Are you a professional photographer thinking about switching to the Matterport 3D Showcase platform from Google Business View?
We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod often receives email inquiries from pro photographers thinking about making the switch.
Dan created this list of Top 10 Reasons Why Professional Photographers Should Make the Switch to the Matterport Platform from Google Business View to reply to these inquiries:
- Wow Factor – In addition to the Matterport 3D Showcase WalkAround™ virtual tour viewing experience, Clients like the Matterport "Dollhouse" and "Floor Plan" views.
- Navigation – It's simply easier to WalkAround within a Matterport 3D Showcase that Google Business View.
- Begin Your Tour Where You Want – From the "Dollhouse" or floor plan view, simply select a room and "fly in" to WalkAround. No need to follow a path.
- 24 Hour Turn-Around – Matterport 3D Showcases are always turned around in less 24 hours versus the Google Business View approval process that can be unpredictable. Even the Google Business View website says live within "just a few weeks."
- FloorMe™ – Unlike Google Business View, the Matterport camera captures data that enables We Get Around to offer our interactive FloorMe floor plan solution.
- Still Photos – In Matterport Workshop view, the photographer or the Client can 'take photos' – screen grabs – within the 3D Showcase view (and without the Matterport navigational symbols).
- Measure – Also in Matterport Workshop view, the photographer or the Client can 'drop points' to measure spaces.
- Legacy Technology – Clients will expect that their photography includes the underlying data. We imagine additional uses for the data that (we have not even imagined). The Matterport solution includes the underlying data. Google Business View does not.
- Pricing – it is simply easier to quote by square feet since the Matterport platform includes the data to calculate total square feet. [Apples to Oranges Price Comparison: We recently estimated a project at $5,000 that a Google Business View photographer quoted at $2,500. All things being equal – and they are not because the Matterport 3D Showcase solution is simply better as outlined here – the pricing difference is the "straight and narrow" path that the Google Business View photographer quoted (pricing based on camera scans) versus our immersive WalkAround the space / view from nearly everywhere solution (pricing based on square feet). That said, prospective clients will want our Matterport solution because it is simply a better choice to help increase revenue.)
- Customer Focused – at the end of the day, it is all about what do your customers – and prospective customers want. For example, Kodak missed the boat on digital photography. Blockbuster missed both DVDs by mail and streaming. Apple crushed Tower Records and Virgin Megastores with iTunes. Each of these failed companies were focused on their legacy business while their competitors were focused on what their customers want. While you are focused on all the camera gear and accessories that you have invested in shooting spherical photography for Google Business View, your competitors are focused what your customers want. The good news is that your expertise 'matters' when making the switch to Matterport camera, gear and accessories.
- Bonus: Join our We Get Around Network of Matterport Pro 3D Camera Photographers around the globe.
- Bonus: Join our Matterport User Group Forum
"It's obvious that Google Business View will switch to three-dimensional views of spaces that include the use of data too," says Dan. "Google's Project Tango teases capturing spaces with mobile devices and Matterport is one of their partners. Unless potential clients are putting new business development on hold until Google Business View offers a Matterport-like solution, the Matterport solution can help potential clients today."
If you are a Google Business View photographer that does not plan to make the switch, please comment on why not ...
