Sure, real estate has always been a visual industry.
Long before high-resolution digital photos and high-definition video, people would actually go and look at a property. Of course prospective buyers still do that. But now, they begin exploring properties and narrowing their choices by visuals — specifically video — on the internet.
This is a fact agents simply can’t ignore if they plan on making a living in real estate today. All good agents also know that sales are about getting prospects to act. Videos can make people act — and when they do, they make your real estate cash register ring.
But don’t just take my word for it. Evidence is everywhere. In fact, Cisco projects that by 2021, 82% of consumer internet traffic will be due to video. What’s more, even videos that are obvious ads are attracting eyeballs. A recent Extreme Reach report indicates that viewers’ time spent watching video ads is up by 19%, and the completion rate of these ads has had a 20% spike.
So if you lack a video marketing strategy, your prospects are watching a blank screen — and people don’t spend much time doing that.
Every Wednesday I post a Tip of the Week video, about four to six minutes long that I film at my desk. Sure, at first, I felt a little odd. But just like everything else, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. One lesson I learned is to relax and just be yourself, and make it real. Sometimes the phone rings, sometimes someone walks by my window, one time the lights even went out. No big deal. Be you. Viewers today pick up on contrived and artificial efforts — the key is to be authentic.
Here are a few more tips to consider when creating your video marketing strategy to earn some serious eyeball time from prospects:
Remember the three I’s.
Before you shoot your video, remember these three words: informative, interesting and important. Why? Because there are already a lot of videos on the web, and you’ll have plenty of competition. All the top producers in real estate have received the memo: video works. In fact, customers are four times more interested in watching a video than reading for information. So, your video has to stand out with useful information.
Think of yourself as more of a teacher and educator than a salesperson. If you focus more on the quality and value of the information provided in your videos instead of just selling, you’ll make a bigger impact. That said, I do recommend a call to action with your email address, phone number and website at the end of the video.
Think social.
L2 Inc., a digital benchmarking firm, analyzed 201 brands’ 60,000 videos and 293 video campaigns and found that social media platforms are the place to feature video. Each platform offers different value, the report states. For example, Facebook offers great reach, while YouTube can yield higher organic view rates and Instagram creates an environment for engagement. In the first quarter of 2017, brands averaged 18.8 million video views on Facebook, 14.8 million on YouTube and 5.2 million on Instagram. Worth noting is the 16% engagement rate of Instagram videos, which beat out Facebook’s meager 1.5% and YouTube’s minuscule 0.3%.
In addition to sharing on your social profiles, consider putting videos in your e-mails. An Adestra study showed a noticeable increase in open rates for emails with the word “video” in the subject line.
Get to the point.
Because there are so many videos on the internet — and information in general — people’s expectations are now much higher. So, get right to the point of your message fast, in the first five seconds even. Consider piquing viewers’ curiosity with a question, or share a startling statistic. But whatever you do, get value across quickly. Viewers always want to know why they should stay put and watch the video. The second you give them a reason to move on, they will do exactly that.
Yes, real estate, just like every other industry, is experiencing its share of changes. One of the biggest changes today is the new language to learn in communicating with your prospects and clients — the language of video. Don’t forget to include these three tips for your new or enhanced video marketing program. Lights. Camera. Action!
From: Forbes
