How to Use Virtual Tours To Elevate Real Estate Sales

We’re in the last month of 2022, and not only are we entering a new year, but we’re entering a recession that’s hurting real estate sales across the country. As many other authors and I discussed in previous articles, virtual tours help real estate agents sell more properties, but that’s not up for debate.

But we’ve found a neat little hack you can do with your real estate content to get free exposure and more eyeballs on your listings to get more sales. It’s all through a process called “geotagging.”

Never heard of this term before? Don’t worry; let’s learn about how to implement it into your content.

What is geotagging?

Geotagging is a technical search engine optimization term used to help rank local content higher on search engines through the exact coordinates of a real estate listing and the type of real estate property. Many business owners implement this strategy to get them to rank higher on local searches; let’s walk through an example.

John Smith owns a bakery in Philadelphia, and while he has a great virtual tour, video and photos, he’s looking for that extra edge against his competition. He finds the process of geotagging, goes to a free site such as geoimgr.com, finds the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of Philadelphia, adds it to Geo Imgr and then adds in his niche keyphrase for what people search for his type of business, such as “bakeries near me” or “bakeries in Philadelphia.”

So you’re essentially telling Google what you do “niche” in your area’s coordinates, so Google positions you as such because you’ve organized your content and tagged it as such; it’s a brilliant way to get higher rankings on local searches. In 2023, you’ll need to think outside the box — this is a great example of doing just that.

Related: How Real Estate Investors Can Prepare for 2023 in 4 Easy Steps

How does this apply to real estate listings?

What do brick-and-mortar businesses and real estate listings have in common? They’re both pieces of real estate, so this process works just as well with real estate listings, just like how it does with small businesses such as John Smith’s bakery.

No one is doing this as a real estate agent. They’re only focused on having great content, although essential to get to the next level; they also need to geotag all of their photos and videos! This is what hotshot realtors do to increase exposure on their listings.

So how do I optimize my content as a real estate agent?

It’s easier than you think, so don’t overthink it! Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to geotag your real estate content.

1. Go to Geoimgr.com
2. Take your current listing content (photos, videos, renderings, 360 tours) and plug them into the groomer.
3. Google your location coordinates, ex: Philadelphia’s coordinates are (39.9526° N and 75.1652° W).
4. Enter the coordinates into Geoimgr.
5. Enter your type of real estate into Geoimgr “single-family home in Rittenhouse (insert your neighborhood)” or “multifamily home south Philadelphia.”
6. Hit the “EXIF Tag” button, and you’ve optimized your real estate listing content!

Related: How Virtual Reality is Impacting Real Estate?

Where do I post my optimized content once I have it?

Like you would normally do, you’ll post to the multiple listing service, which posts to all the big-name listings such as Zillow, Realtor, Loopnet, Redfin, etc. Since most people search on Google anyway, Google will still give you the benefits of geotagging. The best part about using geoimgr is that you can upgrade your account to get more content optimized for more listings as you become more successful as time goes on.

Don’t have the time? Fortunately, this process takes less than 10-15 minutes to complete. Learn how to do this process first, then give it to one of your teammates or interns to geotag your content for the foreseeable future.

Virtual tours are the best marketing tool for your listing, but geotagging is the secret sauce that allows your listings to sell faster and for more money.

Use this strategy to kickstart your 2023 and find success in your real estate endeavors.