Here’s the old adage: “The Board challenges the CEO by saying, what if we invest all this money in our people and then they leave to go to a competitor? The CEO responds, what if we don’t invest in them and they stay?”
Corporate America learned these lessons decades ago. Companies that ignored retention watched their best talent walk out the door, taking institutional knowledge, relationships, and competitive advantages with them. The cost was staggering: studies consistently show that replacing an employee costs between 50% to 200% of their annual salary when you factor in recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity, and cultural disruption.
Smart companies realized that investing in retention technology and strategies wasn’t just about keeping people—it was about protecting their most valuable assets.
The brokerage retention challenge
Real estate brokerages face the exact same dynamic with their agents—but with even higher stakes.
When a productive agent leaves your brokerage for a competitor, you don’t just lose their commission split. You lose:
- The investment in recruiting and onboarding them
- Their sphere of influence and client relationships they’ve built under your brand
- The momentum and culture they brought to your office
- The cost of finding and training their replacement
More importantly, in today’s market, agents leave when they feel their brokerage isn’t giving them the tools to compete. They’re losing listings to agents who can offer what sellers now demand. And what do sellers demand?
Video marketing
Here’s the brutal reality: 85% of home sellers expect video marketing for their property. But only 10% actually receive it from their agent. Only 38% of agents use video at all in their marketing.
This creates what we call “the hair on fire problem”—your agents know they need to create consistent video content to win and keep listings, but they’re drowning. Between showings, closings, and client management, they can’t add “video producer” to their weekly to-do list.
And here’s where you lose them: When agents can’t deliver what sellers expect, they start looking for brokerages that will give them a competitive edge. They leave for the brokerage offering better marketing support, even if it means a worse commission split.
Why video matters for agent retention
The data tells a compelling story about why this gap represents both a crisis and an opportunity:
Market performance:
- Agents using video grow revenue 49% faster
- Listings with video generate 403% more inquiries
- Listings with video attract 49% more qualified leads
- Video posts generate 1,200% more shares than text and images combined
Client expectations:
- 73% of homeowners prefer agents who use video
- 71% of buyers prefer agents with a strong social presence
- 96% of buyers start their home search online
- 46% of Realtors® say social media generates their best leads
(Sources: Brightcove, HubSpot, Sprout Social, and 2025 REsimpli Technology Survey.)
The Problem: Traditional video production is prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. A single professional video shoot costs $200-500. Creating consistent video content requires 20+ hours weekly—time your agents don’t have and shouldn’t be spending away from revenue-generating activities.
This is where managing brokers have a golden opportunity to become retention heroes rather than victims of the talent war.
The technology solution: Building your competitive moat
What if you could provide your agents with an AI marketing teammate that:
- Creates professional video content featuring the agent’s actual face and voice
- Turns client reviews into video testimonials the same day
- Generates weekly social media content automatically
- Saves agents 20+ hours per week
- Delivers performance that outperforms traditional content by 60x (6,000 vs 100 views on average)
- Costs less per month than a single traditional photo shoot
This isn’t science fiction. This technology exists today, and forward-thinking brokerages are already using it as both a retention and recruitment weapon.
Official AI has been working with real estate agents from Compass, Rennie, eXp, and other well-known brokerages to revolutionize how agents create and share video content.
One example of a top real estate agent who uses Official AI and has seen a dramatic increase in engagement on social media because of it is Ryan Rockwell. His Instagram channel includes content created using Official AI’s teammate—demonstrating how AI-driven video tools can build authentic visibility, drive client engagement, and strengthen brand loyalty for agents and brokerages alike.
For brokerages, this becomes a powerful three-pronged strategy
- Retention value
Your agents stay because you’re solving their biggest pain point. You’re giving them the capability to meet seller expectations and win more listings. When an agent is generating 49% more revenue because of a tool YOU provided, they’re not going anywhere.
The technology creates authentic video content featuring the agent’s actual face, voice, and expertise—making them the recognizable expert in their market. Prospects say “I’ve been seeing your videos everywhere” before listing appointments even begin.
- Recruitment advantage
“Join our brokerage and we’ll provide you with an AI marketing teammate that makes you the recognized expert in your market” is a compelling pitch that justifies commission splits and attracts top talent.
In a market where agents are increasingly evaluating brokerages based on the tools and support they provide—not just commission splits—offering cutting-edge marketing technology becomes your differentiator.
- Production amplification
When your agents can finally meet the 85% of sellers who expect video marketing, they win more listings. When they close 49% more business because they can deliver what sellers expect, your brokerage’s commission income increases substantially—far more than the technology investment.
The “chip shot” implementation strategy
The good news? Today’s technology landscape makes retention solutions more accessible than ever. This isn’t the year 2000, where implementing retention systems meant multi-million-dollar SAP deployments that took years to show results.
AI and cloud-based solutions enable what I call a “chip shot mentality”—low-risk, high-reward technology experiments that can scale fast.
Real estate brokerages should approach retention technology like golfers approach chip shots: confident, strategic, and focused on consistent execution rather than heroic swings. Start small, validate what works, then scale rapidly.
For more information visit Official AI.
