The last frontier for Google maps has now been crossed.
It was only a matter of time before they finally announced what was their next obvious step in their mapping technology concept: going indoors.
Privacy concerns aside – because, nearly everyone has the capability to take photos of inside buildings now and publish them on social networks without the slightest knowledge those concerned – this is a big deal for the commercial sector. As the BBC article reports, it will “…help businesses as they build their online presence”. And who doesn’t need the extra attention during these tumultuous years in economics!
However, it may be photography today but video seems a much more interactive choice in future. The fact that Youtube is still number one and a leading search engine in its own right only underlines this point. Videos though are still too unpredictable and difficult to manage for search engines which is probably why more time is needed to perfect this art.
Commercial clients though can jump ahead of the game without waiting on the technology or personnel to help them in this regard. Video cameras and not expensive and there are a plethora of free programs for editing online. It’s important to add relevant information about your type of business and the products sold.
For example, these two businesses in Bologna are unrelated but clients can see immediately the benefits of how that company operate from a behind the scenes short video:
Another point is to keep any video short and sweet with no wide sweeping or quick movements as this will only result in a distorted image. Most videos now can also be directly tagged to Google maps so it may be worthwhile considering this option too as customers may also have the opportunity to help you with viral advertising. Photography doesn’t have the same traction here which is another reason why videos sell better.