Video marketing is the art of using videos to engage potential clients, elevate your brand, and educate the world about your company. As the digital world grows and more people have an online presence, we’re increasingly seeing videos play a key part in any good marketing plan.
According to Techsn, video marketing alone generates over 120 billion views a month. In the real estate industry, realtors were able to pull in leads from 65% of the videos they posted.
Real estate in particular is uniquely suited to video marketing – whether that’s recording listing tours or just showing realtors on camera to build a connection with future clients.
Real estate video marketing is a growing trend in the industry. Realtors are starting to see that they can reach new people through video in ways like never before. If you’re interested in making videos, we’ve put together these tips to help you impress.
1. Keep It Focused
Each video should have a guiding purpose or goal, which should be clear and easy to understand from the very beginning.
No one wants to watch a rambling video that constantly veers off-topic–that’s a quick way to lose interest. Your audience should understand what they’re getting into and the video should stick to that. Everything you show on-screen should be part of supporting that guiding purpose.
Of course, the best way to keep things on topic is to create a game plan before you ever start filming.
We’ve written a lot about what you need to consider before starting a video project, and it all starts with planning. Planning can be making a storyboard, writing a script, or just picking a set of questions to answer. Whatever you do beforehand to prepare will save you a lot of time and money in post-production, as well as create better content for people to watch.
Find your goal, find your message, and find your purpose before picking up a camera.
2. Have a Call to Action
Once your viewers finish the video, what should they do? Call a number, send an email, sign up for a newsletter, or like, comment, and subscribe?
It’s vital to include some sort of call to action at the end of your video. After you’ve given potential clients information, you also need to provide some sort of way to act on that information. Make it easy for them to find you, rather than requiring them to hunt down your contact information.
Be careful, though – don’t overwhelm your audience with a to-do list. It’s okay to stick with one or two brief lines. A simple “contact us here today” or “click the link in the description to schedule an appointment” with all of the appropriate contact information is perfect.
3. Embrace Variety
Having a variety of video content keeps things from getting stale. Listing tours are one of the most common types of real estate video. And while they may be your digital bread and butter, there are tons of other types of videos you can pursue.
- Q&A sessions. Have a realtor sit down to answer and explain some commonly asked questions. Bonus points if you livestream the Q&A session to allow viewers to ask questions in real-time.
- Interviews. Have realtors talk about their experience and background history or give their thoughts about a relevant industry topic. This is an excellent way to demonstrate your authority and expertise.
- Testimonials. Bring some satisfied clients on-screen to share their story and satisfaction.
- 360 listing tours. Your typical property walk-through but better. 360 videos require specialized equipment, but they allow for a much more detailed and immersive experience.
Think about what your clients really want to know. Think about the questions you hear from them most often. Answering those questions and fulfilling those needs are great sources of inspiration for your videos.
4. Put a Face to the Name
As a realtor, you know how important it is to make a personal connection with your clients because they put an enormous amount of trust in you. Letting them see your face and hear you speak before meeting you is a great way to build trust.
We know this is true because of the psychological concept of parasocial relationships. When people see you on social media or in videos, they can grow to like and trust you, even before they ever meet you in real life. It’s the same reason we grow to love celebrities and social media influencers so much just by seeing them on TV or online. By watching you in videos, potential clients can come to feel as if they know you personally.
So, one of the biggest tips for success in real estate video marketing is to show your face. Treat the camera like it’s your most important client and be amazed at the response you receive.
5. Use Apps and Other Tools
Even if you’re just using a smartphone, there are apps and other pieces of software that can improve the audio and picture quality or allow you to share videos without having to have professional editing tools.
Some great resources available include:
- Livestreaming software, like Periscope and Instagram Live. These let you share in the moment and allow for enhanced viewer interaction.
- Editing tools, like Magisto and Animoto. These are great for making small enhancements with no video editing experience required.
- Social media that supports video, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. We’ve already talked about why you should be using IGTV, so take the time to familiarize yourself with the platforms available to you.
Your videos don’t necessarily need to be flashy or have Hollywood-level production quality. But the higher the production quality, the better.
You may discover that even with the help of useful software tools and apps, creating a polished video is more difficult and time-consuming than it seems.
That’s why Slice is here. We’re a video production company based in Tampa Bay and we’ll help you through the entire process of making a great video. From planning to filming, post-production and editing, we’ll help you reach potential clients through masterfully made videos.
Contact Us
If you’re interested in hearing more about the power of real estate video marketing, just contact us! We work with companies of all industries and sizes – and we’re excited to hear from you next.
