If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many is a video worth?
About 1.8 million per minute, according to one study. Imagine what your business’ marketing campaign could do with that many words.
Video marketing is an effective way to boost your real estate business, for obvious reasons: buyers connect with houses on a visual level, making video an ideal medium for brand expansion.
But video marketing is a learned art, and not everyone will have a knack for it out of the gate. Don’t fret, though: it’s something you can perfect with practice! If you’re expanding your real estate marketing campaign to include video, you’re probably looking for a few pointers on how to improve client connections by using this strategy.
That’s where we come in.
Here are nine quick and dirty video marketing tips to help you create engaging content and find your next homebuyer.
1. Tell a story
You need to tell a compelling story, so scrap any plans to create a sales-y video that focuses on the pitch, rather than what’s on a homebuyer’s mind. Take the time to identify the feelings you want to evoke in your clients.
Are you selling luxury houses, or fixer-uppers with endless potential? The welcome stability of an affordable home for first-time buyers, or the promise of a fresh start for established families?
Take that feeling and brainstorm a list of visuals and topics that enhance it, and write your video script around those ideas.
2. Focus on selling a home, not a house
One key benefit of video marketing is the ability to make a deeper connection with your audience than you can through static images.
Your client is not buying a house because it has a two-car garage or a double oven—they’re buying a home where they can envision having family game nights, hosting holiday gatherings, and building a life.
Weave that vision into your videos.
3. Hit ’em with that wow factor
As a real estate agent, you’ve got the scoop on everything that makes a house special, whether it’s a cozy reading nook upstairs or a beautifully finished marble island in an open kitchen. Take clients on a video tour of your listings using virtual tour software.
Be sure to emphasize the unique offerings of each home, rather than simply walking them through room-by-room. Highlighting memorable design elements or key features can help tip the scales in favor of a purchase.
4. Invest in production quality
The real estate industry is known for being sleek and slick, and this is one area where fulfilling the stereotype isn’t a bad thing.
If your business can swing it, invest in a quality camera and a few lighting props to give your videos a professional look. Investing in production quality will prevent a perception of low-quality service or slapdash advertising—neither of which will help your business.
And when we say invest, we’re not necessarily talking about a large sum of money. You can buy a $10 tripod for your iPhone, and some professional lighting equipment only costs $30-$50.
If budget allows, you could even create virtual reality videos to take your video marketing campaign to the next level. There are numerous virtual tour software options to help you do just that.
5. Remember the music
Dead air is rarely appealing, so don’t skimp on the background music in your video. Tie your music selection to the larger story you want to tell by reviewing that list of ideas you created with the feelings you want to evoke in your buyers. There’s no “right” background music to play. Instead, approach each video as an experience requiring individualized accompaniment, always keeping your prospective homebuyer in mind.
6. Keep it brief and hook the viewer
People are busy, and rarely have the time to spend 15 minutes watching a video. Quick-hits—one or two minutes long—are all they want (and likely have time for).
Did you know that one-fifth of all viewers click away within 10 seconds of launching a video? This means that you don’t have a lot of time to hook your audience, so it’s important to bring your A-game from the outset.
The good news is that short videos often have a greater impact than lengthy ones. A stunning visual of an amazing house amenity is one way to go, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and trust your instincts. What about a video showing the top 10 most unusual features of your houses on the market? Be creative and unique!
7. Call your customer to action
Don’t let your video end without detailing a desired customer action, or you risk losing their interest. Ask yourself what you want your customer to do next, and create an actionable step to make that desire a reality. For example, you could invite them to visit your real estate website or sign up for a newsletter.
8. Have a publication strategy
You can’t just record a video, throw it out on the internet, and expect it to do well. You’ve got to have a publication strategy to build an audience.
Create videos that are consistent in length, and schedule them for publication in advance just as you do for tweets or Facebook posts. Don’t post one video about houses on the market every now and then; create a series that runs regularly—perhaps a two-minute video on the latest house to hit the market on Mondays at noon or a daily 30-second homebuyers tip clip posted at 8 a.m. every weekday.
Experiment with different content types and schedules to see what works with your viewers, and tweak accordingly. As a marketer, you need to post frequently and consistently to build an audience.
9. Maximize the value of SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps homebuyers searching Google for real estate listings find your videos. Google has a number of video sitemap guidelines that can teach you how to tag your videos to boost your search results ranking.
From: Capterra
