In today’s tech-savvy real estate market, where Millennials continue to be the group that real estate professionals want to reach out to most, video plays a vital role in generating leads and connecting with prospective clients. But, to some, producing the videos can be painful and time consuming.
In the grand hierarchy of conveying a real estate message, text can provide details about a home and tell its story, but photos bring those factors to life and video enhances them even more. Video can help boost the message you want to get across.
Let’s face it; a home that is showcased with quality video on social networks can do wonders for netting prospects and even enticing homebuyers to want more information.
1. Do-It-Yourself. When video was first making its way to real estate listings, some people were hiring professionals to create the perfect look, but thanks to improvements in camera phones and inexpensive pricing on video cameras, shooting a video can be done by anyone. Plus, with consumer-friendly editing equipment available, becoming real estate’s version of Scorsese is a breeze.
2. Highlight the Community. Most real estate pros have already started offering virtual tours of their listings to provide a homebuyer with a 360-degree look through a house before they commit to seeing a property in person. But videos should also be used to capture the neighborhood the home resides in as well. Take some videos of local events or community parades and let people see the camaraderie and neighborhood spirit. If the local high school has a championship-caliber sports team, highlight that through videos. The possibilities are endless.
3. Interview the Neighbors. Some savvy documentary-style real estate pros are using video to do interviews with people in the community talking about why they love it. This unique way of capturing a town will appeal to those who want more than just a home—but a community to call their own. Stop in the local coffee shop or children’s bookstore and capture the voices of the people who know it best on film.
It’s never a bad idea to run some commentary over a listing either. Have the current owner talk about the joy of hosting a backyard party (with images of the deck and yard) or the great sunlight that comes in through the kitchen windows (with images of a decked out table for brunch). Use emotion to connect to the potential buyer.
4. Add Local Market Data. Another great use of video is to highlight real estate data and comps through creative video approaches. Some real estate pros have been known to bring in multimedia experts to present this important data in interesting and informative ways, which are sure to catch a buyer’s or seller’s attention more than just looking at some numbers on a chart.
5. Liven It up with Music. Whenever a real estate pro uses video, they should always make time to consider the music that should go along with it. Because of copyright restrictions, you can’t just add in the latest song to play in the background, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some hip music. Contact a local unsigned band and ask permission to use some of their stuff (if it fits), or head to YouTube’s audio library and utilize some of the royalty-free tracks they offer. Millennials will stay focused on a video longer if there’s music they enjoy hearing.
6. Share It on Social Media. Speaking of YouTube, uploading your videos to a dedicated YouTube page is a great way for real estate agents to get their listings seen. So does putting them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You want to do all you can to get your videos seen, so make sure they are on more than just your website.
7. Make It Easy on Yourself. For pros looking for a simpler, yet slick, way to showcase their properties with video, let Homes.com do the work. Not your typical video tour, Homes.com’s listing videos provide sellers with custom video that brings their home to life with animated visuals of property amenities, local information like area demographics, map views, local listing comparisons, mortgage rates and monthly payment, social share options – and best of all, it’s narrated by a professional.
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