual tour solution support exploration in multiple languages?
Example: Help international students better understand offerings by providing narrative in their native language
Does my prospective virtual tour solution allow me to embed my tour into relevant webpages and launch directly into specific tour stops?
Example: Launch directly into an athletics stop from the athletics webpage
Does my prospective virtual tour partner have a website that is a go-to information source for millions of prospective students and their parents?
Example: An organic college search page that includes your virtual tour
Can my prospective virtual tour solution be found on other third-party search sites?
Example: Peterson’s and Common App
An exceptional virtual tour not only provides a great experience to visitors but also provides insights about the visitors.
Question
Does my prospective virtual tour solution capture inquiries and provide a weekly activity report?
Example
Example: Utilize a built-in registration form
Does my prospective virtual tour solution have an analytics portal that provides insight on visitor behavior?
Example: A visitor profile that includes key metrics such as engagement score and demographics
Does my prospective analytics portal allow me to segment my inquiry lists for targeted marketing campaigns?
Example: Filter inquiries by interests, behavior, and registration data
Does my prospective analytics portal show me how well my content is performing?
Example: See which tour stops are visited most frequently
Does my prospective analytics portal allow me to benchmark my tour against other institutions?
Example: See how your tour is performing compared to similar schools
Does my prospective virtual tour solution include a dedicated Partner Success Manager who can help me understand and utilize my analytics?
Example: Analyze visitor demographics and advise cohorts to target
