Hello to all my friends in quarantine!
Hope you're doing well and staying safe.
I've got some exciting news, and that is I've just moved
house and have a brand new office and YouTube set.
Well, it's actually a spare bedroom in my apartment,
but check out this insane view behind me!
That, right there, is the entire skyline of Sydney.
Here it is from another perspective, it's kind of hard
to see everything like this, but I'll do my best.
So this wall will potentially become my next big YouTube
backdrop, don't know what I'll put on it yet,
maybe photos again, we'll see.
I've got my desk here, big ass whiteboard, and walking over
to here, what's this?
It's my 360 camera collection, what?
Look at all those 360 cameras.
I wish there was a way to show you this and... never mind.
So, yeah, this is it.
I can't believe I'm saying it,
but this is my third YouTube studio.
This isn't going to be my permanent background, by the way,
but it's the best I can do for now.
Now I wanted to take a minute to tell you guys
why I think right now, is the best time possible
to be a 360 photographer and content creator,
and the massive opportunity that sits before us right now.
I know a lot of people are freaking out right now
after losing their jobs because of the virus,
or their business is in danger and the world is seeing
some pretty uncertain times right now.
Every country is being affected differently,
but what I've noticed they all have in common
is that extreme restrictions have been placed
around visiting certain physical locations.
Right now, in Australia, we're not as restricted as many
other countries, but we still can't visit 95% of places
that used to be a part of our everyday life
just a month ago.
So what we have here is a big problem, a problem that 360
photographers can help solve.
And that problem is that businesses, small, medium and large
aren't able to be visited by their customers
for the foreseeable future.
It's weird to think that this is reality now.
Every morning I wake up and I think this whole virus thing
was just a bad dream, and then realize it isn't,
and yeah, it's just weird.
But anyway, we're all being affected by the virus
in different ways, and one of the biggest ways I see
it affecting society, aside from the obvious
health risk, is business.
A lot of businesses are fighting for their lives right now
and are looking for something
to keep their head above water.
One thing I've noticed since real-life visitations
have been restricted, is to survive, most businesses
are putting all of their energy and effort into selling
themselves online, which makes sense.
The internet has the majority of planet Earth using it,
and online sales are booming right now as a result.
So, if you're a business owner or a marketing manager
right now, you're thinking about how you can find some
attractive marketing bait that will lure in sales to keep
your business or company going online.
And that bait can come in the form of many things.
The main ones being sales or discounts
to attract new buyers, and various types
of promotional content to attract new buyers.
And for many businesses that have the issue of no physical
visitations, new content that helps them do that online
is going to be of really high value.
Yes, they'll be looking to all the traditional forms
of media like images, videos, articles, ads and so on,
but something that most of them probably haven't thought
of, and are now finally discovering, is 360 content.
(ringing)
(tripod clicking together)
You know how I was struggling to show
you my YouTube studio before?
Well now, it's easy.
Welcome to my humble abode.
What's this?
It's the thumbnail of this video.
Welcome to my world.
So, what that 360 shot just did is solve my problem
of not being able to properly show you my new space,
and now as 360 content creators, we can solve that exact
same problem for businesses that are suffering
from having no visitors.
Yes, there's no question they'll be using other forms
of media to promote themselves online right now,
but a 360 experience of a physical place is the most
immersive and realistic way possible to show people that.
You don't just get a small window, you get a full 360 degree
perspective that you would normally get with your own eyes
if you were standing there.
And while this isn't necessary for a lot of businesses,
and you can still sell a lot of stuff without 360 photos
or videos, there's also a lot of stuff you can sell
better with 360 content.
Think about it, any location-based businesses that rely
on physical visits, like real estate listings,
car showrooms, museums, art galleries, public spaces,
tourism, all of these industries will be hurting right now,
and that hurt can be helped a little bit in the form
of 360 content and virtual tours.
While it's not the same as physically walking
through the space in real life, it's the next best thing,
and a really good thing to have in times of closures
and extreme closures like we're experiencing
now during COVID-19.
My inbox is full right now from businesses
who are in desperate need of virtual tours as a way to keep
business going during these lock-downs
and this really difficult time, and so many businesses,
aside from those ones, don't even know about 360 photo
and video content yet, and could easily be sold
on it if given the right explanation
of how it's a solution to their problem.
While the virus is temporary and will hopefully be gone
as soon as possible, I see this as a big wake-up call
for a lot of industries to get their businesses
even more online so they can survive difficult times
like what we're experiencing now.
This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing, and everyone
living through it now is probably not going to forget
it as long as they live, so with that, comes the reminder
that bad stuff like this can happen,
and that the internet keeps going.
When times are tough in the real world, the internet,
it's going okay, it's still online, hasn't gone offline yet.
So even though the pandemic will end, tough times
can and will happen again in the future, and 360 content
is just that extra level of protection for businesses
that rely on physical visitations.
It's actually been kind of cool over the past weeks,
I've noticed a virtual tour market has been booming
as a result of COVID-19, and the demand for 360 content
is the highest it's ever been,
and it's getting higher and higher.
The interesting thing is that the amount of photographers
out there willing to service that demand is actually
kind of low in comparison to the amount of businesses
that need that kind of content.
So, I see this as a golden opportunity for 360 photographers
around the world to get started with their own business
and become their own boss while the demand is high.
Not only are these uncertain times great for your business,
but you can also help other businesses in their time of need
which really is a win-win.
Now, of course, there's going to be a disclaimer here.
Don't go outside if you're going to be putting your health
at risk, and other people's health at risk, or put yourself
in danger of getting the virus,
that would make Mr Ben a sad panda.
Every country is at a different stage right now,
some much more extreme than others, so if the government
advice in your country is don't go outside no matter what,
then don't do it.
Wait a few weeks until you think it's safe
to be going outside working.
In some countries, like mine, the rules are more relaxed
since Australia has a relatively small population,
they've been able to contain it pretty quickly,
and a lot of businesses are still operating.
So for me personally, I'd consider it safe to go out
making virtual tours here, since you're still able to travel
and go outside for work.
But make sure you use your best judgment here,
don't worry, there's still going to be the exact
same opportunity in the next few weeks, months and years
to do this, and you're not going to be able
to do it if you go out now and get the virus.
I really do see the world shifting a bit more online
after this ends.
Yes, we're all going to go outside and do all the things
we did before, but in terms of businesses interacting
with their customers, I see them investing a lot more
in online strategies to help make the business bullet-proof
and pandemic-proof, and 360 content
is one way to make that happen.
If you want to know where to get started making money
with your 360 camera, I have a free ebook you can download
that covers what I think are the 10 best ways
to do it in the year 2020 and beyond.
I'll link that in the description.
So that's it, (clapping hands) yay.
The first video from my new studio.
I will try my best to make more regular content
for you guys, sorry for being a bit inconsistent
with my uploads, but that will hopefully change, maybe.
Stay safe, stay productive, stay virus-free,
and I'll talk to you soon.